Gussying Up Plastic Planters, Anyone Tried it?

I would love some stone planters but don't have the budget for them so have bought some plastic ones which I want to give a stone effect to. I've had a look and the most popular method seems to be mixing grout and paint together. Has anyone tried this method before? I'm positive I'm going to make a complete botch job of it. Any suggestions for other methods would also be welcome

 

If the containers are plastic I assume what ever you use will need at least some elasticity.
Probably need to rough the surface up a bit as well.

 

I did it once but it was some years ago so I can't quite remember. I think I bought really thick paint for painting houses to give them a textured look. I planted a clematis and it looked OK. Left it behind when I moved house. Maybe you could mix in some of that flexible pollyfilla stuff.

 

I did a similar thing with inverted tyres years ago. Just mixed up a thin sludge of cement, exterior paint and a dash of washing up liquid. It works well as long as the containers aren't going to be moved around all the time

 

@pete I'm thinking of going with Rustoleum Universal paint which is allegedly multi-surface and a paint and primer in one.

@Busy-Lizzie Thick house paint isn't a bad idea.

@noisette47 I'm curious about the washing up liquid, haven't seen that suggested anywhere. They definitely won't be getting moved around a lot, they're going to be running a long the edge of my raised borders.

 

You could try mixing some sand in with the paint if you want a textured surface.

Washing up liquid acts as a wetting agent and possibly helps with adhesion? I used to add a dash to bricklaying mortar if I didn't have any plasticiser handy on small jobs.

 

@pete That is true. Sand would work out cheaper and any left over has plenty of alternative uses in the garden unlike cement based materials.

Washing up liquid in mortar, you learn something new every day!

 

I remember builders in Greece using washing up liquid in the cement mix when laying a slab very many years ago @Februarysgirl

 

We have alwayscused washing up liquid in cement. My dad said it helped the texture , made it go further and also made a smoother texture of the cement which he said helped it bond together, when putting it on plastic even glass carboy which I made into a lamp I first needed to make it stick to the glass and plastic containers so I painted over with PVA glue. I've even used artists Gesso to give it a bite first.otherwise the cement will not stick

I then went over the finished products with an eggshell varnish but you've probably got other craft products to do the same job.The varnish was essential for anything going outside . The eggshell was good as I didn't want gloss.

 

You can buy rough textured spray and paint for plastic, but I've tried several and it always comes off in patches due to the weather. I've always rough sanded and prepped and bought plastic specific products, but always had the same result.
If you find out a solution, I'd love to know too lol