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How to Age a New Pot to Make it Look Old with Joint Compound

I recently wrote a post about how to age a clay terracotta pot with paint.  To my dismay it didn’t create enough of the “antique vibe” I was looking for. I came to the conclusion that in order to really get that authentic “patina,” you need texture. After all, a true antique piece shows it’s age with more than just color, but texture and shape too. Guess what, I found a an easy way to age a pot with joint compound!

How To Age a Clay Pot with Texture for an Antique Vintage Look

Learn how to create antique texture on a new terracotta pot

I found a few pots at the dollar tree. You can see I purchased a few plastic pots as well as terra cotta pots too. I had to make sure the joint compound would work on clay as well as plastic.

How to add texture to a pot for an antique vintage look

Can y’all believe the difference! I even painted a plastic pot and it looked perfectly aged.

So how did I get from the before picture on the right to the after picture on the left?

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Best product to add texture to a terracotta pot?

Joint Compound!!

Joint compound is super easy to work with and quickly creates that vintage, antique texture that makes anything look aged.

I was super pleased to find an affordable product to help age my pots. I purchased a small can of joint compound at the local hardware store and it was only $3.

Those plastic pots were from the Dollar Tree! They come three for $1.  I also purchased the clay pots too. Don’t ever underestimate the goodies you can find at dollar stores. I also created a few DIY hanging planters from these same pots from the Dollar Tree.

Materials to give a new pot vintage texture

How to give a new pot texture with Joint compound

  1. Apply gloves
  2. Open the joint compound and grab a decent clump of the product
  3. Start applying over the pot as you see fit while dabbing it in places to create more texture
  4. When you are done, let it sit at least 12 hours. This stuff needs to dry well.
  5. Paint or wax as you see fit

As far as painting goes, I prefer to use dark wax to give anything an aged look. A dab of green paint would have added a vintage touch too.

You can see where I’ve added the joint compound to a new piece of wood to also create this aged weathered look.

I think it would also add to the aged terra cotta look if you added a little moss.  Has anyone else done this before?

Want to watch my quick video tutorial on How to age a new pot with Joint Compound? Check out my instructional YouTube video.

How To Age a Clay Pot with joint compound

Now that I know how easy it is with joint compound, it’s going to be hard to keep myself from adding this stuff to everything! LOL, just kidding.

How To Age a Clay Pot with joint compound
How To Age a Clay Pot with Texture for an Antique Vintage Look

You can also see how I create a DIY faux stone hanging planters for outside with this same method. Side note, it’s been over a year since I created these and they have withstood the elements beautifully.

DIY faux stone planters

I hope you enjoyed this little project! Feel free to Pin the image below for future reference.

How To Age a Clay Pot with Texture for an Antique Vintage Look

Lindsey**

You might also be interested in these projects:

DIY Floating Dining Room Shelves

DIY Topiary Trees with Boxwood Sprays

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  1. Juliet s Kobus says:

    Is joint compound water proof. I want to use your technique on a large outdoor pot that might get rained on

    • Normally it’s not waterproof but I would advise adding a sealer to the top when you are done. I added a spray sealer to my pot and it has withheld the elements for over a year!

  2. She says:

    Looks great but your two pots are different on the before and after pic. Once has a rim around the top ….. I’m sure you truly did the work but would be a little more credible if same pot was shown before and after

  3. Bobbie says:

    We have just built our home and needs large pots at the front, we were looking at $200 or $300 per pot, now I can do it for less than $50. Thank you for sharing 🙂
    Bobbie

  4. Joann Allen says:

    Would this finish stand up outside?

  5. […] How to Age a Pot with texture for an Antique Vintage Look […]

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  9. These do look really good. I wouldn’t have thought of using wall joint paste. Great idea. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty

  10. Thats such a clever idea, I would never think to do that. Thank you for joining us at #SharingTheBlogLove

  11. What a great idea. A lot of my pots are getting old and starting to chip…this would be a great way to revive them! Thanks for sharing on Friday Frenzy!

  12. Nige says:

    Fab idea great job looks awesome Thank you for linking to #Thatfridaylinky please come back next week

  13. This is so cool! Thanks for sharing at the Friday Frenzy!

  14. This sounds so easy and it is really a great look- your home is idyllic! Your decor pics are my new pin-spiration!

  15. […] How to Age a Pot with Texture from Reuse and Recycle […]

  16. Nikki Gwin says:

    Lindsey, I have aged pots before but never thought about adding texture! I love the idea. Thanks for linking up on OVER THE MOON LINK PARTY and I hope you will link up again this coming week. I will be featuring this post! Please stop by. It will go live on Sunday Apr 29 at 5 pm central.
    🙂 gwingal

  17. Emily says:

    Brilliant idea!! Love how the pots turned out!
    ~Emily and Jennie @ LeCultivateur.com

  18. You made it look way more expensive with this technique. Excellent. #thatfridaylinky

  19. Pam says:

    Great idea. I love how it turned out. Thinking of trying this.
    Pam
    http://www.busylifestylegal.com

  20. Great post and tutorial… love the video, really helpful!

  21. I really like that. I shared on social media. 🙂

  22. I love this look – the more I read your blog the less I want to throw out..! Have a great weekend x

  23. Teresa says:

    Looks great! I love how you started with an ordinary pot and turned it into a decor piece. Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party this week. Pinned.

  24. Kayleigh says:

    Oh wow the effect looks amazing! What a great thing to do #sharingthebloglove

  25. Amy says:

    What a great idea. It is always fun to take something and make it something new (or old as the case may be). Thank you for sharing at Sew it Cook it Craft it link party.

  26. Dear Lindsey, thank you so much for sharing this chic DIY project at my latest link party! I hope to welcome you back soon, warm regards,
    Dagmar Bleasdale
    http://www.dagmarbleasdale.com

  27. Chloe says:

    Hi, I love the textured effect it would look great in our hour and fun to do. Thanks for sharing #bloggeclubuk

  28. Wow, this is so cool! Love that textured look. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday! Pinned!

  29. Betty Crow says:

    I like the end result and looks like something I might be able to do.

  30. A very cool idea. Would suit my house to a T!

  31. THanks for a great tutorial. What a difference a little ingenuity makes. Thanks for sharing at Happiness is Homemade Link Party.

  32. The texture looks fabulous. Plus I bet it was fun playing with the goop.