How to make Garden Poles on a Budget

Hey guys! I have been trying to brighten up my yard this Spring, and started a fun project. With the price of wood going through the ceiling after Covid, I thought I would try painting on PVC pipe, and guess what? It worked!!!!! For those that know me know I am SUPER FRUGAL! Each 10 foot pipe cost me $10, so I thought it was a pretty good deal.

I began by sanding them down with 220 fine grit sand paper. I thought that would help the paint stick to the plastic better. After they were sanded down well, I wiped them off with a microfiber cloth to get all of the dust off. I put a large paint drop cloth down in the yard and I then sprayed two coats of 2x Rust-oleum primer. After the poles were dry, about 20 minutes, they were ready to paint!

I placed the poles up on the fence to get the first coat on. I used Nova Color paints (they can also be used for mural painting) Each pole took two coats to paint. The weather started to turn so I then brought the poles in to finish. It is important to note that if you bump into things with the poles, the paint will come off pretty easy. I learned this the hard way.

Adding the details were a little tedious as you can only paint one small side at a time and then had to let them dry. It took a few days of me working on them every morning before work before they were done.

After all the painting was done on all sides, I added this crystal clear satin outdoor finish to seal them. I put on two coats for extra protection. Dan helped me use a post hole digger to place them in the ground, we buried them about 2 feet in the ground. I thought they turned out really fun! I am still debating what to use for a topper on them. A plastic ball maybe? If you have any great ideas, leave a comment! I thought it was a great project for a minimal amount of money. I already had the paint so it really only cost me $40.00. Here are the poles finished! It really makes our yard fun!

If you make some, give me shout! I would like to see what you come up with!

XOXO,

Carla