31 Crafts For Recycled Coffee Cans

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Crafts For Recycled Coffee Cans

Recycled coffee cans and crafts are a fun way to serve many purposes for your home. They can be decorated and used for many things such as storing craft supplies, planters, silverware containers, or use them in the bathroom.  Create and have fun re-purposing coffee cans into new decorations for your home.

Crafts For Recycled Coffee Cans

hooray for coffee.  It’s the first thing I go to in the morning and most of the time the last thing I have in my hand at the end of the day.  I drink decaf so thats not so bad, right? What kind of coffee drinker are you? The empty cans are just too good to toss out.  They are big enough for storing lots of things and have a nice sturdy lid, not to mention they make some of the cutest crafts. No?

Here are a few Q&A’s to help you get started with your re-purposing project(s).  Get creative with your coffee cans and make something new for your home.

How Do You Treat Tin Cans For Oxidation

  • To remove oxidation, use a wire bristle brush or medium grit sandpaper.  
  • Wash with soap and water
  • Rub down with a cloth and vinegar to neutralizer it.
  • Lightly sand the tin cans, this will help the paint adhere to the cans. Use fine grit sandpaper or steel wool. Wash off afterwards. 
  • To prevent oxidation apply a metal primer. I’ve listed below paints that have a primer in them.

How Do You Paint Coffee Cans

Tin Cans

After you have sanded and treated the cans for oxidation, they can easily be painted using acrylic paint or one of the paints below.  Cover your working area with newspapers before you begin. Using a soft bristle brush, give your cans at least two coats of paint. Make sure each coat is completely dry before giving it another coat. 

To cure it after all the paint has dried, place tin cans (not plastic cans) in cold oven. Set at 350 for 30 minutes. Let the oven and the tin cans warm at the same time. Turn oven off when 30 minutes is up, leave the tin can in the oven until the oven has cooled off. Let tin can sit for 72 hours to allow paint to cure completely, before you decorate it or use it.

You can add pretty labels after you have painted and decorated your cans.

Note:  If you are going to cover your can with craft paper, you don’t need to paint the cans beforehand.

Plastic Cans

Make sure you cans are nice and clean, and dry.  Fill your cans with wadded up newspapers. Turn them upside down and paint or spray paint them.  Leave the newspapers in, this helps absorb the smell of the paint. Leave them to cure for 4-5 days or the paint can come off. 

Note:  If you are going to cover your can with craft paper you don’t need to paint the cans beforehand. 

Afterwards, you can decorate it with an adhesive label.

How To Remove Sticky Labels 

You probably won’t need to do this for coffee cans, but you may have other containers with labels. Try using equal parts coconut oil and baking soda. I hear it works good! Let me know in the comments if you try it and if you make any of the coffee can crafts.

Coffee Can Re-purpose (& How to Paint Plastic!) // The Navage Patch

How to Recycle a Coffee Can Into a Planter Bucket // Hometalk

Teacher Appreciation Gift //  Love of Family and Home 

Coffee Can Playhouse

Up-cycled Coffee Container Birdhouse // Green Crafts and Country Living

Can Vases // Rachel Ray Magazine

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Wrap It Up // BHG

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Flower Arrangement // BHG

Hanging Can Storage // Country Home

Tiered Vintage Can Stand

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Snowman Hat // Stars’n’Sparkles Bloom’n’Bling

DIY Ombre Vases (from coffee cans) // Almost Makes Perfect

DIY Herb Pot // Fun Family Crafts

DIY Coffee Can Plunger Holder // Recycling Blog

Piggy Bank Coffee Can // Lil Luna

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 Crafty Canisters with FREE Labels // Heart Of Wisdom

6 Tier Wine Rack // BritCo

Canister Coffee Cans // Pinning

Headband Organizer // The Organized Wife

Mail Organizers // Craft and Repeat

Coffee Can Drums // Kids Activities Blog

Homemade Ice Cream // Secret Universe

Canisters // Make and Do

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 Cheap Organization with Krylon and Coffee Cans  // Kelli’s Kitchen

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Holiday Coffee Containers // CraftBits

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Coffee Can Organizer Tutorial  // Made with Moxie

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Coffee Can Wrapped In Twine or Yarn // Family Crafts


Lunch Cans // Sweet Paul Magazine

Recycled Coffee Cans // The Bohemian House

Food Storage Cans // Make and Do

DIY Coffee Can Pet Food Container // Pinterest

Colored Pencil Can // Fun Family Crafts

Coffee Can Drum // Fun Family Crafts

Coffee Can Scarecrow // Fun Family Crafts

Snowman Coffee Can // Pinterest

Compost // Thrifty Fun

Lantern Coffee Can // Pinterest



26 Comments

  1. I am all about recycling. Thanks for all the great ideas. I believe I'll create storage for the bulk screws, bolts, etc in the workshop.
  2. Ruth Pitts
    do you know where I can find the divider portions (stackable) that fit inside coffee cans?
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  10. Hi, I would love to get instructions on your coffee can organizer. I see you used a pattern to start it but whatever you can tell me would be awesome. Thanks!
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  15. I really make it a point to find new ideas and great recycling tips I can use everyday, and let me just say that I am so glad to find this site. I love what you did wit the cans as a towel holder in the bathroom, and it really got my attention. It's something I find new, and really creative. Making it a pencil holder kind of looks great and will definitely try the old cans we have back home out. Thanks for this post.
  16. Great ideas for cans! TFS New follower! And I invite you to visit and follow me at www.pjstreasures.blogspot.com xx Pam
  17. Great ideas. I like it. Have a great day, ~Melissa.
  18. Hey thanks for sharing the love. I really appreciate it! Love your great ideas for Coffee Cans! Now I'm going to have to see if my favourite coffee comes in a can so I can get organized! Melissa aka LostBumblebee
  19. I LOVE your website and all your crafty ideas. I for one LOVE to reuse and recycle things. One thing I do is use empty Folgers red plastic coffee cans to repot my plants. The red gives my indoor kitchen garden a nice pop of color. I've always wanted to use the metal kind but I do LOVE all the ways you've created with them and thank you for sharing, I will be incorporating some of these and you have a new follower. Have a BEAUTIFUL day!! :)

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