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plating, anodizing, & finishing Q&As since 1989

"Painting plastic"

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2005

I too, am looking into painting some plastic... barrels. They were made to hold pickles for the military (bought at a military surplus store). They have been cut in half and made into large planters, but they are black and I was thinking of brightening them up with some color. I have some gold and silver oil based paint. Would that work, or is my best bet the Krylon Fusion [affil link] paint for plastic?

Karri Adams
hobbyist - Beaverton, OR, USA

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2005

Karri-
Did you get any answers to your query about painting your plastic pickle barrels?
I have several plastic barrels that I use for rainwater collection. They are bright blue, and I wish to coordinate the colors better with my earth-toned house.
Thanks for your answer,

Roxanne Hupp
- Durango, Colorado, USA

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2005

There are alternatives to the Krylon Fusion paint, like Bulldog Tie Coat [affil link] --but they are primers made for painting plastic. General purpose oil-base paint won't stick without a lot of extra work, but if you search our site with terms like "paint adhesion plastic" you will find some of those protocols suggested by readers.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey