How to Make Plastic Flower Pots Look Vintage

Wash the pot’s interior and exterior thoroughly using clean water and a scrub sponge removing all soil and dust from the surface. You do not have to remove any stains, since the paint covers them. Dry the plastic pot thoroughly using a towel.

Place the planter upside down on top of a layer of newspapers in a well-ventilated location.

Open a can of spray exterior-grade primer designed for plastic and spray the pot’s entire exterior until none of the former color remains visible. Wait until the primer dries.

Open a can of exterior grade spray paint designed for plastic. Choose a base color for the pot that resembles natural materials, such as gray, brown or a terra cotta. Shake the can and spray the pot until none of the primer color shows through. Wait until the paint dries completely and is no longer tacky when touched.

Put on disposable gloves and open a small can of paint that is a darker color than the base color, such as black, dark gray, dark green or brown. Pour out 2 to 3 tablespoons on a paper plate. Ball up a cloth rag in your hand and dab it into the paint on the plate, and then blot it on the plate to remove the excess.

Dab the cloth gently over the exterior surface of the pot in a random pattern to create an antique vintage look on it. Do not completely cover the base coat with the second paint color.

Set the cloth aside and pick up a clean cloth. Rub the cloth gently over the pot’s surface softening the edges of the paint and blending it in so it looks smudged.

Wait 24 hours for the paint dry, and then turn the pot over a plant it as desired.