How To Paint Terra Cotta Pots With Chalk Paint

Are you giving a shower this summer or fall? Let me show you How To Paint Terra Cotta Pots With Chalk Paint to get a patina or aged look.

Last weekend, my mother and I hosted a bridal shower with a garden party theme. When it came to the floral arrangements, we wanted outdoor plants with a touch of fresh flowers. I purchased terra cotta pots with bottom saucers. The terra pots were so new looking and really wanted more aged patina but not dirty looking.

I had an idea!

How To Paint Terra Cotta Pots With Chalk Paint

I would use some of my Dixie Belle Silk All-In-One Chalk Mineral Paint. With two colors and a chip brush, these terra cotta pots were transformed into something beautiful.

Let me show you how!

Where To get the goods

Affiliates links are used in this post. Read my full disclosure here.

Terra Cotta Pot with or without saucers
Chip Brush
Paper Plate
Silk All-In-One Mineral Paints in Baja Gray and Whitecap
Sanding Block
Protective Spray Sealer for Outdoor Use (you only need to do this step if the planter will not be sitting under a covered porch. If outside exposed to the elements, you must seal it).
One Filler Plant
One Spiller Plant (plant that grows down the pot such as Ivy, Vinca, Creeping Jenny, etc.
Fresh Flowers
Floral Water Picks
Potting Soil

Tutorial – How To Paint Terra Cotta Pots With Chalk Paint

1. Wipe Any Dirt from Pot

These pots can have dust or dirt from handling the pots. Especially if you are putting them in your cart along with your plants. I used a dry cloth and wipe the pots off.

If you use a damp rag to clean the pots, remember to let the terra cotta pots completely dry before painting.

2. Select your paint colors

Dixie Belle Silk All-In-One Chalk Mineral Paint

For this project, I am using Dixie Belle’s Silk All-In-One Mineral Paints in Baja Gray and Whitecap. What I love about the Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint is the built-in primer, paint and top coat. The top coat will seal it for indoor use. However, if the pot will be outside see step 5 for sealing.

3. Painting the terra cotta pots

I find painting therapeutic especially when it is an easy project. Before we start, pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage. Don’t forget to turn on some great music.

Now let’s PAINT!

Add a generous dollop of both paint colors onto a paper plate and grab a chip brush.

We are going to do a dry brushing technique. This means, you will add a little bit of the Baja Gray or the Whitecap paint to your brush.

You will start off with one color first. Take the brush and stroke it on the plate first to make sure you don’t have too much paint.

Now swipe your chip brush across the pot. You should go in the same direction. I am going left to right and right to left on this pot.

Continue to stroke across the pot letting the terra color show through because you will be laying the paint.

Next with the same chip brush pick up the second color. If you started with whitecap first, you will be using the Baja Gray next or vice versa.

VIDEO: Dry brushing the second color.

Begin to dry brush the second color across the pot adding the color over the white and over the tera cotta color. You will want some of the terra cotta color to show through in the end.

Continue to dry brush the second color over your first coat. Here I am using Baja Gray overtop of Whitecap.

You will do a total of three coats. I started with Whitecap, then added Baja Gray and finished with Whitecap. You add as little paint or as much as you prefer. No two pots are identical and adds to the beauty of this project.

Have fun with it!

4. Distress it

How to paint a terra cotta pot with chalk paint W

With a Sanding Sponge or block, distress around the edges and top where the paint would be naturally worn.

5. Outdoor Use – Seal it

Although the Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint has a built-in top coat, if the pot will be sitting directly outside it will need to be sealed. You can use Krylon COLORmaxx Acrylic Clear Finish for Indoor/Outdoor Use, Flat Crystal Clear. This spray will seal the paint.

If you are keeping the pot inside or outside under a covered porch, you do not need to seal the paint on the pot. The top coat should be enough.

6. Adding the flowers

Each pot was filled 3/4 of the way up with Miracle Grow Potting Soil. We placed a filler, spiller and a thriller.

What does this all mean? Three key elements will balance your planter for that WOW factor. Let me explain…

How to paint a terra cotta pot with chalk paint X — White Belgonia as the “fillers”, Creeping Jenny as the “spillers”, and a floral flower pick with blush color Miniature Roses and Baby’s Breath are the “thrillers”.

Fillers would be Geranium, Drift Snow, Begonias, Marigolds, Zinnias, Sweet William, Coleus, Petunias, or house plants, etc. For our pots, we used Begonias (pink or white) or Lantana (white with pink & yellow).

Spillers are plants that will cascade from the container. Types of spillers are Vinca, Alyssum (fragrant), Creepy Jenny, Sweet Potato Vine, Ivy, trailing begonias, Baby Sun Rose, etc. We used Creeping Jenny or Vincas in each pot.

Thrillers are something that is eye-catching. It is usually a plant or plants that may have some height, color and/or texture. Types of thrillers are spikey grasses, Jester, Salvia, Canna, Corkscrew Rush, Dahlias, etc. In this case, our thriller were fresh miniature blush color Roses and Baby’s Breath in floral picks with water.

First place your spiller in the pot close to the each.
Next, you will add your filler (one or two plants) in the center of the pot.
Let’s do a thriller by submerging a flower pick in warm water (remove the rubber topper with hole in first). After the floral pick is full, put the rubber topper back on the flower pick. Gently push the Rose and Baby’s Breath stems in through the hole. Finish the arrangement by placing the floral pick with flowers in the pot. I have them placed off to the side filling in a gap.

Time to admire your finished project!

The finished project

Look how beautiful the pots turned out. We received so many compliments on the pots and flowers.

How To Paint A Terra Cotta Pot With Chalk Paint — Hot Pink Belgonia as the “fillers”, Vinca as the “spillers”, and a floral flower pick with blush color Miniature Roses and Baby’s Breath are the “thrillers”.

Look at those terra cotta pots. Don’t they look amazing painted. It adds to the character and charm of this floral arrangement. Perfect for summer time parties, bridal or baby showers, tea parties, etc. We gave them as door prizes at the bridal shower. You should have seen the ladies faces all excited when their names were called.

This project was easy, fun and took only approximately one hour to complete painting 6 pots and saucers as well as planting the arrangement.

If you need something easy, fun yet elegant, please give this project a try.

How To Paint Terra Cotta Pots With Chalk Paint

Where To get the goods