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    Home » DIY Projects

    DIY Cheap Flower Pots

    April 11, 2021 by Patti Estep 12 Comments

    Jump to How-to Card
    Mandevilla vine plant from the nursery in a black plastic pot above the same pot with grout to upcycle the look.

    Learn this simple technique for creating cheap flower pots, by dressing up basic black plastic nursery containers. No need to re-pot. This is especially nice for gifts and for those plants that only last for the season.

    Grout decorated cheap flower pot

    Sometimes I come up with ideas, actually many times, after the fact. I bought my sister and good friend some Thunbergia plants aka Black Eyed Susan Vines for their birthday. I did not take the time to purchase a new pot for this gift but gave it to them with the standard nursery pot.

    Dressing Up Cheap Flower Pots

    Black-eyed susan vine

    They may decide to plant it in the ground, and then the pot would not matter. However, this vine will not make it through our winter, so a pot would be a nice touch.

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    This problem made me start thinking about how one could dress up a plastic nursery pot on the cheap.

    Mandevilla vine from nursery

    I picked up a Mandevilla vine, also not hardy, and tried to come up with a way to create a cheap flower pot out of this basic black plastic one. First I tried plaster but it did not stick. Then I tried glue with peat moss and paint for a textured look. This was a bad look. Finally, I used pre-mixed white grout, and the effect, though maybe temporary, was just the kind of thing I was looking for.

    Primer on nursery pot

    How to Upcycle Plastic Plant Pots

    First start by painting the pot with primer, so the grout has something to stick to.

    Spreading grout on plastic pot.

    Then, just like icing a cake, spread the grout all over the pot using a plastic spoon or knife.

    Bottom of ornate glass bowl

    I wanted to give the grout some dimension so I used the bottom of this bowl.

    Wait about 4 hours before attempting to stamp the pot. Use a little cooking spray on the bowl first for easy release.

    Grouted pot with imprint

    I brought the grouted pot indoors to dry out. This took about 2 days, and then I used some gray and green craft paint to give the pot an aged cement look.

    Completed cheap flower pot dressed from plastic nursery pot.

    Pretty neat, huh? Who would have thought it would be so easy to decorate black plastic pots?

    You may have the supplies to make this fun craft already on hand. I had to buy my grout, which was just a little over $10, and I have enough left over to make 2 more pots.

    Cheap flower pots - plant on patio

    I really have no idea how long this will last, but I do expect it to make it through the summer, just like the plant. I'll have to let you know how it fares through the summer. Who knows, maybe it will last a long time.

    update: I can tell you that the pot had no problem lasting the entire season. However, it did get thrown out during the winter cleanup. I'll have to make another and make sure that it doesn't get tossed with the garbage so I can see if it will last year after year.

    More Flower Pot Projects

    • Flower Pot Centerpiece
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    • DIY Mosaic Pots
    Mandevilla vine plant in an upcycled plastic pot with grout
    Grout decorated cheap flower pot
    Print
    4.72 from 7 votes

    How to Make Cheap Flower Pots By Dressing Up Nursery Planters

    Dress up inexpensive nursery planters with this simple DIY tutorial. You will never know they started out as cheap plastic flower pots.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Active Time30 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: DIY Projects
    Yield: 1 Flower Pot
    Author: Patti Estep
    Cost: $5

    Equipment

    • Paint Brush
    • Plastic Spoon or Knife

    Materials

    • Plastic Nursery Pots
    • Plant
    • Pre-Mixed White Grout
    • White Paint
    • Decorative Bowl

    Instructions

    • Paint the pot with primer.
    • Spread the grout all over the pot using a plastic spoon or knife.
    • Let dry for 4 hours.
    • Spray a little cooking spray on the decorative bowl and stamp the pot.
    • Bring inside and let it dry for 48 hours.
    • Paint the pot with gray and green craft paint to give it an aged cement look.

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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Linda Bricker

      February 14, 2022 at 10:25 pm

      Have you thought about thinset. It would hold up much better and it is as easy as the grout you used. It can be painted and stamped. I'm a mosaic artist and I use these products all the time. Thanks

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        February 15, 2022 at 7:43 am

        That's a great idea Linda. Thanks for sharing.

        Reply
    2. Corina istan

      March 19, 2021 at 12:11 am

      Great idea! How did it fare ?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        March 19, 2021 at 6:55 am

        Thanks Corina. It was great for the entire season. I didn't keep it afterward but now I wish that I did.

        Reply
    3. Marie

      August 04, 2020 at 7:02 am

      I just came across this post now. It is a couple of years old I think so I am wondering how the pot lasted?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        August 04, 2020 at 8:13 am

        Marie, the pot did great throughout the summer but I threw it out with the in late fall. The Mandevilla is not hardy where I live and I didn't want to try and over-winter it inside. However, I would guess that it might last quite a while. The grout is made for bathrooms. I suppose it would eventually break down depending on the weather but you could protect it during winter and bring it out again next season.

        Reply
    4. Julie Briones

      June 19, 2018 at 1:10 am

      Quite ingenious, friend! Wow! Pinning!

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        June 19, 2018 at 7:45 am

        Thanks Julie! I'm so glad you like it.

        Reply
    5. Karen

      June 18, 2018 at 12:28 pm

      Patti, I really have a thing for faux finishes because you can pull of such a great look for mere pennies compared to what the "real deal" would cost. I've had the same thought about those plain black plastic planters - I know they're kept cheap for just getting plants to consumers, but this is a really smart way to reuse them, even if you don't use the original plant.

      I'm sharing this in our Facebook group since we focused on planters all last week. Great project! 🙂

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        June 18, 2018 at 2:56 pm

        Thanks Karen. I do love a cute vintage pot. We'll see how this one holds out. I've had it outside for a couple of weeks not and so far so good. Thanks for sharing in your community group.

        Reply
    6. Carole West

      June 18, 2018 at 8:35 am

      Love this idea and it will be interesting to see how it holds up. Adding the bowl stamp was a neat idea. You're always thinking outside the box and I love that. I have an idea on the moss thing, after you add it then wrap raffia around the base. Visually I'm thinking it would look good but I've never tried this so I'm not sure.... We have moss out here so I may try something like this around Christmas. Great project!

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        June 18, 2018 at 9:18 am

        Thanks Carole. Moss and raffia sound perfect together. Can't wait to see it.

        Reply

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