Learn how to make painted faux marbled flower pots
Do you have old terracotta flower pots that need updating? We hate paying the price for cool, larger and modern pots! You wouldn’t believe how expensive silly pots can be!
We had been searching for fun DIY planter ideas for our new deck that wouldn’t break the bank. Creating DIY marble flower pots is the perfect budget-friendly DIY project.
How hard is it to make a marble finish with paint?
Honestly, this was one of our fastest and easiest DIY projects to date. It is super fun to let the supplies work for you. If you are nervous, you can always experiment with smaller objects first.
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What does it cost to marbleize the flower pots?
My TWO terracotta marbleized pots only cost around $6 each to make. This was because I had some of the spray paint colors already on hand.
How can you create a marble effect with paint?
There are a few options you can use to get a marble look with paint. You can use spray paint, nail polish or acrylic paint dipped in water to create a fake marble look.
What is hydro dipping?
Technically this technique I am sharing has a name called hydro dipping or watermarbling. Hydro dipping is when you transfer paint from the surface of water onto an object. In this case, we are spraying spray paint on the water to create a fun design and dipping our flower pot into it to print on the surface.
The fun part about hydro dipping is that you can do this technique on more than just flower pots. We really hope to try this soon on large plastic planters and think it will really work.
If in the meantime you are looking for more simple flower painting ideas, check out these black and white designs you can get done in 30 minutes.
Supplies
- Our favorite modern-looking pots or any terracotta pot
- White Spray Paint (I highly recommend this one with a primer in it)
- At least two different colored spray paints
- large box & garbage bag (or large plastic bin)
- packing tape
- Skewers
- Small plastic cups
- Water
- Latex glove(s) if you don’t want to get messy
- Clear Top Coat Spray Paint or Outdoor Mod Podge
How to do use spray paint to create a marble effect
Before you begin, spray paint your terra cotta pots with a base color. We used white GLOSS spray paint with primer built-in. I did this the day before and let them dry overnight. The terracotta pots do soak up a lot of spray paint, so be prepared for this.
Your first white coat does not have to be perfect because the marble design will cover any imperfections.
Set up marble paint station (Not using a good plastic bin)
Other DIY bloggers, will tell you to use a large plastic bin. I don’t know about you, but plastic bins can be expensive. I didn’t want to ruin a bin that would cost more than my whole project.
So I came up with a FREE and better solution. I taped a large garbage bag inside of a diaper box. Added water from my hose and I had a waterproof dipping and marbling station ready to go.
Important tip: YOU MUST WORK QUICKLY!!!!!! Taking the pictures to show you all how this worked slowed me down a little and the marbling on the pots would have been easier if I was not trying to document it for you. But I love inspiring all, so I made it work…QUICKLY!
Create DIY Marble Effect with spray paint and water
Step 1: Fill a container or homemade marbelizing station with water.
Step 2: Spray gray spray paint in water.
Step 3: Spray black and then gold spray paint. If you feel comfortable spraying two cans at once, go for it!
Again, DO IT QUICKLY!!!!!!!
Step 4: As fast as you can, take a skewer and just move the paint around. If the paint starts to stick to the skewer, you are moving too slow! I used gray spray paint, but my guess is that black and gold would still give you the awesome marble design on your pots.
Step 5: Dip the terracotta flower pots in the spray paint and water mixture.
Step 6: As soon as you have all three colors in, dip your terracotta pot and rotate it to cover the areas you want. Carefully pull out the painted flower pot when done and you have a BEAUTIFUL DIY MARBLED POT! It is that simple.
Step 7: Let the terracotta pot dry.
Drying tip
Depending on the size of your terracotta pots, you should be able to flip them over and place them on a wine bottle with the cork in to dry. As you can see in this picture, the wine bottle has the cork sticking out through the bottom of the flower pot.
This fits perfectly in the hole in the bottom of the terracotta pot.
Step 8: After these dried for a few hours, I then used a clear coat spray to help seal the outside.
Optional painted flower pot idea
You could also just dip half of the pot for a cool flower pot idea. This would probably be easier than trying to quickly rotate the pot to get the marbling effect on all sides.
Read More>>> Really Easy Painted Flower Pot Ideas
How to make more than one marbelized painted flower pot
If you want to dump the water in between each dunk, go right ahead. However, I am all for not being wasteful and I am a little lazy.
If not dumping water, use a wooden skewer and a small cup to scrape off the top layer of spray paint in between each pot. As you can see, if you do not work quickly, you will be left with a not-so-great spray paint film stuck to everything.
End result of spray paint and water marble painting
I ABSOLUTELY think these are a gorgeous makeover. I can’t get enough of these FABULOUS DIY marbled pots!!!!!
These turned out so well that I am wondering if next, I can try to marble large plastic planters?? Any ideas? I will post about it if I do attempt to take on such a huge marbling project!
If you are like us, we sometimes have DIY mistakes! We didn’t do accidentally spray paint in extra places on this project. However, if you need to know how to remove spray paint from glass this may be helpful.
Could you use nail polish to create a faux marble look?
As promised, I also decided to test out the nail polish marbling that is all over the internet. I simply tested this method out on a white ceramic mug. Therefore, this was SUPER easy because I didn’t even have to use white gloss spray paint for a base coat.
Supplies
- Two different colors of nail polish
- Skewer
- Container or water station
- White ceramic mug
How to use nail polish to create marbleized mugs
I decided to use two colors of nail polish to create the DIY marbling effect. I poured a few drops and stirred.
Again, it seemed that you had to work QUICKLY.
