Alright, so check this out, been messing around in the shed again. This time it was all about giving some love to my watering cans – you know, the metal ones that get all rusty and sad-looking over time.
First things first, gotta prep ’em. I grabbed the worst-looking can and started by giving it a good scrub down. Used a wire brush to knock off all the loose rust and dirt. You wouldn’t believe the crud that was caked on there. Seriously, years of neglect right there.

Next up, I rinsed it all down with the hose. Made sure to get all the dust and loose bits out. Let it dry completely. This is key, or else your paint won’t stick right. Learned that one the hard way, let me tell you.
Then came the fun part: painting! I had some old cans of spray paint lying around – some hunter green, a bit of navy blue, and a can of silver. Figured I’d go for a kinda rustic, mismatched look. Nothing fancy, just wanted to bring ‘em back to life.
- Started with the green on the body of one can. Just sprayed it on in thin coats, letting it dry between each coat. Didn’t want any drips or runs.
- Then I grabbed the blue and did the spout. Gave it a couple of coats of that too. Looked pretty cool, actually.
- For the other can, I went with the silver. Used it mostly as a base coat, then added some splatters of the green and blue to give it a bit of character.
After the paint was dry, I wanted to add some protection. Grabbed a can of clear coat and gave each can a couple of coats of that. Hopefully, it’ll keep the rust at bay for a bit longer. Time will tell, I guess.
Finally, I let everything dry overnight. Next day, they were looking pretty darn good! Not perfect, mind you, but definitely an improvement. Gave ‘em a test run in the garden, watering the tomatoes and peppers. Felt good to see ‘em back in action.
Overall, a pretty simple project. Took maybe an afternoon, start to finish. And now I’ve got two watering cans that don’t look like they’re about to fall apart. Plus, it’s always satisfying to give something old a new lease on life, you know?