Making 55 gallon containers look nicer

11 years ago

I have a white plastic 55 gallon barrel that I am thinking of cutting in half to make two planters/containers for small trees. The problem is that the plastic is stained and is rather ugly. I want it to fit in with the style of my brick paver patio. Does anyone know of ideas for making these half barrels look nicer? One idea would to paint them with Krylon Fusion paint which is supposed to work well on plastic. Has anyone done this and how did it turn out? Any other ideas? Post pics please! Thanks.

Steve

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

abnorm
11 years ago
I would search for "painting rain barrel"

....Scuff plastic surface....Latex Primer....Latex Paint

A recent discussion on the Florida forum has an outstanding example:

Here is a link that might be useful: Paint rain barrel Florida forum
edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
11 years ago
Not sure how to paint them, but here's what it would look like blue. White is nice, maybe you could get the stains out.
greentiger87
11 years ago
Krylon fusion works well, and so do Rustoleum products labeled for plastic. Price points are the same. Both brands have "plastic primer" that allows you to use other paints after they've dried. I prefer Rustoleum. I've spray painted many huge black plastic nursery pots. The problem is, by the time you finish painting, the cost advantage of using plastic barrels or plastic nursery containers starts to drop.

Rustoleum also has a brush on plastic primer, but very few retailers carry it. It is available online (Amazon). I'm skeptical that it's more cost effective than their spray paint though. I'm not sure if Krylon carries a similar product.

Frankly, I've been happier with the results I've gotten by wrapping the outside of the planters with the sunscreen shadecloth used for patios (90%). It makes a skirt of sorts, kind of like a christmas tree skirt. I've used burlap too, but it doesn't last more than one season.
nothwehr
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the responses about painting rainbarrels - the one in the link looks fantastic but would take more artistic ability than I have. Greentiger could you post an image of your planters wrapped with the shadecloth? Thanks.
lindasewandsew
11 years ago
There was an easy idea recently using white lattice wrapped around pots. Can't find the photo, but the blog on the link has the same idea for compost. If the barrel is too stained, lattice can be found in different colors. You might find a color to go with your bricks. Some small fencing products can be wrapped around pots.

If the pots aren't going to be moved around, you can just stack bricks around them in a basketweave or other pattern.

The shade cloth also sounds like a good idea.

Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: white lattice