DIY Terracotta Textured Paint

Create a new look for those recycled jars and old vases sitting in your basement with diy terracotta textured paint!

In the process of “downsizing”, what I call cleaning out my secret storage area in the basement, I came across a few vases that haven’t been used in years! My attempts of controlling the extra decor around the house has been going good so far, but I must say that I found it difficult to donate some of these old vases. Instead, I opted for a refresh with diy terracotta textured paint!

Not only are these vases looking so much better, but I was also able to upcycle some glass jars with the diy terracotta textured paint too! You know I love a great upcycle project and this one is really fun to do. Here’s how you can take those recycled containers, or old vases, and breath new life into them with things you already have around the house.

How To Make Textured Terracotta Paint At Home

First things first, we need to make the DIY terracotta textured paint. This is very easy to do and you only need to take a trip to the kitchen! Using a small cup or bowl, mix 1 teaspoon of baking powder with 1-1.5 oz of acrylic paint. Now, I didn’t directly measure the paint but it’s just about half of the 2 oz acrylic paint containers you get at craft stores.

The paint will foam up in the cup as you mix the 2 ingredients together. Eventually, the foam will reduce in size a little and is ready to use. The baking powder mix creates that terracotta/ceramic texture we want.

You can use any color of paint to get the diy terracotta textured paint effect. I used a terracotta acrylic paint color as well as Oyster white acrylic paint by Ceramcoat. These were colors I had on hand, but you can easily make a terracotta color by mixing white paint with Burnt Sienna or Raw Sienna paint color. Don’t have any sienna colors? Use brown and a little red acrylic paint instead!

Apply 1-2 coats of the paint onto your recycled containers or vases, allowing the paint to dry completely between coats. Don’t forget to paint some of the inside rim of the vase and bottom side. You want to create consistent painted terracotta look to make your container seem like a genuine terracotta vase.

NOTE: Should the paint start to curdle, make a fresh batch for the second coat. Avoid using the curdled paint as it may strip the first coat off your container.

How To Make the Aged Terracotta Effect with Paint

Creating the aged terracotta look is easier than you think! Bunch up a plastic grocery bag in your hand and use it to dab a bit of white paint. Dab excess paint off onto a paper towel. You will want the majority of the paint removed. Then, dab the white paint onto your terracotta jar.

Allow the paint to sit for about 2 minutes and then use a barely moist paper towel to dab the paint off the container. This will create a blending effect throughout the jar. Continue the process of applying paint with the grocery bag and dabbing it off with the moist paper towel until the jar is covered as well as the inside rim of the jar.

I adore how these containers came out! The jars have been saved from the recycling bin this week AND are looking super stylish! These are going to look incredible for my early fall tablescape!

Would love to see how your jars have turned out! Tag me on Instagram @casawatkinsblog to share your creations and you may see them reshared on my social media.