Paint a cane basket with imagination

Transform an old cane basket into a tribal-style plant pot.

Resene upcycling for good with Sarah Herring - Project 17

Paint a tribal pot plant basket
Finished project

You will need: Testpot brushes, Masking tape, Resene Testpots in Resene Glorious, Resene Half Bokara Grey, and Resene Quarter Truffle.

Finished project

Before

Step one
Give the basket a good clean and remove all the bits of cobwebs and dust that could stick to the brush and get into the paint.

Step two
Mask out the design onto the lower part of the basket using masking tape. It can be hard to get a straight line on a curved object, so measure up from the bottom and mark all the way around and then apply the masking tape along the marker points. Paint the base segment in two coats of Resene Glorious.

Step three
Once all the paint is dry, mask out the triangle shapes evenly around the basket and paint them in two coats each of Resene Half Bokara Grey and Resene Quarter Truffle. Paint the very bottom of the basket in Resene Half Bokara Grey. It’s near impossible to get perfectly clean lines when you are painting a woven surface like this, but the masking tape will help keep the paint within the shapes. A good tip is to avoid loading the brush with too much paint.

Step four
Paint a circular design on the lid of the basket in Resene Glorious and Resene Half Bokara Grey. Sarah did this freehand without any masking tape. The circular pattern made for a good contrast with the geometric design.

All done! So easy!
All you have to do next is add your choice of pot plant. This method will work for almost any shape and size basket and is such an effective way to add some bright colour to your home décor. Or use the completed basket for storage or laundry

Upcycling for Good

You can find a huge range of treasures, from ornaments and picture frames, to furniture and toys at your local Salvation Army store that you can easily upcycle with a little Resene paint and some imagination.

"Our Family Stores are full of treasures generously donated by members of the public. We value these donations and try our hardest to re-purpose and sell as much as possible. We’re all about re-using and recycling, so teaming up with Resene on Upcycling for Good was a perfect match. Resene’s products and tips are a natural fit with our pre-loved furniture and accessories, which are usually great quality but could sometimes do with a lick of paint to ensure they fly off the shelves.

Each year, nationally, our stores save 16,000 tonnes from landfill. This initiative increases the value of the donated product, improves the range of goods for our customers, and furthers The Salvation Army’s mission and Resene’s community activity.” Gareth Marshall, The Salvation Army's National Family Store Manager.

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Resene Paints Ltd – www.resene.com