However, the nail polish may have been a little more forgiving with time. I placed it to dry. The biggest con I could tell about using this method is that if you held the mug too long, the nail polish would create a thicker film. I liked the look of the quick dip and fast rotation better.
Just a note, I am not sure if drinking from this mug would be “food-safe”. I will for sure just be using it to store pens on my desk (another DIY project) or I might even plant a small succulent in it!
This DIY marbling effect is a sure way to spruce up any item on a budget. If you love this DIY project, you may want to check on the faux marble effect we got on our Easter eggs and paper place cards. You could use this paint technique on a variety of DIY home decor items inside or outside your home.
Check out our related posts about outdoor living
I also hate paying for other things like an outdoor dining room table or a painted plastic playhouse and that is why we are always doing DIY projects that can be used outdoors.
The DIY Project Challenge
This outside DIY project definitely was pretty simple, but there are a few catches and tips I will give you along the way! This DIY marbled pot project was perfect to add to my DIY friends in our project challenges!
Now let’s see what my AWESOME DIY friends have created for this month’s knock-off challenge. The ladies in this group are very talented and I can’t wait to see what they have created! Let me know if you want to join us in the next round! Feel free to click on the links below to find more AMAZING inspiration.
Joyful Derivatives: DIY Faux Marble Lamp Makeover
Kippi at Home: DIY Garden Screen Trellis
Never Skip Brunch: Anthropologie Hanging Planter
Life’s AHmazing: West Elm Inspired DIY Geometric Desk Decor
Our Happily Ever Home: Wayfair Inspired DIY Wooden Candlesticks
Southern Yankee DIY: Knockoff Pottery Barn Floral Napkin Rings
Mama Dares to DIY: Knock-off Pottery Barn Floating Shelves
I would love to hear about your DIY spray paint projects or if you have used one of the faux marbling techniques we showed today.
Free printable instructions
DIY Marble Flower Pot
Use spray paint and terracotta pots to create these fun marbled looking pots. No one will know how cheaply you were able to make them!
Materials
- Terracotta Pot (We love these modern looking ones)
- White Spray Paint with Primer Built-in
- At Least Two Other Colors of Spray Paint
- Wooden Skewer
- Latex Gloves (if you don't want to get messy)
- An old wine bottle for drying
- Outdoor Sealant (I will be resealing mine after two summers outside with this product)
Tools
- Large Box with plastic bag or plastic tote
- Packing tape
Instructions
- Use a large plastic bin or make your own box with a large garbage bag that water can go in. You need to fill the box so that you will be able to dip your pot in it.
- Use white spray paint to put a base coat on your terracotta pot. You only need to spray a little on the inside. No need to waste spray paint.
- Let the paint dry. It should not be tacky.
- WORK QUICKLY (like as fast as possible)!!! Using two different colors of spray paint, QUICKLY spray both colors in the water. Use the skewer to move the paint around.
- Pick up the pot and carefully dip it into the water. Roll the pot around so that all sides get covered.
- Place the terracotta pot upside down on the wine bottle so it can dry. Allow to fully dry as it should not be tacky to the touch.
- Use a clear coat spray or this product with a brush to fully protect your faux marbled flower pot.
Notes
You could use any color combinations .you would like with this project. You just might want to stick with colors that you know will mix well together.
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Jacinda
Thursday 8th of April 2021
Hello! I was wanting to do this with glass vases. I have black and grey spray paint and I already have gold acrylic paint. Do you think that would work mixed in?
Thanks!
Erin
Friday 9th of April 2021
Hi Jacinda. I haven't tried mixing the two types of paint. This sounds very interesting and we may need to try it out. I would recommend testing the hydro dipping technique on something small first (even a dollar store glass vase before testing it on your real ones). You also could see how the paints mix by doing it quickly and dipping a piece of paper to see what happens. Good luck and I would love to hear how it goes.
Maureen
Tuesday 12th of January 2021
Love the marblized pots. How much water did you use and did you empty spray cans of paint completely?
Erin
Wednesday 13th of January 2021
Hi Maureen. I put enough water in the boxes so that I could dip the flower pot completely without hitting the bottom. Also, for this DIY flower pot project you only need a quick spray of each color. You have to work very fast so you do not want to spend too much time spray the paint. Good luck with your project.
Carla
Wednesday 12th of August 2020
I tried these right away on a cement coaster. It looks good but I got a lot of air bubbles beneath the paint. Do you have any ideas why that might happen?
Erin
Thursday 13th of August 2020
Hi Carla, I wonder if you stirred (or swirled) the paint too fast with the skewer before dipping your flower pots. I may have had a few bubbles, but nothing that really ruined my design. They would have just popped and left an imprint. Did you make sure the white coat of spray paint was completely dry? The biggest issue I encountered was working quickly in the hot weather.
JENNIFER GULIZIA
Monday 22nd of June 2020
These are so fun and pretty! I can't wait to try this.
Erin
Monday 22nd of June 2020
Hi Jennifer! They are so fun! I absolutely love how quickly I was able to get a fun paint flower pot! I want to try this on large plastic pots next year.
vilma
Tuesday 2nd of June 2020
Erin, you sound like such a fun person and I would think anything done with you would be an awesome experience. The cup marbling - you can actually bake the cup in the oven and use safely for drinking afterwards. Can't remember offhand the tempreture or length of time but it is on Pinterest. I will definitely come back just to have you make me grin. Wonderful.
Erin
Tuesday 2nd of June 2020
Hi Vilma! Thanks for the kind words. I will have to look into baking the nail polished marbled cup. I have experimented with a mug decorating technique using oil-based sharpies where you bake it, so I am sure that is a similar idea.