How to Make Terracotta Pots Look Authentically Aged

DIY

STORY BY VIRGINIA BESHEARS

Between being iced in during Winter Storm Fern and the steady stream of depressing news, I’ve had the urge to do a craft. I'd had a few terracotta pots sitting around for months, and I've tried aging terracotta with garden lime before, but it's surprisingly hard to pull off. Getting that authentic weathered look rather than an obviously painted-on whitewash is genuinely challenging.

This time around, I tried a few different techniques. While the results aren't perfect, hopefully my trial-and-error can save you some frustration if you're serious about achieving that genuinely aged look.

What I'm going for

What I'm trying to avoid

A note about safety

I can't start any craft without my cats immediately appearing to cause chaos, so I have to mention this: garden lime is nontoxic to both humans and animals, but it can irritate skin. Wear gloves, and make sure your pets can't accidentally walk through it (or consume it).

My supply list

• Terracotta pots (any size)

• Garden lime

• Water

• Foam brushes

• Gloves

• Saran wrap

• Paper towels

• 200-grit sanding sponge

• Optional: acrylic paint if you want to add moss-like patina

The process

I started with a mixture of 1 part lime to 1 part water. After brushing a thin layer all over a pot, I tried to buff out any visible brushstrokes before the mixture could fully dry.

I started out trying to buff the lime with paper towels, but they were so rough and absorbent that they basically removed the entire coat I'd just applied. I switched to using a crumpled piece of saran wrap, which worked much better. The key is to buff the lime mostly off in some areas while leaving it heavier in others. It's hard to fight the urge to make everything look nice and even, but remember: we're going for genuine weathering here, which is inherently irregular.

After two thin coats with blending between each, I added more lime powder to what was left of my lime-water mixture to thicken it up. For this final coat, I actually needed the paper towels to make any impact on the thicker consistency. I finished with a last round of buffing using a 200-grit sanding sponge.

An experiment

Just for fun, I set one pot aside and mixed up some acrylic paint to add hints of green.

I combined Phthalo Green with Naples Yellow and a touch of Rose Pink to desaturate it, then added a ton of water so it would brush on transparently without leaving brushstrokes. At first I thought I'd jumped the shark, but once it dried, the pot with the green bits ended up being my favorite.

And there’s my finished project! They aren't perfect, but they’re a significant improvement over my first attempt at aging terracotta. It takes some patience and a willingness to fight the urge to make everything look perfect, but that's exactly what makes the final result look authentic. Happy DIYing!