We have two cats and get the large plastic containers of kitty litter.. I want to use those containers for planting.. I'd like to paint them to make them look nicer.. What can I use to paint plastic containers like this? DH suggested scouring it with sandpaper and then using spray on enamel paint.. But I'd rather not have to sand them.. Is there a better way? Maybe primer and then paint? Spray on paints are fine with me.. Saves me from having to deal with a messy brush.. Maybe even textured paint to make it sort of look like a cement or ceramic pot?
This message was edited Nov 21, 2006 9:32 PM
Painting kitty litter containers?
They sell spray paints now that are specially made to paint plastic--Krylon Fusion I think is the name of one brand but I'm sure there are others too.
Kittikity: I just started doing the same thing. I only get about 1 a month but had some already. I was thinking of painting them also but the paint used for plastic isn't cheap. I've decided I going to build a box frame to put around them in groups of 5. If the wood is tall enought the buckets can't be seen. I haven't done this yet so if I come up with anything different or when I get this done I'll send you pics. Don't forget to drill holes in the bottom for drainage.
Could you make one of TomTom's papercrete pots around the kittie litter container instead of a bowl? (That might be more work than you want to do.)
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/472203/
The plastic fusion spray paints I've seen are all very bright -- neon -- colors. I wish I could find something that looked like stone myself.
Suzy
Or maybe putting some printed out floral pictures on them and then put some kind of protective finish on them? Although that simulated stop pot looks really neat too.. I was trying to avoid extra work but that looks like it'd be worth the effort..
This message was edited Nov 22, 2006 7:43 AM
The Krylon stuff doesn't just come in neon colors, it has lots of neutrals too. Doesn't have the textured stone finish that you can get in some other types of paint for surfaces other than plastic, but at least you could get a nice tan, almond, white color if you wanted. It's also not that expensive, I bought some a while back and don't think it was more than $3-4 for a can which was about the same as what they were charging for the other spray paints.
there are primers which work on plastic; then you can paint anything you like, stone look spray paints, neon colors, whatever.
Kitti: How about covering them with contact paper, or if you sew you can make bags from burlap with elastic on top?
I was thinking of trying Decoupage, using pictures from one of my "Birds & Blooms" magazines. Don't know if it would work or not on the plastic, or if you can paint Clear Coat on the plastic for protection. Might try it though, I have four cats, so we go through those large tubs of litter and I always hate to throw the empties away. I've used a few to store birdseed, they come in handy for that purpose! Also have some large round plastic tubs from Aquarium Salt that my husband uses for the fish tank. Hmmmmmm? Projects to contemplate!
Lin
You'll want to rinse out that salt real good.. Not sure if it would have an effect on your plants or not.. I know it'd be minute.. But I always like to be extra careful.. = )
Oh Yeah .... I always wash those things out thoroughly before using them for anything .... living here in Florida, we know how corosive salt can be! And, I wouldn't want it coming into contact with the soil my plants are in! I don't know if I would plant something directly into them anyway, I may just use them as cache pots .... dropping the potted plant down inside.
Lin
I spray painted some plastic garbage cans. Used a primer then a yellow spray paint. The paint is still peeling off. I prewashed. Maybe they need a deglosser used on them first. This was regular outdoor spray paint I used.
How strange that I stumbled across this thread!! I was cleaning out my back garage (yes at 3 am) and of course, I save the plastic litter containers (they have to be useful for something, right??) and I thought the same thing. I should by the Krylon paint for plastic and paint these. I have lots of places where I can use these. Thanks for some good ideas!
Hi,
I've used the Krylon Fusion paint for plastic on the large plastic kitty litter buckets (31 lb ScoopAway). I have six cats. It works great and the can will paint quite a few of them. I got dark green, maroon, and beige. I bought it at Home Depot, and I think it cost a little over $3.00 a can. I thought the lids could also be painted and used for under the pots, but I haven't done that yet. I drilled holes in the bottom with my handy-dandy drill. Since these come with handles (bails), I am going to try using them for hanging plants this Spring.
Nice thread! I've been thinking about where I would plant all the Calla's and Gladiolas I'm ordering from a Co-op for this spring. These are bulbs that I will have to overwinter so I want to plant them in pots and I know I don't have enough pots for ALL of these bulbs. :o0
Well, maybe I do ... kitty litter pots!
