chalk paint planters

DIY planter project...

5/21/2016

i found two terra cotta planters at Tuesday Morning, but they weren't working with the exterior of my house. in order to achieve a look that compliments my house, we used chalk paint® decorative paint by annie sloan to give these planters an aged look, resembling zinc.

materials:

2 terra cotta planters
graphite chalk paint® decorative paint by annie sloan
flat brush
annie sloan paint brush
soft lint-free cloth
water
louis blue chalk paint® decorative paint by annie sloan
potting mix
plants

Here are our step by step instructions so you can achieve this look on anything from planters, to furniture, to lamps and more!

Before:

step 1: Applying the base coat. using graphite chalk paint® decorative paint by annie sloan, brush two coats of paint onto the terra cotta planters. brush strokes are a bonus as they give extra texture, which will "grab" our louis blue wash. this will help you achieve an authentic, weathered finish!

step 2: applying the wash. once the graphite chalk paint® by annie sloan are dry, its time to apply the wash. to do this, simply add water to the louis blue chalk paint®. There is no precise amount of water - I usually just dip my brush in water and dip it into the paint. you are trying to achieve a "ghost" of color over the graphite - so a translucent coat of louis blue will do! While the wash is still wet, wipe the planter with a soft, lint free cloth in one direction.
we aren't using annie's wax on this project because it is an outdoor project. a bonus to using chalk paint® by annie sloan (a water-based, clay & mineral paint) is that water can move through the paint without getting trapped by a chemical topcoat that is a part of acrylic, latex, and oil based paints, when the plants are watered or our humidity increases, the water can move through the painted planters - there will be no chipping or flaking!

emblem before the wash

emblem after the wash

step 3: Filling the planters. the wash dries within a few minutes, so you can begin planting right away! we decided that we should have one plant for height, one for color, and one to drape over the front of the planters. in each of the planters, we chose to put one Cordyline for heigh, two Petunias for color, and 3 Goldilocks Creeping Jenny's to drape over the front edge.