Tin Can DIY Ideas You Won’t Believe

Be amazed by these 5 tin can DIY ideas. Find out how you can take your tin can trash and turn them into stylish home decor.

Tin Cans Are For More Than Just Beans

Are you a DIY enthusiast who loves to breathe new life into seemingly mundane items? Imagine being able to transform trash into a classic piece of home decor. Today, we’re going to delve deep into the world of upcycling, focusing on one item we all commonly discard – tin cans.

We’re all guilty of chucking away these cylindrical containers, without a second thought. But what if I told you that these tin cans hold the potential to become your new favorite piece of home decor? Intrigued?

The joy of DIY crafting lies in transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary. Tin cans, originally intended to house your favourite beans or soup, could be your next stylish candle holder or chic flower pot. It’s all about letting your creativity run wild and giving these cans a second life, a chance to shine again but this time, in a completely different function.

So, head to the recycling bin and grab out those old tin can. Today we’re about to turn your old trash into treasure, proving once again that beauty truly lies in the DIY.

Watch these tin can DIY decor ideas come to life!

Want to watch these tin can DIY decor ideas being created in real time? Then you are not going to want to miss the video! Get the full, visual tutorials so that you to can easily start creating these stunning recycled DIYs today.

DIY Note

To make DIY # 2 and # 4 you’re going to want to subscribe to At Jenny’s Place Free Printable Library. There you will find these printables PLUS so much more!

5 Tin Can DIY Decor Ideas To Try

Get ready to embark on an adventure of crafting with tin cans. By the end of this, you’ll be looking at every can as a potential masterpiece waiting to be crafted!

#1 Succulent Tin Can DIY Planter Pots

For this DIY you’re going to need three salmon tin cans. Remove the labels.

PRO TIP: If you find that the paper sticks to the tin try Goo Gone. Everybody needs a little Goo Gone in their life. Just spray it onto whatever’s sticking, let it sit for a bit, and then wipe it away with a damp cloth.

Next, you’re going to spray each of the tin cans with a coat of white spray paint. You don’t need to be perfect with this. You’ll find out why in a bit. You just want to get those tin cans covered so that you can’t see any of the shiny ti underneath. Set these aside until they are completely dry.

Now we’re going to go in with a little bit of Rustoleum Bleached Stone Spray Paint. This faux stone spray paint isn’t the easiest to work with so I’m going to give you a few pointers:

Tips For Working With Rustoleum Faux Stone Spray Paint

• Shake the can really well before each use.
• You want the nozzle to be a fair distance from the object when you spray.
• Apply in short bursts and only one coat at a time.
• If it didn’t apply thickly enough the first time don’t try and cover that up right away. It’ll just spread the first the layer apart and you’ll end up with a bigger mess than you started.
• Let your item dry really well before attempting a second or third coat.

Spray the cans with the first coat and then let dry. For the second coat, cover any areas that were lacking spray coverage. Let that dry. Lastly, spray the finished tin cans with some Rustoleum finishing spray because the stone spray paint isn’t exactly 100% waterproof.

While those are drying pop on over to Home Depot and pick up a few succulents. Now, you can pop holes in the bottom of your tin cans but if you don’t want to you can also just put a few stones in the bottom.

Now, you’re going to want to take those succulents out of their pots and gently remove the soil from the bottom portion. You want to be careful with the roots but the pot that the Home Depot succulents come in are too deep for the salmon tin cans so some will have to go.

Plant these gently into their new pots by lightly pressing them down into the tin cans. Then just water them in.

Voila! A stunning way to upcycle those tin cans while providing a stunning way to display some beautiful succulents.

#2 Positive Pencil Holders

For this next super simple DIY you’re going to want to remove all of the labels from three 19oz. sized cans. We’re going in with one of my printables. Again, you can find these three printables at the at Jenny’s Place Library by subscribing above.

Print them out onto regular printing paper and then cut that down with a paper trimmer. Each of these beautiful printables have been made to fit perfectly around the larger sized can but you can trim these down to fit several sized cans. Or use them for something else. These would look beautiful even just framed.

At the back of each of the tin cans there’s a line down the middle. You want to line the paper up with that line and then tape it down with a little bit of Scotch tape. Next, use some roll on double-sided tape along the edges of both sides of the paper and along the bottom. This is because in these larger tin cans they’re not completely smooth and so the only place that’s really going to adhere properly is along those edges.

Roll the paper around the outside of the tin so that it perfectly lines up both top and bottom. Make sure that the message is centred in the front of the tin can. To keep things simple, just tape the ends at the back down with a little bit of clear masking tape. Or if you prefer you could use a little Mod Podge or glue.

I love how easy these pencil holders were to make and I especially love their beautiful sayings.

