Great find! Most of mine are just painted off white. I sit plants on top of them. I have a black one with no lid and an 8" pot fits inside it perfectly. I want to stencil some flowers on the off white ones, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I also like the idea of using a tractor seet on the top of it to make a cool place to sit.

I painted mine all black then painted some decorative roses and leaves on it. As I use it outside in better weather, I sealed the paint to protect it. If you're not into painting, you can find some really nice stencils to use and/or decals after basecoating it. I saw a birdbath yesterday that had the house numbers running down the neck of it that I thought looked nice. You could do the same on the milk can. Hope you'll share pics with us when your done with the one you found, lucky you! Those things are not cheap these days.

Sal

That's a tough one. I'm think bar stool, plant stand etc. I've seen them painted etc. If I think of anything else I'll post it. Great score though, just set it out as an accessory.
Margo

Here is a neat bird house made out of coffee can .

Here is a link that might be useful: coffee can birdhouse

Thanks for the link to the coffee can birdhouse, angie83. Think I'm going to have to make a couple.

I painted mine with Hammered metal spray paint bronze color. Right now I use it as a table next to a chair. How lucky to find one in the trash.

I do not like white paint on these.I have about 6 now.Maybe Ill mosaic one someday.
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Lucky! I have one I paid $5 for, it's silver with a black wash over it to dull it down some. I keep a plant on top of the lid out on the front porch. Cool idea with the house numbers.

My cousin has the neatest one I'd ever seen. She had a pictorial history of our family home painted on it. I can't remember exactly how it was done, but it showed dates and how the property looked through the years. So neat. I was thinking about memory boxes like that for my children, since a milk can is not too easily toted about! :)

It is most unusual. She had it displayed in the house.

I have several of these cans, some are stainless steel. DH worked at a dairy and they'd drag these across the floor and the bottoms would wear thin and they would throw them away.Well as far as the trunk of DH's car. :>)

I have about six milk cans I plan to use. I am going to use mine as a strawberry pot type container, putting holes on the sides of the can for herbs and plants. When putting the dirt in cut a piece of PVC pipe the same height as the can and drill holes in the sides of the pipe. Place in the middle of the can and fill will soil leaving the opening of the pipe exposed. When watering your plants pour the water into the pipe. This allows all of the plants to be watered equally and they won't be washed out trying to water from the sides. Oh, I plant the top opening of the can too. I like the rusted patina and don't paint the can.
I also am going to lay some on the side, cutting out part of the side for planting. I have four planned for this project. I'm going to stack them on an old wooden wheelbarrow and again use for herbs and flowers.

Many years ago I did milk cans. I used fabric, the squares that used to be used for pillows. I think they were called cheater squares. I cut them and left a border around and put them on the can with wallpaper paste. I painted my cans with white metal paint and the trim and handles were painted with black wrought iron paint. Then I sprayed them with a sealer. A few coats of sealer because it soaks into the fabric.

I have five I use as planters. I found plain pots of plastic, they look like the basic tarracotta ones. They sit down inside the cans the lip keeps them from falling though. We hung the lids from chian on the handles. Come fall I put the lids on and set light up jackolanterns on them then cover them up with white sheets. Ghosts! When christmas comes I put little trees inside them. Mine are white. I plant red and blue flowers in them for summer.

I have one in the house with a birdhouse sitting on it and one on my front porch that I sometimes put a plant on or I put a wooden checker board on it to use it as a side table.

I have one that is pitted and rusted but I sprayed it with clear sealer and it actually sits in my living room! :) I love that kind of stuff! I didn't want to paint it because there is a faded number on it that probably went with the tag on the cow that used it :)