Upcycled Tea Tin Planter

This post shares my upcycled tea tin planter, including what kind of paint to use on aluminum cans. For more of my DIY planters to help you decorate with plants, check out this post!

Upcycled Tea Tin Planter: What Kind of Paint to use on Aluminum Cans?

Hey all, it’s time for another month of the 10-Minute DIYs series! This month’s theme is spring, but I kind of feel like my project is a hybrid theme of the last two month’s themes: planters (February) and upcycling (March). I’m turning an old loose leaf tea tin into a little planter for my propagated succulent pieces.

I’ve been propagating succulents from leaf clippings for a while now, and many are just getting big enough to be planted on their own. (I’m working on a post about propagating succulents that I’ll be sharing soon!) Plus these little looseleaf tea tins are so cute that I had to upcycle them for another use. 😉

Here’s what I used:

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• Old tea tin
• Olive oil, soap, and water
• Paint, I used Rust-Oleum in Flat Black and Krylon Premium Metallic Gold (my favorite gold)
• Frogtape

And here’s how I made my tiny tea tin planter!

(Remember to follow the directions on your paint’s label, and wear a mask if you’re using spray paint.)

Step 1: Remove any old labels using olive oil and a paper towel. (See the recent quick tip post I did on removing stubborn sticker residue here.) Clean thoroughly with soap and water.

What kind of paint to use on aluminum cans

Step 2: Tea tins are typically made of aluminum or tin, and spray paint makes a great paint to use on them. You typically won’t need a primer when painting al aluminum can. I did not use one, but I did use a nice spray paint. Those often have primers built in.

Paint the entire tin a base color. I used black. After it dries, apply Frogtape to paint your design. I taped around the rim of the tin.

And then once that’s dry, plant a cute little plant. This little tin is the perfect size for some of the succulents I’ve been propagating from one of my very prolific plants. They are growing quickly themselves, so once they outgrow the tin, I’ll just transfer them into something bigger.

Step 3: Use extra tape, scrap paper, or a paper towel to help cover any areas you don’t want painted and paint your accent color. I used Krylon gold, which is my favorite gold spray paint.

For more planter ideas, check out my modern plywood planter with hairpin legs, my hanging stainless steel bowl planter, and my succulent care tips post!

Share my upcycled tea tin planters, including what kind of paint to use on aluminum cans!