Applying Paint To Wooden Planters

Painting your wooden planters is a creative and easy outdoor project that you can finish in a weekend. Customizing outdoor wooden planters with a decorative paint job is a great activity to do with your children or friends.

Paint manifests numerous decorative possibilities and will transform any ordinary wooden planter into an art piece. Follow these easy step-by-step instructions to successfully and correctly paint your wooden planter boxes.

Before you begin, you should acquire all of the necessary supplies from your house or local home improvement store:

• One drop cloth or an old sheet. This should be spread out under your work area to prevent messes and aid in a faster clean up.
• A set of clothing that you do not mind getting paint on.
• One sheet of 120-grit sandpaper for every planter box you’re painting. You may need more or less depending upon the size of the planters.
• Several paint brushes in different sizes. You may consider using sponge brushes for covering large areas.
• A large container to soak soiled paint brushes in after use.
• 1 can of premium quality exterior alkyd primer.
• ½ gallon of white paint.
• 1 gallon of your choice of colored paint.
• Clear coat sealer for acrylic paint. Make sure that it is suitable for use outdoors.

Step 1: Use 120 grit sandpaper to smooth the exterior surfaces of the planter box. Sanding the wood will provide you with a level and even canvas to begin painting on. After all of the surfaces of your planter box have been sanded down; make sure all of the dust and debris has been completely removed before moving on to the next step.

Step 2: Now, seal the wood with high-quality alkyd primer. The primer will prevent any of the chemicals from your paint from seeping into the soil of your planter box. Not to mention, it will help prevent your paint job from cracking and bubbling in the future.

Step 3: Lightly sand the primed surface to remove any imperfections and remove all accumulated dust.

Step 4: Coat all of the exterior surfaces with one layer of pure white acrylic paint. This paint will act as a basecoat for future layers. Furthermore, the white paint will make the color you choose to paint your planters seem brighter and whatever designs you choose to paint much more evident.

Step 5: Finish painting your wooden planter boxes by applying at least 2 coats of your chosen color of acrylic paint. Make sure to allow each coat of pain to thoroughly dry before applying the next.

Step 6: Embellish your planter box with painted designs or patterns. Consider painting and gluing on wooden letters or fun shapes to add character to your planter box.

Step 7: After your planters have thoroughly dried, use a large paint brush to apply two or three coats of the acrylic sealant. The sealant will protect your project and aid in protecting it during cold winter months where snow and rain are a common occurance.