How to Hand Paint Terra Cotta Pots – an Easy and Inexpensive Tutorial

Let’s Hand Paint Terra Cotta Pots

You may be wondering, what’s the best way to hand paint terra cotta pots and planters. Well I have several easy ideas you can use to add some unique style to your terracotta pots.

Painting Flower Pots is Art

Hand painting flower pots is a way to express your creativity and personality. It’s also a way to give your home or garden that personal touch.

I’m always saying that creativity can be used in every area of your life, and hand painting your flower pots is a great activity to grow your creative muscle. It also gives you pride in your work. You can be proud of the time and effort you put into creating something by hand.

how to paint Terra Cotta pots

Types of Terra Cotta Flower Pot Painting Methods

Let’s take a look at several painting methods that are popular.

  • Solid Color – Simple and easy solution for a quick color change.
  • Gradient – you can pick several complimentary colors and gradual blend from one color to another
  • Design – painting a design can take a little more time, but gives you the space to put any type of art or design that you like onto a pot. If there is a picture you like, you can replica it by sketching or hand painting onto your terra cotta pot.
  • Stenciling – If eyeballing a design is not your jam, you can purchase a stencil at any retail store that sales craft supplies. If you tape the stencil on the pot then layer your
  • White Wash – where you cover the terra cotta pot in a thin coat of white paint to give it an aged look.
  • Glow in the dark – This is a fun option for patio or garden flower pots. Paint them with glow in the dark paint to help illuminate walk ways and decks.

What Type of Paint to Use

Acrylic paint is the best choice for painting terra cotta pots because it comes in a wide range of colors. In fact, any brand will do just be sure to get acrylic. A 2oz bottle of acrylic paint is also relatively inexpensive, ranging from $.89 – $3. Some people use spray paint. Yes, It does work and is great for painting solid colors, but requires multiple coats.

Steps to Hand Paint Terra Cotta Pots

Step 1: Get your pots.

You can purchase terra cotta flower pots at hardware stores, thrift stores, most home decor stores, but I found the cutest pots at the Dollar Tree. They came in a pack of 2 for $1.25 or 3 smaller ones for $1.25.

The Dollar Tree also has lots of bigger pots in plastic if you want to grab additional items while you are there.

Step 2: Prep your pots.

If you bought your pots brand new, especially the ones from the Dollar Tree, you can skip this step. All you have to do is take it out of the plastic.

If you bought your pots 2nd hand or you are repurposing an old pot, make sure to prep your pots by washing them thoroughly. You want to remove any dirt, grease or insects that may disrupt the painting process.

Once clean, let your pots dry completely before moving forward.

Step 3: Choose your design

It's best to have an idea of what you want to paint BEFORE you get started. You'll avoid a lot of "shoulda woulda couldas". Let me tell you from EXPERIENCE LOL.

Here's a video of four different designs you can use to paint your terra cotta pots. The possibilities are endless.

Painting Tip: If you are doing a design where you are layering different colors on top of another, make sure to let each layer dry completely before proceeding to the next color, or the colors will blend together. One great thing is that terra cotta clay pots are known to absorb moisture well, so your paint will dry almost instantly.

Step 4: Seal your Terra Cotta Pots (optional)

There's always a debate whether you should seal terra cotta pots after painting. The answer is...It's up to you. If you are going to keep them in the house, they really don't need a sealant. If you are want to put them outside, they may last longer if you seal them.

Since terra cotta clay absorbs water, sealing the inside or outside of the clay may block some of it's natural properties. Just be aware that your pots may not drain as normal causing you to water them less.

I personally didn't seal my pots, but they are more decorative than functional.

Step 5: Fill with your favorite plants

Finally, once all the paint and optional sealant is dry, it's time to fill them with your favorite plants. I potted a baby succulent in my modern pot.

Honestly, these are just as cute with fake plants as well. I added silk plants to my other pots because I can kill almost any plant but still enjoy the look of them. Sorry to all my plant lovers, please don't talk about me. LOL

modern terracotta pot

Creativity Wins

I truly believe there is a correlation between creativity and happiness. You can use creativity to make something that no one else has ever thought of before or to come up with a new way of doing something.

Even if it's just painting a small terra cotta plant, every creative project is worth doing. Doing this porject is using creativity to jazz up your living space. There's no project too small. And, like they say, the best way to be creative is to get creative! Let's Go!!!

Until Next Time...Stay Crafty!

Angie

Angie - the Purple Craft Diva

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