I just got done reading about TomTom's papercrete pots. Would be nice to try one when I have the time ... but the paint for plastic sounds easiest in the 'quick run'.
One of my cats.
Toofewanimals: What AWESOME Kitty! What breed is he/she? Really love those markings. We have 4 was 5, but recently had to have one euthanized in our family. Our Girls are rescued/adopted but we love them all.
Love your user name! I should change mine to: Toofewplants!
Cool kitty! What kind is s/he? Looks like a minx or linx or something (I'm such a cat expert, you can tell). I was thinking of painting the krylon over the kitty pails and then maybe when I get a little more ambitious, using the fleckstone over it. We'll see. Good idea, toofew (overwintering bulbs). Do you just move them into the basement (or similar space)? I've never overwintered anything.
Here is my full grown kitty, "Bitsy". She weighs in at a whopping 1 lb 3 oz.
MsKatt: Wow ... Miss Bitsy sure is a tiny one! Only 1 lb 3z .... what kind of kitty is she? A couple of mine are 16 1/2 pounders and on diets right now! We had one female who got up to 24 lbs! They don't eat a lot at all .... just lazy and sleep most of the time!
Bitsy was a 4 week old "ditch" kitty when she was found. I moderate a Freecycle group and some people posted that they found 2 kitties and they couldn't keep them. Euthanasia was mentioned and I've got a HUGE "sucker" sign posted on my forehead (DH calls this place "Michelle's Home for Wayward Animals"). So anyway...drove an hour and a half to rescue this kitty. I went down this two track dirt road and I'm not kidding pulled into the driveway of one of the grossest yards I've seen. I debated about getting out of the car. Told DD to stay in the car and I would get the kitty. Listening intently to her mother, she bounded out of the car to pick out which kitty. . I let her pick (no way would hubby agree to 2) and we got out of there as fast as we could...I swore I heard banjo music in the background. It was 1 o'clock in the afternoon and the extended family that was sitting out in the yard were drunk and getting drunker.
Anyway, she's just a regular ol' cat. She was SO infested with fleas (counted 120 after the first of many fleabaths) and so small (she weighed 4 oz at her 1st vet visit) that she remained anemic. She flourished after we *finally* got rid of the fleas and all their nasty bites, but it was too late for her to grow to a normal size. So she's our permanent kitten. She's always cold so she likes to sit on top of the wireless router and warm herself up. So now you know more than you ever wanted to...lol!
I've been thinking of planting lettuce in the litter boxes themselves. I'm new to all this, do y'all who have cats think that the containers (standard cheap rectangular litter box) are deep enough for lettuce?
Gloryglory: I have 4 cats and have had plans of drilling holes in the bottom of plastic litter buckets to grow houseplants. I have 6 ready to paint with spray paint!
I don't have a clue about veggies, or lettuce. I would give it a try ... don't know why it wouldn't work! Great Containers, Cheap!! If you have cats, that is!
Gloryglory, are you thinking of the litter pans themselves or the actual containers that the clean litter comes in?
oops! Looks like I misunderstood. She IS talking about regular litter boxes ... the rectangular plastic ones! I guess you can tell I wasn't paying atttention, huh?!
Anyhow, I would think if you drill some drainage holes in them, you could plant anything in them! At least I would give it a try! But, Gloryglory .... You might check the price at Wal-Mart of the plastic storage containers like Rubbermaid, only they carry a cheaper brand, I think called Sterlite, or something that sounds like that .... I think they would be even cheaper than Litter Pans!
Just drill a bunch of holes for drainage, fill with soil and plant your lettuce, water well and place it in the sun and voila ..... instant garden! I don't know anything about planting veggies, I'm just assuming lettuce would need sun!
Keep us posted on the outcome! I use plastic containers for seeds sometimes, but the small ones. Maybe I should try the larger ones!
Hi, yes MsKatt, it was the litter boxes themselves, not the containers the litter comes in.