#3 Ol’ Rusty Tin Can DIY

For this next DIY you’re going to need three of the 19oz. sized tin cans. Goo Gone any stuck on adhesive, if needed.

Now you’re going to give each of these tin cans a quick spray with some Rustoleum copper metal faux metal spray paint. Let dry.

You’re also going to want:

• Some navy blue chalk paint. I’m just used FolkArt chalk paint in Nautical.
• A lighter blue paint. I’m went with Craftsmart chalk paint in Blue Dusk.

Using a stencilling brush pounce some of that navy blue chalk paint onto the copper tin can. And then soften it a bit with the lighter coloured blue paint. There is no rhyme or reason to this. Just work in smaller patches and let the paint tell you where it wants to go.

Next, you’re going to want to go in with a little bit of Art Minds Metallic Copper chalk paint. Using a fan brush apply this sporadically all over the can. The chalk paint helps to blend the blue colours into the tin can.

Now, using an old paintbrush apply some Mod Podge to the outside side of your can. Again, do this randomly. We’re going to use the Mod Podge to adhere cinnamon to our tin cans. Sprinkle cinnamon over the Mod Podge and then lightly shake off any excess.

NOTE: If you’re going to be using this outdoors go in with a little bit of Outdoor Mod Podge.

Give the finished cans a couple coats of Rustoleum finishing spay. This step is especially important if you are going to be using these tin cans outside.

I just love the realistic appearance that cinnamon gives to any sort of object to make it look rusty.

#4 Summer Inspired Candles

For this next super simple tin can DIY we’re going to be using some tuna cans. I just used 3 of my Kirkland tuna cans after we had some for lunch. Rip the labels off of each of the three tin cans.

Now the printable for this DIY was sized to fit perfectly around a tuna tin can. So, all you need to do is cut them out using a scissors or paper cutter.

Next, you’re just going to want to tape each piece of paper to a tin can. Then using some double sided roll on tape just roll that onto the ends and the edge of the paper strip so that you can then adhere the paper to the can.

Now you could totally stop here but I tried something new. I decided to give everything a quick spray with some FolkArt sealing spray. Now the reason why this step is optional is that it does slightly change the look of the paper but I like the retro effect it provides.

NOTE: No where could find anything that says that this product is flammable but I also didn’t find anything that said it wasn’t flammable. So again, user beware.

Next, I melted some soy candle wax. And while the wax cooled to pouring temperature, I added add the wicks to each can.

PRO TIP: If you don’t have any candle wick holders instead use some attached wooden chopsticks. Just slide the wick in-between the prongs and let it rest on the candle holder.

Centre the wicks. Once the wax has cooled, slowly pour the wax into each of the tin cans. Pour slowly to avoid air bubbles. Set that aside and let it cool until the wax had hardened. Trim off the wick and there you go.

#5 Nautical Tin Can Vase

Remove the label from the tin can and use any of the Goo Gone if needed.

For this tin can DIY you’re going to need some twine rope and a hot glue gun. Attach the twine to the bottom part of your tin can with hot glue. Do this all the way around the bottom rim, adhering the twine right around. Once you have the first line of twine attached you no longer need to use more hot glue. Just make sure that when you’re wrapping the twine around you’re doing it tightly.

Keep wrapping it around until you reach the top rim of your tin can. Here, you’re going to want to go in again with a bit more hot glue.

Using some hot glue attach a single string of white rope around the bottom of the tin. And then hot glue 3 wooden beads to the bottom to act as feet.

Now, even though I don’t live anywhere near an ocean I love collecting beach glass. So, I actually have quite an extensive collection of natural beach glass that I’ve collected over the years. For this DIY we’re just going to use five basic white glass pieces and one darker green rounder shaped piece of glass.

Using hot glue adhere the beach glass in a flower shape to the front of the twine wrapped tin. I also added a couple of super tiny seashells to work as leaves. the front of the twine wrap tin can in order to form a flower with a couple of leaves.

For the finishing touch pop in a stem of faux greenery from Dollar Tree and there you have it! I think this is so adorable what do you think?

Jenny’s Finishing Thoughts On These Tin Can DIY Ideas

Can you believe it?! We’ve just turned what would otherwise be considered rubbish into fabulous home decor!

From old tin cans to shiny new treasures, these 5 DIY projects show that with a little bit of creativity, you can transform almost anything into something stylish and functional. Isn’t it amazing how something so simple and seemingly useless can be transformed into a beautiful piece of art with just a little creativity and elbow grease?

So, next time you’re about to toss out those tin cans, think again. They could be the next chic centrepiece for your dining table or the charming candle holder that everyone goes gaga over. The beauty of DIY is turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. So keep creating, keep crafting, and most importantly, keep having fun turning your trash into your treasure!

What is your favourite trash to turn into treasure? Leave your ideas in the comments below!

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