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    Home » Home Decor

    Make a Faux Vintage Galvanized Planter - Outdoor Extravaganza

    Published: May 12, 2016 by Christina Dennis · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 18 Comments

    For outdoor decorating at our home this year, I'm going ga-ga over vintage farmhouse style decor! I'm loving beat up, galvanized accessories, lots of worn wicker, raw wood, and salvaged treasures. As much as I love vintage and antique decor, sometimes I just can't find what I'm looking for at the price I can afford. That's when I turn to a good deal + some DIY to make what I have in mind! In this case, I really wanted a vintage galvanized tub that I could use as a flower planter for our porch. I simply couldn't find one this Spring at a good price, so I made my own faux vintage galvanized planter that I think looks really close to the real, antique thing! Here's how I made it.

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    Outdoor-Extravaganza-2016

    I'm really happy to be a part of the Outdoor Extravaganza blog hop this year with some of my favourite blogging friends! Please make sure to visit the other fabulous plant & flower ideas linked at the bottom of this post, and come back on May 27th to be a part of an epic outdoor decorating link party.

    How to Make a Faux Vintage Planter from a New Galvanized Tub

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    First of all, I used a coupon to buy this large galvanized steel tub from the craft store. It cost me $14 after I used a 40% off coupon which I thought was a great price for such a large container!

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    I tried to distress the tub using this method first, but it just wasn't working for me. I finally figured out that dry brushing it with some really dark grey chalk style paint gave it the vintage look that I wanted. To dry brush, simply put a very small amount of paint on your paint brush. I use the lid of my paint and dab my brush in ever so slightly. Then, blot your brush a little on a paper towel, and then lightly and quickly brush your surface so that only little streaks of paint are seen. You can see me do this technique on video here on this Mother's Day gift box crate DIY.

    I dry brushed the entire outside of the tub, and I also painted a little bit of the inside top as well.

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    After the paint was dry, I took a number stencil, chalk style paint and a paint brush and stenciled my house number onto the tub.

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    After stenciling the numbers and letting them dry just a little, I sanded them slightly to give them a weathered, distressed look.

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    Once the bucket was dry, it was time to plant some flowers inside! One of the tricks to using buckets as planters (if they don't have draining holes) is to put a couple of inches of gravel and sand in the bottom of the planter so that the soil drains when it's watered. I grabbed a shovel-full of gravel from our driveway, and put it in the bottom of the bucket.

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    Next, I layered in some potting soil.

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    Finally, I planted some of my favourite little annual flowers inside the bucket. I'm aiming for a pink, purple and white floral colour scheme in our garden, so I planted some pink geraniums, white alyssum, and purple lobelia.

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    A formula that works every time when you're designing planters? Put a "thriller" plant in the middle of the planter that's tall, colourful and upright (my geraniums), a "spiller" plant around the outside of the planter (my lobelia and) and a "filler" plant in the leftover spaces (my alyssum).

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    My flowers are all still babies right now because our growing season just started, but I'll definitely post another photo again this summer when this farmhouse-inspired flower planter has grown!

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    I placed the planter on an old chair that I painted to give it even more of a vintage farmhouse look. I really love this pop of aqua on my porch! You can also see a little bit of our new outdoor furniture which I'll share with you next week. We're loving it!

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    Happy Spring planting!

    Pin Me:

    How to make a faux vintage galvanized planter from a new galvanized bucket for a farmhouse style porch or patio

    Now it's time to see what outdoor decor ideas my blogging friends have come up with this week:

    Outdoor-Gardening-Ideas

    Wooden Bowl Succulent Planter by Craftberry Bush

    Sew a Gardening Apron by Satori Design for Living

    Kitchen Herb Garden in Deck Pots by The Happy Housie

    Hanging Flower Mason Jars by Setting for Four

    Make a Faux Vintage Galvanized Planter by The DIY Mommy

    More Inspiration

    • RV Tips 101 - RVing Guide for Beginners
    • Build a Bench Seat for the Kitchen Table - DIY IKEA Hack
    • 5 Kitchen Floors that Go Perfectly with White Cabinets
    • Rich and Magical, Boho inspired kids bedroom makeover on a budget
      The Best DIY Boho Headboard Hack (Make it in a weekend!)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shauna

      May 12, 2016 at 9:46 am

      You definitely made this look like a vintage bucket- so clever! Your whole vignette looks great. Bright and cheery. Hopefully you took your pots inside if you're getting the snow we are this morning. Strange weather, right?

      Reply
    2. Heather

      May 14, 2016 at 7:31 am

      Love your painting technique Christina - gorgeous! Your porch looks so cheery and welcoming! Pinning!

      Reply
    3. Krista

      May 15, 2016 at 11:09 am

      I love this, Christina!! You gave it so much character and it's such a simple project!! Pinned and trying...

      Reply
    4. Leslie

      May 27, 2016 at 9:02 pm

      Your planter looks so good! I love the numbers added to it too. I just wish I'd seen this tutorial last year. I was desperately searching for a couple galvanized steel buckets, but couldn't afford what was out there. Now it seems to be all over the place. (P.S. - that chair is adorable, too!)

      Reply
    5. Brenda

      June 17, 2016 at 5:32 am

      I am in the process of choosing an aqua color to paint a chair of mine and I was wondering what color did u use on this chair?
      Thanks!
      Brenda

      Reply
      • Christina Dennis

        June 17, 2016 at 11:04 pm

        This is "Jamaica Bay" from Behr.

        Reply
    6. Kate

      July 06, 2021 at 4:58 pm

      Love the faux finish but did I miss a step? How does the water drain from the container? I'm terrible for overwatering plants so I would drill some holes in the bottom to let water out. Love the aqua chair, it all looks so pulled together 🙂

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Outdoor Extravaganza Link Party 2016: Share YOUR Outdoor DIY Projects! | The DIY Mommy says:
      May 27, 2016 at 4:00 am

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      June 24, 2017 at 10:16 pm

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