Plantladylin, I'll go take a look at the other storage containers but I think they'll be more expensive here. The litter pans are $3.49 and while I didn't look for a comparable size to it, I did look for larger storage containers to make the homemade earthbox and what people were saying cost them $4-5 cost $9-$18 here...but maybe I just need to look some more.
I was just concerned that the litter boxes might be too shallow as I don't know how much room the roots will need. I want to do some just lettuce, and then some a kind of mesclun mix with some spinach, mustard, kale, and other baby greens where the leaves get to about the size you see in the bags of baby greens at the grocery store.
Hey ladies, I wasn't watching this thread, so sorry I missed your questions.
Ahi is a 'Bengal'. I got him for only $100 since I didn't get papers. A family I knew bought their bengals for $1000 each, then bred them till they got their money back. Ahi's litter was an extra and they sold him to me as a favor. Ahi has a marbled coat. They do come in spots and stripes too. Spots are the most expensive to buy, then stripes and then marbled.
Bengals tend to be a little more aggressive. He is mean to my other cat, and he did go through an aggressive peroid toward us for a short time till we taught him we were the VIP's. He is an excellent hunter outside and 'growls' like a dog at other cats. He is very vocal, but is not mean toward people at all anymore ... anyone. He loves to be petted and sits on my lap or any lap (even strangers) whenever possible.
From my experience with him, I wouldn't suggest anyone with cats other than Bengals get one. He really gets after my other cat.
gardenglory, sorry I don't know how big of a root system the lettuce gets. Maybe ask on a vegetable forum?
MsKatt, Most bulbs I overwinter now, I keep in smaller pots. Just put them in a closet and forget about them till spring. I'm trying a few gladiola bulbs in the garage in a paperbag this winter. I just checked on them and they seem fine. Last fall I in such a hurry, I took all my dahlias, put the name on the bulb with a magic marker and threw them all in one pot with a little potting soil and give them just a tiny bit of water each month. I have had trouble overwintering dahlias in the past, they dried up. Someone mentioned to water them once a month, and so far this has been working ... but just a tiny bit, or they will begin to grow. I have rain lilies, cannas and callas in their pots in the basement. I think the cat litter boxes will be too big for me to take down to the basement ... I've ordered a ton of callas. But I'm planning on putting each type into a smaller pot for the winter and then overwintering them.
MsKatt, Bitsy is so cute! I can't imagine a fullgrown kitty being that little! She looks so furry and soft!
We saved a stray once when we lived in Connecticut. Found him by the trash. He was an orange stripped kitten. Ugliest cat I ever saw! Had a string of toes going up each leg .... well he had at least six full toes on each paw and then you could feel several 'bumbs' going further up the leg ... Vet said they were undeveloped toes.
He was so anemic from the fleas and worms and ear mites that he would run across the room, then take a nap.
I loved him immediately. Sorry to say that he had Feline Leukemia and died several months later. Even more sorry to say that my 2 other cats had not been immunized and so they both ended up dying from it too about a year later. :o( Taught me a big lesson to get all of my cats immunized for it whether they go outside or not.
Hope this wasn't 'too much information' for you. :o)
Here is a picture of my other cat ... Candy ... she was a freebie from a 'Garage Sale'. :o)
She is the one Ahi loves to bite on (never draws blood though).
Hi Everybody!
Last year, I made an Earthbox type planter out of two sizes of kitty litter containers. Same brand, just two different sizes. I painted the outer, larger box with regular, cheap spray paint leftover from another project. The paint was dark blue and covered the bright yellow container with no problem. I grew one zucchini plant in it and it did great.
So does anybody have pictures of painted plastic buckets to share? I am hoping that 2007 is the year that I get into container gardening but the cost of containers can sure eat up a big chunk of a guys garden budget. The idea of putting kitty litter buckets to use in interesting...but I would not want them to look like "painted buckets".
- Brent
This message was edited Mar 24, 2007 8:50 AM
Brent, searching back through this forum for ideas for my containers and found this thread - if you haven't seen them already, check out the plastic containers I've been painting http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/704141/ I'm tempted to experiment with a some type of decorative faux finish on them, but I'll be lucky to get all the containers planted this year and will save the 'faux fun' for next winter's project :)
Debbie
i wanna see pics!@!! show us your painted containers!!! i wanna see i wanna see(grin)