Easy DIY to Age New Clay Pots

Love the look of old Vintage Clay pots? Here is a quick and easy DIY process to make your new pots look like vintage, aged pots that have been in your garden for years.

Greenhouse Inspired

I’ve been setting up my potting bench and dreaming of a future greenhouse. I love clay pots and have quite a collection. Some are old and have the aged look I desire but others are new and don’t have a lot of character.  Because I prefer an aged look, I’ve been making my own with some trial and error.  Here is my favorite quick and easy DIY, with step by step instructions, that will leave your garden full of vintage inspired clay pots.

Step one

Supplies:

1. Clay pots
2. Black and white paint (any craft paint will do. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on these because I had it on hand and it dries so fast.
3. Mod Podge Multi-purpose glue 
4. Moss
5. Paint brush (chip brush works great.
6. tooth picks or popsicle sticks to spread the glue
7. 40-60 grit sandpaper

Step two

Apply a small amount of black or brown paint to clay pot.  

I don’t try to cover an area completely just a few strokes of the brush.  Because Chalk paint dries very quickly, you’ll be able to apply a white wash to the pots very quickly. So go ahead and mix the white paint with equal parts water.

Allow the white paint is dry and then brush the pots with Mod Podge!
You want leave the coverage thicker in some areas and don’t worry about covering the entire pot.  

Break Time

This is what the pots are looking like at this point.  Because the mod podge takes longer to dry, this is a good time to break up your moss and get your glue ready for the next step.  Or have lunch, go for a walk or just rest. You just want to be sure to allow drying time before the next step.  

Add More Paint

Now you want to add more white paint.  This time the mix is 2 parts paint to 1 part water because you want a little thicker mixture than the first time.  

Here I’ve started adding the thicker white paint.  Once again, don’t cover the whole pot.  Have I said that before?? LOL!!

Time to Sand

It’s important to allow everything to thoroughly dry because you will be sanding next. Use your fine grit sandpaper or sanding block to sand away some of the paint and mod podge because you want to create a look of peeling paint if possible.  

If you are satisfied with the chippy look, then it’s time to move to the final step.

You may also like this tutorial to make a Terra Cotta Pot Spring Wreath.

Add More Texture

Now you are ready to add moss.  I use a tooth pick to apply the mod podge glue to areas that I want moss and then I apply tiny pieces of the moss to each pot in random areas.  If you only want tiny pieces of moss, you only need a small amount of the glue.  If you want a heavier coverage, you need to let dry and then add more on top of what you’ve already done.  This will insure that the moss doesn’t fall off.  

Here is another way to get a much heavier coverage. Place the moss in a plastic bag to crush it into smaller pieces and place the crushed moss on a sheet of wax paper. Then coat the pot with a thick layer of glue and then roll the glue covered areas of the pot over the moss until you get the desired coverage.

Optional Step

If you want to assure that you pots will stay looking like they do right now, you can spray a light coat of clear mat sealer over the pots. I want mine to continue to age so I just let nature take over from this point.

I’m in the process of planning for a green house for here at The Ponds Farmhouse and I can’t wait to see it filled with all these wonderful aged pots and plants. Because I’m dreaming and planning, I’ve been researching other fabulous greenhouses. Here is a blog post which includes some incredible greenhouses and/or she shed’s. Because I can’t wait to share my own with you, the next best thing is to share my inspiring friends instead.

I hope you enjoy aging your pots.  This is a really easy DIY, so I hope you’ll give it a try. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.  Your comments are so appreciated.
Happy Potting!  

XOXO

Rachel

PS….. You can see our most challenging DIY project Here!

It’s time to start planning your spring gardens and my friend Stacy has some great tips. Here is Stacy’s post to help you get started. It’s a Good Time to Start a Garden