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After ten years of hustle and bustle in Los Angeles, I have come to the quaint little town of Astoria, Oregon in search of some tranquility and self-exploration. With the captivating beauty of the Columbia River as a backdrop (and many rainy days) I am excited to spend time improving on my cooking skills, growing a garden and finally getting around to those creative projects I have put aside for so long.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Spray Painting Terracotta Pots

Terracotta pots are an inexpensive way to grow your plants. The dull clay color however is not very exciting to look at. To liven up my garden I decided to use spray paint to give the pots a vibrant splash of color.


I went to my local art supply store Dots 'N Doodles where the owners are always very helpful and discussed possible paints for terracotta pots. I was immediately drawn to the cool glossy colors of the Montana brand spray paint cans and settled on trying out the green. To get started on my project, I first covered the portion of the pot I was not painting with newspaper and used masking tape to hold it in place.





As I covered the lower part of the pot I made sure the tape was secured and that I covered everything up to the lip of the pot.




As you can see, the entire bottom part of the pot is fully covered. Since you should obviously never use spray paint inside the house,  I went out to the gazebo and laid out plenty of plastic on the patio table to use as my work space. 


I started with the pot tray. Since I was spraying both sides of the tray, I first first sprayed the top and set it aside to let it dry before flipping over to spray the bottom.

 




















While I let the pot tray dry I turned to the actual pot and sprayed all the way around the lip of the pot making sure to let the paint settle in for fifteen to thirty seconds before applying an additional layer. 


After I was finished, I set the pot in the upright position to let it dry. After 15 minutes I went back to the pot tray and flipped it over and sprayed the other side.





I waited about an hour and then very gently felt the pot and the tray to make sure it was completely dry.  Although it felt dry, there was just a hint of stickiness which indicated they were not completely dry. As a precaution, I let them sit out another hour before bringing them inside.




Once inside and completely dry I used some potting soil and took a flower from my garden to plant in the spruced up pot.





As you can see, this simple project makes the world of difference when using terracotta pots for your plants and flowers. 


We went from this plain clay colored pot on the left to this vibrant green pot on the right.














My dog She-ra approves


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