Ideas for painting your garden pots and furniture
It’s officially Summer time 2023. The sun is out, the days are long and we all want to spend as much time as we can in the fresh air. We want to feel good, enjoy our outdoor spaces , spend less money, and maybe help save the planet for good measure! Well with a bit of painting in the garden – you can actually make all of this happen!!
Luckily for us all, we now have a stockist for @Frenchicpaint – the chalk paint phenomenon brand right in the heart of the West end in @quirqglasgow on Hyndland Street. Frenchic paint brings us a range of chalk and mineral based paints which are non toxic and eco friendly. The Frenchic Alfresco range is a water based, eco friendly chalk and mineral paint with a low almost flat finish. With Frenchic’s Alfresco you can paint indoors or outdoors, and you do not need a primer. You can paint wood, metal, plastic, stone – to be honest just about anything – and It gives an amazing professional finish. How do I know this? Because I have used it myself.
I started painting with Frenchic in 2020 during lockdown when I was ill. Now can I be clear, until this time I was no painter. I was not in any way known for my DIY enthusiasm or expertise. Very much the contrary! My painting started as a hobby, an interest, a distraction during those lockdown months.
I started easy. So instead of buying new garden pots and planters , I cleaned my old ones and painted them with Frenchic alfresco and it worked! Then instead of buying a new garden bistro set, I cleaned and painted my 7 year old rusty battered one – and that worked too. I even painted my front door and it looked like new.
Fast forward to 2023 and this year I fancied a change to my garden colour scheme so I have repainted the pots and planters and the bistro set again but a different shade. And my garden is looking good, even if I do say so myself.
The Frenchic paint process is really easy.
Wash the item thoroughly – Frenchic recommend sugar soap and hot water. Then sand the whole item to key the surface for the paint and wipe it down. Then paint using a good paint brush. Most items will take at least 2 – 3 coats. Sometimes the first coat looks scary – folk get ” the fear” – but keep going. The paint gives a really great finish even if you are a very amateur painter like me.
Painting like this has been good for the garden – I have colourful pots and bistro furniture that look like new. It’s been good for the planet- I would realistically have taken that old furniture and the old pots to the dump. But 3 years later they are still in use!
It’s been good for the purse – A 250 ml tin of Frenchic Alfresco costs £10.95, whilst a 750 ml tin is £21.95. I bought a 750 ml tin of Frenchic Wise Old Sage (green). So far that Wise Old Sage has given my front door a one coat refresh. I have painted the Bistro set again with 2 coats, and have painted 2 coats on 5 large pots and planters. I have used less than a half of my tin, so I have spent maybe £10 achieving all of this. There’s plenty left over for the rest of my pots and planters and any wee touch ups.
And probably most importantly that painting has been so good for me. I love doing it. There is something very satisfying about a craft hobby where you can create a unique item even if it is only a revamped flower pot. It’s been a real therapy hobby for me and when I feel stressed I enjoy finding something to paint and transform! I should also say that the paint washes off with warm soapy water and is non toxic so it’s safe for children to use to paint their own plant pot for inside or outside use.
Encouraged and enthused by my success with Frenchic paint outside I have actually gone on to upcycle furniture inside. I have made my own lampshade, bought antique chairs for reupholstering and I have tried – or intend to try – out various other crafty hobbies. Like the painting there are multiple benefits for your home, your budget and your own mental health.
You can follow more of my upcycling and garden and home tips on my instagram @lock.downhouse. But meanwhile , what could you paint happy in your garden or home this summer? Or what other craft hobby could you take up locally that would be good for you? In the West End we have so much to choose from!
Thinking of painting your garden pots and furniture? Visit –
FB – Quirq Glasgow
Frenchic Paint
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