How to Apply Pearlescent Paint on Pumpkins

Would you like to know how to transform cheap pumpkins from Walmart into something beautiful?? Let me show you how to apply pearlescent paint on your old pumpkins!

Let the transformation begin!

I love the animated movie Cinderella!

One of my favorite parts is when the Fairy Godmother transforms Cinderella’s ragged dress into a gorgeous ball gown and turns a pumpkin into a beautiful carriage!!

Well, I have some pumpkins that could use some help from the Fairy godmother!

Since she hadn’t shown up at my house, I had to take matters into my own hands!

before

When I pulled these pumpkins out of the box and set them on my kitchen counter, I realized the fall colors completely clashed with the cool tones of my house.

I thought paint would be the easiest way to transform them, so I headed to my paint stash to see what I could find.

I discovered some pearlescent paint that I had bought but never used.

Now, if only I could wave my magic wand (from Harry Potter World), and the paint would suddenly appear on the pumpkins!

Well, that didn’t happen, so I got started on this fun DIY project!

Here’s what they looked like when I finished!

after

Aren’t they just gorgeous?

How to paint pumpkins

Before you paint, gather or purchase all the items you need for the project!

Gather

• faux pumpkins- I purchased mine at Walmart several years ago
• pearlescent paint-I used Krylon Brillant Metallic Paint in Pearlescent and Silver
• paintbrush
• paint can opener
• paint stirrer
• something to protect your workspace -I used paper towels, but plastic works better, so the pumpkins won’t stick to it.

Prep

1. Cover your work area with plastic, craft paper, or whatever you can find at home.
2. Clean the pumpkins of any grime or dust.
3. Stir the paint.

Paint

*Important tip – pearlescent paint is almost see-through and does not give complete coverage.  In the picture above, the left pumpkin has one coat of paint.

If you’re going from a dark color to a lighter color, you will be able to see the undertones of the original color.

If that’s not okay with you, then prime the pumpkins with primer or white chalk paint first. 

It will take several coats to cover the pumpkin with the pearlescent paint.

1. Paint all areas of the pumpkin that shows. I did not paint the very bottom of the pumpkins.
2. Let dry.
3. If you want to paint the whole pumpkin, turn it over and paint the bottom half.
4. Repeat the steps until you get the desired coverage.

This is what the burgundy-colored pumpkin looked like after the first coat of paint.

I decided to add some white lines to the pumpkin above, to add some variation.

After two coats of paint, you can still see the burgundy color coming through.

I gave it four coats altogether.

Here are the pumpkins after four coats of paint!

Notice the back left pumpkin was painted with white chalk paint and antiqued with brown wax in the lines.

how to style your pearlescent painted pumpkins

There are many ways to use these beautiful pumpkins in your holiday decor.

I styled them three ways as a centerpiece on my dining room table, in a vignette, and a single pumpkin sitting on a table! 

centerpiece

I added faux eucalyptus and lamb ears here and there between the pumpkins.

SITTING ALONE

A single pumpkin paired with two glass vases makes a pretty vignette.

It’s so simple but makes a big statement.

Vignette

Place pumpkins in a wood tray or bowl, add a few Fall picks, and magically, you have a gorgeous arrangement!

I just can’t get over how beautiful these pumpkins turned out, I think my Fairy Godmother would approve, don’t you??

Now that you know how to apply pearlescent paint on faux pumpkins, what are you waiting for??

Go ahead, try it out, unless you have a magic wand that works!

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Blessings, Donna and Rich

More Inspiration

If you’d like to read more posts on items I’ve transformed with paint, click on the links below!

• How to Refinish Twin Beds with Chalk Paint
• Steps to Transform a Worn-out Cornhole Set
• How to Give New Life to an Old Potting Bench
• Update Old Decor Items
• Chalk Paint a Kitchen Table and Chairs

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Get the look

Here are some links to items I used in this DIY. If I could not find the exact match, I added something similar. If you don’t like to do DIY projects, but you’d like to get a similar look, I found some metallic pumpkins. Note: The metallic paint(Krylon Brillant Metallic Paint in Pearlescent and Silver) is unavailable on Amazon so please try Lowe’s. Link could not be provided to Lowe’s as they are not an affiliate partner.