How to Easily Age Inexpensive Galvanized Planters

How to age galvanized Dollar Tree planters with a few simple household ingredients!

Did you know you can easily age new shiny galvanized metal in just a few simple steps?  There's no need to wait for weather and time to do the job for you.  Aging metal is easier than you might think and doesn't require harsh chemicals.  Three common household ingredients and a little elbow grease are all you need to perfectly age and weather galvainzed metal, tin and other similar products.

I've been wanting to try aging metal myself, so when I found a shiny metal bucket at my local Dollar Tree I knew right away it would be perfect for aging.   I'm pretty sure this metal bucket isn't galvanized, but this method of aging metal will work regardless. 

SUPPLIES NEEDED TO AGE AND WEATHER GALVANIZED METAL

Affiliate links have been used. 

- Metal planter (Dollar Tree)

- Salt

- Vinegar

- Hydrogen Peroxide

- Paper Towels

- Oil Permanent Marker

- Sisal Rope (optional) 

- Hot Glue Gun (if using rope) 

- Scissors (if using rope)

- Faux greenery (optional)

HOW TO AGE GALVANIZED METAL, TIN, SHEET METAL, CORRUGATED METAL AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

I started with this shiny metal "Flowers & Garden" planter that I found in the garden section at Dollar Tree.  They must be pretty popular because when I went back to take a picture they were all gone! I'm not really surprised since they are a great find for a dollar.  

The planter could definitely be used as is, but I really wanted to age the metal to make it look a little weathered and rustic.   I did a some research and found that three common household ingredients can be used to easily age metal.  Vinegar, salt and hydrogen peroxide.

            

I grabbed a small bowl, poured in about a tablespoon of salt, added equal parts of vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide then mixed it all together.  (I didn't measure, but I'd say it was roughly 3 tablespoons of each)

I used a spoon to pour a bit of the mixture over the metal, (making sure to get some of the salt to use as an abrasive) let it sit for a while then used an old rag and paper towels to rub the mixture into the planter.

I repeated the steps a few times until I was happy with how the metal was aged.  I found the longer I let the mixture sit on the metal the better the aging results I achieved. 

To add a little depth to the metal planter, I highlighted the letters by tracing them with an oil-based permanent marker.  I then used a paper towel to rub off some of the marker to give the letters a worn look.

You can stop here or if you want to go one step further you can add rope knots to each side of the planter.   

I simply knotted one end of my rope, cut the other side close to my knot then hot glued a knot to each side of my planter. 

The addition of two faux greenery plants completed the project and I had a perfect aged metal planter that only costs a dollar!

Faux plants / DIY Bin Pulls

It's hard to believe this shiny metal planter was originally purchased at Dollar Tree!  Now when you see shiny metal bins and planters at your local Dollar Store or Target's Dollar Spot you can easily turn them into the perfect aged and weathered decor!

Click HERE for more Dollar Store DIY projects.

Click the image below 

FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER