How to Decorate a Rain Barrel
Rain barrels are a "green" way to utilize to the fullest advantage that which nature gives you. A device that allows users to collect the rain from their gutters and re-use, a rain barrel is not the most attractive part of a homeowner's garden area. Painting your plastic barrel can help it become part of your landscape, or an eye-catching piece of outdoor art. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Vinegar
- Water
- Spray bottle
- Spray paint for plastic
- Mural design
- Acrylic paints
- Paintbrushes
Instructions
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1
Clean the plastic rain barrel with a vinegar and water solution. Mix ½ cup vinegar and ¼ cup baking soda to ½ gallon of water and put in a spray bottle. Spray the outside of the plastic rain barrel with the solution and wipe with a damp cloth. Allow to air dry before continuing the process.
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2
Spray a base color on the barrel to act as the canvas base. Depending on the mural idea, you may want to paint the barrel blue, green or cream-colored to provide an even undertone. Use a spray paint made for plastic and apply two even coats. Allow to dry.
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3
Using acrylic paints and a variety of sizes of paint brushes, paint on the design. You may decide to paint a nature scene to blend in with the surroundings of the rain barrel or a fanciful underwater scene or even a graphic geometric design of your choice. Draw out ideas first on scrap paper, and then begin to lay out the design in a light-colored paint that you can paint over.
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4
Fill in the design with additional acrylic paints until the entire barrel is complete. You might need to go over areas on the mural twice to get the depth of color you want and to cover the background color thoroughly. Allow to dry.
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5
Protect the mural by spraying on two coats of a clear protective finish such as a water-based polycyclic finish. Use sweeping strokes to apply the protective coat and cover the entire mural. Allow to dry before placing the barrel outdoors.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider the surroundings of your rain barrel as you select what to paint on it. You want your barrel to coordinate with the surroundings while still allowing you some personal expression.
Don't rush the drying process of your base coat. Painting over a slightly wet base coat will make your mural look gummy and bumpy.
