DIY Terra Cotta Vases
I’m not one for hopping on trends, but this one I just couldn’t pass up. I had a bunch of vases that I didn’t love the colors of, but I did love the shapes. I was googling cheap vases to replace them with to finish off my piano decor. Then I realized I already had what I needed, I just needed to get some paint & some baking powder! After watching a few DIY videos I decided to give it a try.
before
after
A FEW TIPS:
You DON’T have to use wall paint, but it does need to be acrylic and latex free. Craft paint from Walmart worked just fine. I used the Apple Barrel 97 cent paint in the colors Khaki, Jack-O-Lantern, Flamenco Red, Lite Mocha, and Sunkissed Peach.
You HAVE to use Baking Powder NOT Baking Soda.
If you’re struggling to find a terra cotta color, you can mix orange, red and tan- but that was rough and it came out a bit discolored and honestly, I wish I would’ve searched harder because it wasn’t worth it. On the second coat I had to add some brown on the ones I did “terra cotta color” because it dried very pink. The smallest vase you can tell is much more pink because I didn’t do a second coat on that one.
Mix in a 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder to your paint in a cup or on a plate at a time. Some recipes say a whole tablespoon but it’s way too clumpy and you can avoid waste but adding a bit at time.
If you’re working with glass you’re going to need multiple coats. If you are working with ceramic, you will probably only need one.
Start from the bottom and work your way up.
The paint chips very easily so be sure to set it with hairspray or any kind of setting spray for paint/dried flowers- just be sure to use one with a matte finish so that it doesn’t end up glossy.
It will feel like chalkboard and it will feel awful so if you’re a texture sensitive person like I am, wear gloves when picking up the dried vases.
Don’t forget to take a little brush and paint the inside as far down as you can go to avoid seeing the original color vase.
The paint dries very quickly when mixed with baking powder so be sure you can sit down and do the job all at once- aka not with a baby with needs like I did.
Use a cheap medium sized brush for the best precision.
Don’t choose vases with a lot of grooves and details as paint will tend to get clumpy, fall off when dried and it’s hard to get each of the nooks and crannies.
Alright, I think that’s all of the mistakes I made and things I wanted you to know that I wished I had known before starting.
All that to say, here is a fun little video where you can watch me make lots of mistakes and basically host “How NOT to DIY”.