DIY French Country Terracotta Pots [tutorial]

diy terracotta pots chalk paint french country3

I’m planning on creating my dream back yard (well, more like a scaled down version of it) this year, with lots of gardens, potted herbs, lounge seating & string lights…So I’ve already started thinking about layouts, styles and elements I’d like to include.  One definite element will be lots of old, French country looking pottery.  I absolutely love the look of simple & natural pottery that’s withstood the test of time, the tough part is getting my hands on these sought after pieces (at a reasonable price)!  I’ve found plenty of beautiful, old pottery at cottage & garden shops, but the prices are just outrageous.  So, as usually I decided to make my own DIY French Country Pottery!

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DIY French Country Terracotta Pots [tutorial]

MATERIALS

  • terracotta pots, various sizes & shapes (super inexpensive at home improvement & garden stores)
  • Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint ( I used Everlasting, Delicate, Timeless, Vintage & Smitten)
  • Americana Decor Ultra-Matte Varnish

METHOD

The idea of these weathered looking pots is that they aren’t supposed to look “perfect”.  This means you can really do anything when it comes to painting them!

terracotta pot

For most of my pots, I used a “dry brush” technique, which simply means just barely dipping your brush into the paint and spreading it lightly & sporadically over your piece.  To achieve a naturally aged look, I layered two colors over each other.  Here’s my terracotta pot it’s first dry brushed coat of Vintage…

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Because you’re applying chalk paint to a super porous finish (terracotta), it dries almost instantly.  So I applied my next color right away, using the same dry brush technique again.  I chose to use Smitten for this next step because I thought it would naturally compliment the Vintage…

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Finally, I sealed my DIY French Country Pots with Americana’s Ultra-Matte Varnish.  I wanted the pottery to have a very natural, matte finish.

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I painted the rest of my pottery using different color combinations like Everlasting with Delicate, and Vintage with Timeless.  diy terracotta pots-chalk-paint-french-country4

I also painted a couple pots with a solid coat of Everlasting, to give them a “dipped” look =)

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Find more DIY home decor here!

7 responses to “DIY French Country Terracotta Pots [tutorial]

  1. Pingback: DIY French Country Terracotta Pots [tutorial] | Bonext.com
  2. I painted my pots with the Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint in Everlasting today! I’m ok with them not looking perfect, but I was concerned that the paint may wash away or stain my stone porch. I did not seal/wax the pots, so I was trying to figure out if I should?? Any advice? Thanks 🙂

  3. I want to know what, if any, the effect of planting real plants in them has on the finish. If you’re going to use them for planting should there be some kind of sealant on them?

  4. I use a mixture of 1/3 cup baking soda, 1 tablespoon glue, 1 tablespoon paint, and 2 tablespoons water. Mix well and paint clay pot with mixture.

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