Ikea Planter Hack from a Cheap Trash Can

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This Ikea planter hack is a genius idea for house plants.  Follow this DIY tutorial and transform a cheap trash can with chalk paint to make the perfect planter.

Welcome to my latest edition of “trash to treasure.”  Or in this case, “trash can to home decor.”  Who’s ready to play along?

It all started when I decided that I was responsible enough to take care of TWO large house plants.  See, our fiddle leaf fig has survived in the kitchen corner (not happily thrived, but survived nonetheless) for over two years now, and I felt like I was ready for the next step.

I debated for weeks on a planter solution for the newest member of our family.  I didn’t want to invest much money on something that may very well be dead by next month.  Then one day, as I stood in the Ikea check out line trying to remember if I needed more of those amazingly inexpensive batteries for one of my children’s annoyingly loud toys, lightning struck.  I saw the $1.49 solution I had been looking for:

That my friends is a trash can.  Keep reading to see how I turned it into the cheap planter of my dreams!

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Here’s what you will need to make this Ikea Planter Hack:

• Ikea Fniss trash can
• spray primer
• paint brush
• chalk paint – dark and light gray

 

Tutorial: Ikea Planter Hack

First, spray a thin coat of primer on your trash can.

Then, dry brush a thin coat of dark gray chalk paint.

This is where it gets fun.  If you’re a perfectionist, you may struggle with this step a bit.  Think abstractly, and know that you really can’t mess this up.  Using a dry brush, randomly paint on some light gray paint.

Then load both shades of paint onto your brush.  Using a stippling motion, apply paint to small areas of the trash can.  Rotate your brush and then gently blend the paint together.  You can do this as many times as you like, until you reach the desired finish.  Like I said, there really is no wrong way to do this.  It’s all about personal preference!

Don’t forget to drill a few drainage holes!

And that’s it!  With a little bit of paint, you can transform a $1.49 el-cheapo trash can into a fun and functional planter for your favorite indoor plant.

PS – unlike our fiddle leaf fig in the kitchen, cleverly named “tree,” by my twins, this houseplant is still nameless.  I want to make sure I’m not going to kill him right away before I give him a name.  And don’t ask me how I know it’s a “he,” OK?!?!