Marbled Planters

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I titled this “Marbled Planters” but honestly it could really be “Marbled Anything”.  I promise once you do this project you will be looking around wondering what else you could pour, swirl, and dip! Its so addictive you guys! And it only takes a few(very inexpensive!) supplies that you probably already have on hand.

If you have a planter that has sections you’d like to mask off use painters tape. I wanted to keep the “raw edge” on my cement planters so I masked off those bottom portions. You could also use the tape to add a decorative design(double creative points for that!).

Once your planters are ready and your work surface is set up fill your container with water. You want enough to keep space between the surface paint and the bottom of your container. If you are marbling a large pot you might want something deeper as you might dip further down while rolling.

Start adding your nail polish in random swirling patterns. You aren’t creating the “marble effect” yet but you do want your colors to overlap. I only used 3 different colors but using more or less is totally doable! One tip I read and actually found helpful is keeping the bottles close to the surface while pouring. This keeps your paint from hitting the surface too hard and just sinking to the bottom of the water.

When you have your colors overlapped pretty well and the surface is covered you can start swirling! This is insanely satisfying! You need to work fairly quick because the polish starts to set up pretty fast. I didn’t use a “quick dry” polish and I still had to work quick so I would skip those varieties if possible.

Once you have a pattern you like start rolling your planters over the surface. The polish will basically cling to the surface of your planters. You shouldn’t have to dip too far into the water although I double dipped (deeper and/or more shallow) just to test it out.

If you’re working with more translucent colors overlapping your rolls and dips can create a pretty cool effect but it doesn’t look as “traditional”. Also, if you choose to work with those types of polish be warned your planter(and its original color) will most likely show through. I had a couple areas where the yellows showed through but its part of my current color scheme so I was ok with it. I’d highly recommend doing a “tester” or starting with a planter your willing to love just a lil less(LOL!) until you get the hang of it.

If you’re really attached to your current manicure you may want to use gloves. Ive always been a bare handed painter and seem to have a different pallet in my palm after my DIYs… I cant be the only one!? I think it was easier to handle the planters without having the extra slip factor of gloves but again, to each his own! And if you to dive in sans gloves fear not, a little polish remover or acetone takes off any marbling remnants in just a few swipes. But just to be safe you might want a few paper towels on stand by.

In between rolls you’ll also want to clean the surface. Again, the paint sets up pretty quick so you should be able to pull any extras off in sheets. I waited maybe an extra 30 seconds and ran a toothpick over the surface to pick up the remnants.

Let your finished planters cure up for a day or at least overnight. If you have any areas masked off check a small section before removing. If any of the paint starts to peel up with the tape you can run a utility knife along the edge to get a clean pull. This only happened  in one area for me and the paint was super thick in that section.

Now enjoy giving your old planters some new life! I’m completely obsessed and cant wait to marble some more items in our loft. Im sure I’ll be back shortly with more marbled projects!

Have you already jumped on the marble train? Done any notable planter DIYs? Tell me all about it in the comments!