Painted Outdoor Planters - An Experiment

I love warmer weather and all the beauty it brings! This is one of our favorite planters that we fill with annuals every year.

You may remember from this post, my outdoor painted frog that's held up quite well for several years now. Well I had these lightweight planters (made from foam) that we inherited. They were beginning to break down. Of course I didn't think to photograph them but I did find an old photo of them.

They were still in pretty good shape here but the "paint" at the top was really breaking down and exposing the foam. So instead of trashing them, I thought I would try another experiment. The company, Blue Pearl, that makes the Silk Soft paint has really durable products. They are intended for walls, ceilings, trim and furniture but I always push my favorite products to the edge. So I decided to paint these planters and see what would happen.
I did use a spray primer on the exposed foam, but other than that, I just sprayed them off with the hose and let them dry.
Once dry I applied the "Pale Papaya" silk soft. I figured two coats would provide a good film thickness for outside.


Metallic painted planters

That dried overnight. I decided a red glaze would give them a terracotta look. So I use 1 part of "Salsa Red" colorant to 5 parts glaze.

Adding the glaze

I put them out in the sun to dry. BTW, Blue Pearl's colorants are excellent for exterior use so I knew I didn't need to worry about fading. I also decided I wouldn't worry about protecting the finish with polyurethane.

Before and After Red Glaze

I put them in the sun to dry. Later in the afternoon, I put the soil and herbs back in. Then the rain came. I was worried my red glaze would reactivate and run since it hadn't dried overnight. No problem. I guess the sun baked it in.
Here's how they turned out. We just have herbs in them that I transplanted so they aren't too happy right now.

So time will tell how they hold up. My money is on the paint. I'm bettin' many other things will fall apart and be discarded but my newly painted planters will still look awesome for years! I'll let you know how they are doing in a few months.
Although this is a sponsored post, my ideas for crazy uses and my opinions are my own. Thanks for following along!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Getting Back on the Blog Wagon

Getting back on the Blog wagon. I apologize for being "absent" for so long. Taking a little blogging detour is a lot like a dieting and exercise detour. It's super hard to get back on track. I had so many commitments converge around the same time, plus with the fabulous weather we've been having I just couldn't get it all done.
Where do I begin? I previously mentioned having a endoscopy to check out some stomach issues. I'm sure you've all been dying to hear the results! Nothing earth shattering, but I did have a stricture in my lower esophagus that they were able to expand with a small balloon. It was causing food to stick and not pass into my stomach. Not a fun experience. I also have some erosion, likely cause by the bottle of ibuprofen I take everyday. :) A physical job creates a lot of aches and pains. I've been increasing some natural anti inflammatory foods to my diet and trying some topical creams for my back and elbow. The tendonitis has been a real pain. My work load is a little slow right now which is good for my elbow, but not so good for my bank account.
My baby boy graduated. From high school! Wow! Time truly does fly! He's not sure what he wants to do. Policeman (can't do police academy until he's 20 1/2), chef, auto body repair? He has lots of interest's and he's not even 18 yet, so he has some time to figure it out. He's working and saving his money and enjoying his summer.

His girlfriend of two years also graduated. Isn't she adorable? She is so beautiful and photogenic she could be a model. She's just as sweet and kind as she is beautiful.

And my husband turned 50! Half a century old. Apparently, he's now a member of the "Red Hat Society" and AARP. He joined a few of our other friends in this milestone. I guess he gets senior citizen discounts now? I thought 50 was the new 30 or something like that.

 

We had parties two weekends in a row to celebrate these HUGE milestones! Lots of family, friends fun and food! What more could you ask for?