Paint for containers???

barryla61 · January 4, 2012

I have some containers that I want to put tomatoes in this spring. They are cattle feed tubs - about 20 gallon size - they were red to begin with but some have faded really bad and are an opaque pinkish color now.
I want to paint them so they all look alike and preferably black...my question is
What type of paint should I use?...or does it make a difference?

JamesL · January 4, 2012

Are they metal? Would black make them absorb too much heat?
Krylon spray paint http://www.krylon.com/ - might be the way to go.
They have different lines for metal, plastic, indoor an outdoor.

dice · January 5, 2012

Primer is everything. The paint industry has different primers for metal
and plastic. For plastic, you probably want one of these primers:
http://www.specifypaint.com/APL/pain...r.asp?ID=69000
(Once you can get primer to stay stuck to it, you can use any of a number
of different paints on top of it.)

Those solvent-based bonding primers tend to stay stuck to difficult
(slippery) surfaces better than the water based bonding primers, which
are ok over old paint, etc:
http://www.specifypaint.com/APL/pain...r.asp?ID=17000

For metal, probably one of these:
http://www.specifypaint.com/APL/pain...r.asp?ID=23000

(The whole MPI index: http://www.specifypaint.com/APL/pain...phabetical.asp)

If this seems a little over the top, a can of Krylon "for plastic" spray
paint may work fine (it may include the kind of adhesive that one of
the bonding primers would use.)

barryla61 · January 5, 2012

Thanks for your input

rockhound · January 6, 2012

Because the sun hitting the container can raise the soil temp in the root zone above what it would be if the plants were in the ground, I put a shade piece of plywood on the south side during the summer. It takes less water to keep them happy if the roots don't get hot.

ddsack · January 6, 2012

I reuse my cat litter pails for growing tomatoes. I don't care what color they are, but I don't like the tacky printed labeling showing through. I also didn't want to invest much more money in them, so I got the cheapest store brand spray paint from Walmart. That was a total waste, because the paint quality was so poor, I had to use many more coats to get a no-see-through to the writing, so no money was saved. Krylon was better and worth the extra money. Actually I ended up going for a mottled look, combining a couple shades of green and rust which provided better camouflage for the writing. In the future, I'm going to use a black first, to make swirls blending out the writing, and then just add the top green swirly colors, so I use a minimum of paint per pail.

I agree that all black may heat up your pots and dry the soil too fast in hot weather, though they may be great in the spring. I don't know about the quality of plastic in the cattle feed tubs, but the cat litter pails will not last more than a year or two, because the sun will deteriorate the top rims of the pails and they start to crack and crumble. So I can't see spending a lot of money on paint when you can buy sturdier small storage tubs for the same price when they go on sale.

jgaleota · January 6, 2012

[QUOTE=ddsack;247130]

I agree that all black may heat up your pots and dry the soil too fast in hot weather, though they may be great in the spring.

By the same token, would it be a bad idea to grow tomatoes in black nursery pots? Should they be painted a light color?

nancyruhl · January 6, 2012

If they are plastic, I like the Fusion paints formulated to bonding to plastic. Wallyworld and elsewhere.

barryla61 · January 6, 2012

Yes they are plastic, sorry I failed to mention that.
They are quite durable as I have some that I have planted in for 3 years now so I think painting will be worth the money plus they are 20-25 gal tubs and make great planters for maters!
My others are black thus the idea for painting these black.
What color would you guys reccomend?

dice · January 7, 2012

Terra-cotta? (You could paint a whimsical black silhouette of an
ancient Greek warrior spearing a squirrel on top of the terra-cotta
with a brush.)

ddsack · January 7, 2012

Quote:

By the same token, would it be a bad idea to grow tomatoes in black nursery pots? Should they be painted a light color?

Well, I do use what black nursery pots I have, as is. They just take more water. Also peppers do very well in them and like the hotter environment. If you do paint them, be prepared for maintenance, because the paint will chip off eventually. Someone that was creative, might be able to come up with some kind of removable skirting made from old bed sheets or white plastic trash bags.

January 4, 2012	#1
barryla61 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Bedford, VA Posts: 257	Paint for containers??? I have some containers that I want to put tomatoes in this spring. They are cattle feed tubs - about 20 gallon size - they were red to begin with but some have faded really bad and are an opaque pinkish color now. I want to paint them so they all look alike and preferably black...my question is What type of paint should I use?...or does it make a difference?

January 5, 2012	#3
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Primer is everything. The paint industry has different primers for metal and plastic. For plastic, you probably want one of these primers: http://www.specifypaint.com/APL/pain...r.asp?ID=69000 (Once you can get primer to stay stuck to it, you can use any of a number of different paints on top of it.) Those solvent-based bonding primers tend to stay stuck to difficult (slippery) surfaces better than the water based bonding primers, which are ok over old paint, etc: http://www.specifypaint.com/APL/pain...r.asp?ID=17000 For metal, probably one of these: http://www.specifypaint.com/APL/pain...r.asp?ID=23000 (The whole MPI index: http://www.specifypaint.com/APL/pain...phabetical.asp) If this seems a little over the top, a can of Krylon "for plastic" spray paint may work fine (it may include the kind of adhesive that one of the bonding primers would use.) __________________ -- alias

January 6, 2012	#6
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	I reuse my cat litter pails for growing tomatoes. I don't care what color they are, but I don't like the tacky printed labeling showing through. I also didn't want to invest much more money in them, so I got the cheapest store brand spray paint from Walmart. That was a total waste, because the paint quality was so poor, I had to use many more coats to get a no-see-through to the writing, so no money was saved. Krylon was better and worth the extra money. Actually I ended up going for a mottled look, combining a couple shades of green and rust which provided better camouflage for the writing. In the future, I'm going to use a black first, to make swirls blending out the writing, and then just add the top green swirly colors, so I use a minimum of paint per pail. I agree that all black may heat up your pots and dry the soil too fast in hot weather, though they may be great in the spring. I don't know about the quality of plastic in the cattle feed tubs, but the cat litter pails will not last more than a year or two, because the sun will deteriorate the top rims of the pails and they start to crack and crumble. So I can't see spending a lot of money on paint when you can buy sturdier small storage tubs for the same price when they go on sale. __________________ Dee **************

January 7, 2012	#10
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Terra-cotta? (You could paint a whimsical black silhouette of an ancient Greek warrior spearing a squirrel on top of the terra-cotta with a brush.) __________________ -- alias

January 4, 2012	#2
JamesL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 1,992	Are they metal? Would black make them absorb too much heat? Krylon spray paint http://www.krylon.com/ - might be the way to go. They have different lines for metal, plastic, indoor an outdoor.

January 6, 2012	#5
rockhound Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Tennessee Posts: 285	Because the sun hitting the container can raise the soil temp in the root zone above what it would be if the plants were in the ground, I put a shade piece of plywood on the south side during the summer. It takes less water to keep them happy if the roots don't get hot.

January 6, 2012	#7
jgaleota Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 133	[QUOTE=ddsack;247130] I agree that all black may heat up your pots and dry the soil too fast in hot weather, though they may be great in the spring. By the same token, would it be a bad idea to grow tomatoes in black nursery pots? Should they be painted a light color?

January 6, 2012	#8
nancyruhl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan Posts: 1,051	If they are plastic, I like the Fusion paints formulated to bonding to plastic. Wallyworld and elsewhere.