How To Paint a Stock Tank Pool

When I was a kid, my favorite way to spend a sunny summer day was in the water. Running through the sprinklers, a kiddies pool, the water park- anything to cool off and have fun! Turns out, that’s still what I want to do! And how I want to spend summer with my son! But instead of a kiddie pool, how about an actual metal pool that I can re-use year after year?

At the beginning of the summer, I spotted my first stock tank pool online and fell in love. A stock tank is a metal round (or oval) trough for drinking water for livestock. For years, they’ve been used for backyard swimming pools (sometimes they’re called “red neck hot tubs”). Lately, they’ve become popular since they can be customized to match a house and really add to a backyard while still being affordable.

After getting my family on board with this project, we drove to our local farming supply store to find our new pool! Note, you can check inventory online for CAL Ranch and Tractor Supply if you have those in your area (they both carry stock tank pools). Of course, when I got it home, I couldn’t wait to make it mine (instead of galvanized) Here’s how I did that and how to paint a stock pool!

how to paint a stock tank pool

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. P.s. I’m trying to build that page up, so if you’d subscribe, I’d really appreciate that!

SUPPLIES

• 6′ Stock Tank Pool (I got mine from a farming supply store for $250)
• 4 bottles- Bulls Eye 1-2-3- Turbo Spray Primer
• 6 bottles- Champagne Pink Pearl Metallic Spray Paint
• Safety Glasses
• Plastic Gloves
• Painter’s Tape
• Dusk Mask

step 1

Start by doing some prep. Put out some drop cloths either outside or in a well ventilated area. 

Take off the sticker that came on the stock tank. 

For my pool, I used the Bulls Eye 1-2-3- Turbo Spray Primer. It’s a BIG bottle- 26 oz. and is designed for big projects. The priming was SO fast and I think that’s because of the large bottle.

For this primer, make sure to shake the can well for 60 seconds before spraying. Before painting, make sure to put on goggles, plastic gloves, and a face mask. Honestly, I felt like I was going a big overkill by using all of these safety measures, but I was grateful I did. My hands didn’t have any paint on them and I felt safe. 

To prime the pool, hold the can upright 18-24″ from surface and spray in a steady back-and-forth motion. Make sure to always move the can and slightly overlap each stroke while painting. My pool took 2 coats and 4 cans of paint for full coverage.

Note- I only painted the sides. I wouldn’t recommend painting the inside as the sitting water will probably cause it to peel off.

step 2

Next, it’s time to tape the pool for the stripes. I let the primer dry overnight and then taped on stripes. I used small pieces of painter’s tape as spacers and then taped on full pieces of tape from one space to the second to keep them straight. See the video to see exactly how I did it. Press down firmly on the tape to seal it and prevent bleeds. Note, bigger stripes would take less time, but I love the cabana stripe look I got with this!

I started and stopped at the drain. I figure, that’s the back of the pool so if the stripes were off (which they were), you’d rarely notice.

It took me one hour to tape stripes all the way around the stock tank pool.

step 3

What I should’ve done next (and what I 100% recommend)- is to paint on one coat of primer. This will greatly help with bleeds!

And now, it’s time to add the pink (or whatever color you selected)! I sprayed on three thin coats of the Champagne Pink Pearl Metallic Spray Paint. It took me 6 bottles for full coverage. I LOVE that this paint is a little sparkly! It’s so pretty! 

While the paint is wet, remove the tape to reveal the beautiful stripes!

step 4

Finally, if you’re like me and you got a few bleeds, fixing it is really easy! All you have to do is spray a paper plate with the white primer. Then, just use a paint brush for touch ups! The paint dries fairly quickly, so you’ll want to fix any bleeds as fast as you can.

after

There she is! I loooooove how she came out! I paired a swan floatie to lounge in- best decision ever!

Right now the pool has water in it, but I’m planning on adding a pump to keep it clean and some chlorine. Plus a cover. Little by little, I’ll get it done! I’ll share how to do those when they are complete!

In prepping our patio, for entertaining, we’ve laid a concrete pad, and have been painting and updating the siding in our back yard. I’ll do a full post with the progress, because it’s come a long way! Here’s a small glimpse at where it was a few days ago-

Look how much better the shed is looking now!!!

The house still needs some painting- it’s currently half gray and half white. When we bought the house it was a few different colors with different siding. It’s taking time, but we’re slowly switching the siding over to be uniform and painting everything white. Since it was always a few colors, I’m fine that this is a process.

The stock tank pool is right off the new pergola. I LOOOOVE it! I’ll do a full post about it this week, but isn’t it pretty! 

Here’s how this portion of our yard looked a few weeks ago-

Note, those are weeds, not grass- lol!

It’s looking SO much better now! I’m still deciding if I should paint or stain the pergola (the wood is currently unfinished so I need to protect it before winter). What do you think? I also have a DIY basket chandelier to add that I think will be SO cute!

Fewf- that was a LOT of work all in one post. I’m pretty obsessed with the stock tank pool. Do you love it too? I’d love to hear in the comments!

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