How To Turn A Pool Noodle Into A Faux Stone Planter

Sturdy stone and clay planters can add beauty to any indoor or outdoor space, providing texture and a rustic, natural feel that cannot be beaten by plastics and modern materials, particularly if you are creating biophilic, farmhouse, or cottage-feel spaces. These hefty stone planters can be expensive, however, and their dimensions and weight often make them difficult to work with. TikTok user @watchsharesave, however, revealed a hack using pool noodles to create a classic faux stone planter that effectively doubles as the real thing, with the same look as a real stone piece — only, it's not as heavy and comes at a much lower cost. The effect is a stunning DIY plant pot that is easy to put together.

Using just a couple of pool noodles, readily available in most stores, hot glue, an inexpensive plastic planter, and some stone-finish spray paint, this TikTok user creates an organic and textured stone dupe that, unless you pick it up, almost looks like the real thing.

To create this cool DIY, begin by slicing the pool noodles in half and cutting them to the circumference of your planter. Pull the segments around your planter, using hot glue to stick them to the sides of the planter, and close the circle of the noodle together so the seam isn't visible. Repeat along the rest of the planter until it is covered. Prime the entire piece with white spray paint. Then, apply a stone faux finish spray paint in as many coats as needed to fully cover the foam segments before allowing it to dry completely.

The organic curves of the pool noodles will compliment the rustic look of the paint, adding more texture and dimension to the piece that looks completely genuine. You can add chips and imperfections to the foam before painting, which will give the stone an aged, battered, and more authentic look. You can also buy pool noodles of differing widths, as the TikTok user did, to get a variation in the stone ribbing.

The popularity of faux stone spray paint in a variety of shades and textures opens up a whole new DIY world, giving even the least expensive plastic planters a touch of sophistication and elevating them to the level of their stone cousins. If you're looking for a classical look, try a vertically ribbed plastic planter painted to resemble stone. For a more in-depth project, you can use everyday joint compound and polyacrylic glaze to create texture around smooth inexpensive terracotta planters that can be found in any garden section.

You can even create a faux stucco look by applying stucco patch around the perimeter of the planter and finishing it off with faux finish paint. While the pool noodle project will last longer indoors due to the adhesive, many of these faux finishes are weathertight and can be placed outdoors on patios and in gardens. Adding a waterproof polyacrylic coat to the surface of the planter will give it increased longevity over time in the elements.