trash to treasure »

After 9 years, our fountain was showing its age. Pitting and stains were putting the wrong emphasis on our outdoor focal point. Instead of replacing it, I decided to go green and revive this fountain with a fresh coat of paint. If it didn’t work out, the only thing lost was time and a few dollars – but it would end up in the trash. I hoped I wouldn’t have to dispose of it.

: Fountain base - needs some help

The first step was to thoroughly scrub the fountain inside and out with a stiff brush. One website recommended adding bleach to the water for better adhesion. I waited a few days to paint to make sure the fountain was completely dry.

Next, I applied a primer that can be used on masonry. The primer dried quickly and I was able to paint both inside and out in about 90 minutes including the drying time.

Primer

My inital plan was to paint the fountain gray using leftover house paint. However, the last little bit left in the can had dried out and so on to Plan B. Plan B was also leftover paint from our front door and shutters. The paint took longer to dry than the primer and required two coats to cover the white primer. Painting the inside and outside twice was more time consuming than I expected, but I still completed these two coats over the course of a day.

Two coats of base color

After the two coats of the base color, I liked it but didn’t love it. So that evening I decided to antique the fountain using black paint, again leftover. I first tested my technique on the outside of the lower section where it wouldn’t be seen if I didn’t get it quite right. To antique, dip only the tip of a brush and work in small sections applying paint in the crevices and lightly over the entire base coat. Wipe off any excess immediately. It took just over an hour to antique the entire fountain.

In process of antiquing top section

Antiqued base of fountain

It looked better but still not quite what I wanted. It needed to be a little lighter to blend with the patio furniture. This time, I did not have any paint that would work for the project. I purchased the least amount possible which was a spray can and sprayed a small amount into a container. This last coat is to highlight areas and so using a sponge brush, I lightly painted a small test section on the bottom of one piece of the fountain. I found this paint dried very quickly and so literally painted with one hand and used a rag to wipe and blend with the other hand.

Comparison showing top section completed and middle section antiqued only

Here’s my finished fountain ready for another 9 years. Not a trash to treasure story but rather revived treasure saved from the trash!

Finished - repainted fountain