How To Paint A Wood Planter For Your Spring Flowers

How to paint a wood planter for your Spring flowers.

An old wood box can be recycled in so many ways. This one got a sunny makeover and is now holding faux hydrangeas, Of course, the painted box can be used as a planter for real flowers too. 

I bought the old cedar box at my favorite junk shop. I think once upon a time it had a lid or top. I’ve had the chest for a while and used it in various displays around the house.

I tried to sell it in my booth but no one wanted it. I even put it on sale. Still no bites. Time to paint it although some of you may give me a hard time about painting cedar.

I used FolkArt Milk Paint in Tavern Ale for the finish. This photo shows the box with one coat of paint. I love this FolkArt paint. It is so easy to use and the colors are really vibrant.

This photo shows the box with two coats of paint. The darker areas are where the paint is still wet.

The stencil I chose for the project is from a large package of paper stencils. The paper is really thick and heavy and the stencils can be reused.

Once the yellow paint was dry I used FolkArt Wicker White acrylic paint and a foam pouncer to stencil the designs.

Stenciling is super easy if you know the secret. Just remember to use a really, really, dry brush. I used pieces and parts of several stencils from the package. 

I distressed the stencil and the whole chest lightly with sandpaper by hand. You guys know I can't resist distressing a stencil. The look is perfectly imperfect.

The milk paint can be left flat or sealed. I decided to seal the finish. The FolkArt Bonding/Sealer gives the paint a deeper, richer look. And when the paint is distressed it gets a soft hazy look that needs wax or sealer.

I added faux Hydrangea stems to the chest. Hydrangeas are my favorite flowers.

paint and stencil and old wood box

I stenciled the words Farm Fresh on one side with a border below the letters and on the opposite side I stenciled the word Quality. 

The yellow chest full of flowers makes me smile. I have it sitting on the kitchen counter. I'm glad the chest didn't sell.

I have another project with yellow paint and stenciling. 

See how I transformed an old tackle box/ tool box into a jewelry box here.....Repurposed Tool Box Becomes A Jewelry Box

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I'm going to hold on to the yellow planter for a while. The flowers and stenciled chest look great on the dining room table too.

Products used in this project:
FolkArt Milk Paint - Tavern Ale
FolkArt Bonding/Sealer
26 Piece Stencil Pack
Wicker White Paint
Foam Pouncer

What do you think of the project? Leave a note if you have time and thanks for being here, Kathy

Kathy Owen

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Author: Kathy Owen
Kathy Owen is the founder of the home decor blog Petticoat Junktion where she shares tutorials on painting furniture and upcycling thrifty finds into unique home décor. Her DIY projects have been featured on the Home Depot Blog, Plaid Crafts, Behr Designer Series, and in numerous magazines. Kathy’s newest website is HappyHomeDIY.com