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Outdoor Pot Painting Ideas – How To Save Money On Planters

If you’re like me, you’ve probably got a few random planters sitting around just waiting on Mother Nature to be nice enough to us to add some life to them! I have a few that were dangerously close to getting tossed in the “get rid of” pile. I’ve got some outdoor pot painting ideas for you today. Save money by updating those old sad pots and add some color to your porches.

This is such an easy way to save money on your outdoor decorating. You really can make your old shabby planters look fresh and new again! Perfect options for the ones that have been sitting around peeling and chipping, looking like a hot mess that no plant would want to call home.

Outdoor Pot Painting Ideas

A special thanks to DecoArt for providing me with the paint for these projects. I’ve used their craft paints for years, but I’d never tried their paint formulated for outdoors.

I’ve made a few mistakes in the past of using regular paint for outdoor projects, and please learn from my mistakes and just don’t do it. Prime example – this outdoor plant shelf makeover. 

It was a disaster because I used regular old latex paint and tons of polyurethane thinking that would be enough to protect it from the elements. Not a chance. So don’t be me and make that mistake.

So back to the pots. I’ve had this big planter for years. And if you’ve looked at big planters before, you know it can get expensive. It was in decent shape, just super boring.

I used Americana Decor Curb Appeal in Harbor Blue. It’s a paint designed for front doors and shutters, but I’m using it for planters. I figure if it can work on a door, it can work on a pot. Harbor Blue is a bright turquoise color, perfect for adding some color to your outdoor living spaces.

A bottle of blue Curb Appeal DecoArt paint sitting next to a rusty piece of metal by the side of a house outside.

Here’s my sad little pot before:

A large brown outdoor planter pot with greenery inside.

Paint to the rescue. This paint is pretty thick and it had amazing coverage. If this were a door, I’d definitely do a second coat, but one coat was perfect for this planter.

I used a regular 2-inch paintbrush and painted in the direction of the grooves on the pot. My pot had some texture to start with and my succulents were already coming up so I painted with them already planted.

Ps. Succulents are amazing plants if you are a #plantkiller like me. These come back every year, they don’t care when I forget to water them, and they last for months!

And here’s the new bright and pretty pot after painting:

A bright blue planter pot with green plants growing inside sits on a backyard patio.
Close-up of a blue planter pot with greenery inside and a backyard in the background.

Onto the next pot. Years ago I bought an enormous plastic planter in bright blue. Well, you can see how well it held up:

Disaster! This is one that I almost tossed out.

A worn teal and gray planter sits on a patio outside.
a blue planter with lots of pink flowers inside sits on a patio.

But since I was on a pot painting spree already, I thought I’d try it. I did take a sanding block and get off most of the peeling spots before painting as well as wipe it down with a wet rag.

One coat of the Harbor Blue and some new flowers made it perfect again.

Close-up of a large blue container with pink flowers inside.

I’m so glad I attempted to revive these old guys instead of just tossing them out.

For a few bucks, you can transform those peeling planters into fresh new pots just in time for Spring! And if you’re looking for flower ideas, check these out!

The Best Perennial Flowers

Plants that Love Shade

Container Plants for Full Sun

Image collage showing the before and after of a brown planter painted blue.
Image collage showing the before and after of a worn gray plant pot painted blue.

Don’t forget to pin for later!
Pinterest graphic with text that reads \"Planter Makeovers\" and blue planter pots with pink flowers inside.

Thanks so much to DecoArt for providing me with this fabulous paint. This stuff is super affordable too. Between $12 and $16 depending on where you purchase from and you’ll get a lot of use out of one bottle. I didn’t even use a quarter of the bottle between these two big planters.

You may also like these planter ideas:

DIY Planters

Farmhouse Style Planters

Happy Planting!