How to Decorate 5-Gallon Plant Container
Large 5-gallon plant containers are often solid black in color and have no decorative element at all beyond the plant that is growing out of it. To dress up your indoor or outdoor container garden or your patio, you can decorate a 5-gallon plant container using paint to add any design you desire. As you decorate your container, try to add in design elements that will make the container match other areas of your garden such as butterflies, birds, vines or repeated patterns. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Water
- Mild dish liquid
- Scrub brush
- Fine-grit sandpaper
- Spray primer
- Spray paint
- Acrylic paint
- Paintbrushes
- Stencils or stamps, if desired
- Water-resistant sealant
Instructions
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1
Remove any plants that are currently growing in the container and set them aside for a day. Wash the entire container, both the inside and outside, using dish liquid and a scrub brush to remove as much dirt as possible. Rinse the container and allow it to dry thoroughly along the outside.
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2
Sand over the outside of the container to scuff the plastic surface with fine-grit sandpaper.
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3
Turn the container upside down. Spray over the outside of the container with spray primer, avoiding the drainage holes along the bottom. Leave the primer to dry for one hour.
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4
Spray a base coating of paint over the primer in a color you prefer. Apply the paint evenly to cover the primer as you continue to avoid the drainage holes of the pot. Let the paint dry for one hour.
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5
Turn the pot right-side-up. Paint on designs over the base color using acrylic paint in various colors either by hand or by using stencils or foam stamps. Create patterns around all sides of the pot as you work for an even look. Add lettering, if desired, to label the pot with the type of plant you'll be growing in it. Let the acrylic paint dry fully for one to two hours.
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6
Flip the pot over. Apply a water-resistant sealant over the entire outside of the pot, following the manufacturer's directions, to seal the paint underneath and prevent damage from exposure to sun and water. Allow the sealant to dry for as long as specified on the packaging before planting into the pot.
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Tips & Warnings
For indoor plants, use hot glue to apply items to the outside of the container such as rhinestones, twigs, ribbon, mosaic tiles, fake leaves or fake insects.
Paint children's hands and feet and press them onto the pot to create a one-of-a-kind, personalized pot.
