I gave it a try on a garage sale planter and here are my results.
Hey! Welcome to another amazing Less Is More Thrifty Thursday! Once a month I participate in this round-up series to bring you ideas for thrifted, budget-friendly, and repurposed DIY decor! Please check out their projects at the end as well.
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I recently watched another DIYer, XO Macenna, try out various household products as a paint thickener. I was so intrigued! Particularly by the baking soda, which I had a box of that recently expired. Does baking soda actually expire or it is a suggested date?
I love using paint to transform everyday objects such as this wooden salad bowl planter or this rainbow lamp. But adding a baking ingredient to get textured paint is new to me!
Martina did a similar idea for her table lamps on our last Thrifty Thursday, but she used flour! You can check out her table lamp post to see how they turned out.
I picked up a few items at a garage sale and knew I needed to do something with them right away or I’d forget them. The mini greenhouse, the pink planter vase, and the Christmas Cactus came from the same place, along with a few baskets and other items.
Even though the pink planter didn’t suit my color scheme, the size was perfect for my new-to-me Christmas cactus. Nothing a little paint can’t fix right?
But why stop there when I could really experiment with the paint and try out the textured paint concept myself. So here it is Darling, my diy baking soda painted vase experiement. And tutorial including the ratios I used.
Supplies For DIY Painted Planter
1 box Baking Soda
1 quart Latex Paint
1 Plastic Cup to Mix In
1 Stir Stick
Mix Ratio for Baking Soda Paint
The ratio of baking soda to paint will depend on how textured you want your paint to be. I wanted lots of texture so I did a 50/50 mix in my fancy plastic container (clean yogurt cup). If you want a rough feel but not as bumpy of a texture, start by adding 1 tbsp to a 1/2 cup of paint and see how that looks when you start painting it on.
Make sure to stir your baking soda paint really good with a stir stick after you add the baking soda. An even mix will paint on so much nicer.
Get Painting
I found that using a sponge paintbrush worked great to apply the textured paint to the glossy vase. It stayed in place wherever I painted it. I did one full coat and let it dry. Then I went back over any areas that didn’t have enough texture with a second coat. But you can apply as many coats as you want to get the texture you desire. Make sure you’re letting the paint fully dry in between coats. This will help it to fully cure sooner. Let your vase sit for a few days to cure before doing anything else with it.
Add Some Life
Once the baking soda painted planter is fully dry and cured then you can go ahead and add your soil and plant. This little plant was in good shape and the perfect size. It really needed a new pot though. So it was a no brainer to stick him into my new vase planter. And he looks so cute in it!
Paint All The Objects!
This was seriously my thought after I finished painting this vase turned planter. It’s so easy and it turned out fabulous! I’m going to play around with some earthy tones too on different objects. Even my husband agrees this is cool! And I think this would work on a variety of surfaces too: ceramic, plastic, glass, etc.
Thanks for checking out my post. Are you going to try this Baking Soda Paint trend? Let me know if you are and what you plan to paint it on! It doesn’t have to be for a vase or planter. This little trick would completely transform dollar store decor too! It’s going to be hard not to have all my next projects be about me finding new things to paint with baking soda paint.
Please take a moment and share this post with your friends who also love a quick and fun diy project! Now you can check out these other amazing and fun ideas from my fellow bloggers:
Windmill & Protea: DIY Metallic Planter
Practical Whimsy Designs: Cute Copper- Drip Pumpkins
One Thousand Oaks: DIY Corn Husk Wreath
The Lived-In Look: Vintage Firewood Holder
Please Pin It To Save It! Baking Soda Painted Vase
Janie Carey says
Will this process work for outside planters?
Sara-Lynn Houk says
Hi Janie! I have only done this on indoor planters. From what I have seen, the finish has not been damaged at all from when I’ve spilled water on the sides.
Nicole says
I did this on plastic but I’m worried the baking soda will hurt the plant if it gets in it. Any ideas of how to seal it or if it will be ok?
Sara-Lynn Houk says
Hi Nicole! That’s a great question! I can give you my experience and what I learned while I researched this a bit to answer your question. I’ve had a Christmas cactus in my pot for a year now. I painted over the top edge of the pot and on the inside a bit so the soil is touching the baking soda paint. The cactus has bloomed 3 times and grown larger since planting, it doesn’t seem to be negatively affected. This mix was painted on a ceramic pot and you said yours is plastic but I don’t think that would make a difference. I believe the baking soda is so thoroughly mixed and coated in the paint that it doesn’t affect it.
I also checked into the effects of baking soda on plants and while sodium itself can burn plants, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) doesn’t appear to hurt plants. It’s commonly used in fungicide sprays for plants, but it would also be diluted for this. This might depend on the plant you are using too. I would be more concerned about whether a spray-on clear coat sealer would hurt the plant. I haven’t worked with Epoxy myself, but that would fully seal the baking soda paint. And I’d definitely stay away from strong varnishes that could potentially keep leeching into the soil.
Did you paint inside the pot too or stay on the outside? If it’s only on the outside then I would think your plant will be safe from both the paint and the baking soda through the plastic.
I hope this helps!
Jannette says
I was thinking about trying this to paint my bedroom ceiling and pouncing it on. Any thoughts on this idea?
Sara-Lynn Houk says
That’s a unique idea Jannette! I haven’t heard of anything doing it on walls or ceilings before. Does your bedroom ceiling have stippling already or are you trying to recreate a stippled appearance? The concerns that come to mind are the challenge of creating a large enough batch to keep the consistency the same so it doesn’t end up blotchy or dripping, but then not letting that big of a batch dry out either. Keep in mind too that down the road it would be very hard to remove or change out and require sanding. It would be a lot of work but could have some fun end results with the texture!
Martina says
I love this texture! I’m going to have to try it out on one of my lamp makeovers
Erin says
These textured painting projects are so great! I am starting to think that I will have to try something like this soon. I love how your planter turned out!
Junette says
Wow – this is so cool! I’m definitely going to try out this technique too!
Sara-Lynn Houk says
Do it! I’d love to see what you do with it too!