While in Mexico last year I made a few painted recycled planter boxes. I used the large black plastic planter boxes from the nursery that some of our other plants came in. For others, I used recycled washing machine drums.
Below I will show you some of each.
To make the painted recycled planter boxes, I first washed them really good and got the dirt off. Then I covered the used plastic planters with a couple coats of gesso. I like Liquitex professional white gesso which I buy in the one gallon size. Or the gesso I get from Utrecht. They both also have smaller sizes and a basic version which is less expensive.
The gesso helps the acrylic paint stick to the surface and not peel off when the planter boxes get hot in the sun.
I made a sketch of what I wanted on the planters. Then I painted that on the sides. After putting on a couple coats of acrylic paint, I covered it with a clear shiny acrylic varnish.
I think these recycled planter boxes held up pretty well seeing as it has been a whole year in the sun. The shiny finish on them has dulled a bit but the color is still vibrant.
That goes to show how well the Utrecht acrylic paint holds up. Utrecht is the brand of paint I like because it covers really well. The density is great and I love the vivid colors. Check the recycled planter boxes out below.
The one below is a recycled planter box using hibiscus flowers as my inspiration. We have a bunch of hibiscus in the yard and I love that flower. I also made a colorful hibiscus painted mural a couple years ago.
I used a different technique on the recycled sugar skull flower planter boxes below. I used a recycled washing machine drum. I coated it first with gesso like the others. Then I painted it using white paint for all the line work.
After it dried, I went over it with a transparent wash, adding more color. Then I finished it with a coat of acrylic clear varnish.
You can see some of my other sugar skull designs on tshirts at this link>
I am pretty happy with the way they look with the more mature plants in them now. I think they add a lot to our garden space. Hope you enjoyed looking at them.
