How to Repurpose a Cracked Soup Tureen

What is the first idea coming to mind when we find any kind of old vessel, like a ceramic bowl or an enamelled pot that started rusting, among the mess of don`t-need-but-pity-to-throw-away stuff? Right – any vessel is a potential planter! Even if it is cracked and leaking (as it turned out way later, when it was already repurposed, filled with soil and plants – all set up for posing pleasant looking aesthetics on the window sill).

Here`s what I made to old enamelled pots with some leftover paint and jute rope 😉 .

But today I`ve decided to experiment with the colour, as we have some white acrylic gloss paint leftover. Yes, yes, leftovers again. . . It`s so much fun to get rid of them by making some use of them and freeing up space on the shelves for new leftovers lol .

Ceramic Soup Tureen

It definitely has some major cracks, and I wish I had taken them into consideration, because when all the repurposing work was done, and I watered the plants in it. . . yes, all the water came out through the cracks. I had to pour the soil out, wash the inner side of the tureen and . . . put a scotch tape over the cracks. It really works if you straighten it well over the surface so there are no folds, and lay overlapping strips along every crack (I did this a thousand times with plastic bowls).

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If there`s even more trouble, like split apart pieces or chipped ceramics that is even missing particles, you can use super glue (waterproof preferably) for case one. Or two-part epoxy for case two, because epoxy can also fill in the space, where the particles are missing.

Mixing a Coral Pottery Clay Colour

To make this dusty coral hue I tried with ground paprika, baking soda and the acrylic paint leftovers (I think any water-soluble paint would do here, embrace experiments!).

Wouldn`t say anything about proportions, because . . . well, it depends. Started with a teaspoon of baking soda and two teaspoons of ground paprika per 60 g (2 Oz) paint, then gradually added the components to get the desirable shade and texture (the more ground pepper you add the darker the hue gets, the more soda you add the rougher the texture becomes).

Mmm. . . it smells quite pleasant, don’t get it confused with a cream sauce 🙂 .

Painting the cracked soup tureen

Give the tureen a slight sanding to create a better bond with the paint.

I started with the bottom part of the bowl, then moving upwards, ended up with painting the handles.

After every coat I let the tureen dry on the bright hot sun (don`t do this if you don`t want the paint to crack).

* Tip: If you want to avoid cracks or uneven spreading of the paint, it`s better to make multiple thin layers than to make a couple of thick layers and let it dry gradually, with no heating sources nearby.

After the third coat I made a slight sanding.

I liked these distressed paint cracks. They make the tureen seem as a piece of ancient pottery 🙂 .

And finally, a coat of paint sealer to protect the paint.

Add some evergreens

A planter with something green standing beneath the window makes me feel cosy. I had recently pruned a juniper bush (the best time of the year to do it is early spring) and simply stuck the cut branches in the soil. If you water it constantly, you`ll have a bush of evergreens in an appealing repurposed soup tureen for the whole season!

Looks funny – a hairy troll on the window sill lol .

Update 18.04.2024
If you`re planning to plant live plants in your cracked repurposed pot, make sure to seal the cracks, otherwise all the water will soak out (which, of course, happened to me). No special tools required. Just wash the cracked places so there`s no dirt and seal it with a simple duct tape, pushing out all the air when sticking the duct tape to the surface of the cracked soup tourine.

And dont forget to to take some moments to admire your work 🙂