For a quick and easy way to paint clay pots give them a spin! Here’s how to go about it:

  1. Before you begin, you’ll need to cut a wooden disk with a hole saw.
  2. Place a carriage bolt in a drill (one with a speed adjustment knob works best) and attach the wooden disk on top of the bolt.
  3. Position the drill in a vice so that the carriage bolt and disc are upright.
  4. In order to make the pot fit snugly over the wooden disk we filled the pot with a couple pieces of bubble wrap.
  5. Situate the clay pot on the wooden disc by lightly tapping into place.
  6. Turn on the drill and the pot will spin (you may have to adjust the speed so that its not spinning too fast).
  7. Apply a small amount of paint to your paintbrush so that the paint doesn’t spin off, and hold the paintbrush against the pot.

The spinning motion will distribute the paint, giving you a quick and cleaner way to get a nice even coat all the way around and down to the rim of the pot.

Watch the video above to find out more.

Editorial Contributors
avatar for Joe Truini

Joe Truini

Radio Show Co-Host

Joe Truini is a contractor, author, and the host of “Simple Solutions” on Today’s Homeowner TV and the weekly Today’s Homeowner radio show. He has worked on both large commercial projects and residential remodeling, and has written for national publications such as This Old House and Popular Mechanics. He has also written eight books, including three best-selling shed-building books. Joe lives in Connecticut with his family and enjoys hiking, traveling, and baseball in his spare time.

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