Concrete planters are all over Instagram and in boutique homeware stores. Today we’re going to show how easy it is to make these yourself at home.
Add a burst of colour to your desk or kitchen window with a DIY concrete planter!
Related article: How to grow succulents
Related article: Kmart hack: DIY concrete side table
Items you will need:
- One cup cement
- Once cup sand
- Quarter cup water
- Bucket and stirrer
- Large and a small plastic bottles/containers (try a range of shapes and sizes to see what you like best)
- Paint to decorate (we used Haymes Evan’s Delight and Gold Dabs)
- Paint brush
- Succulent clippings
Steps:
1. Mix up the concrete using one cup cement, one cup sand and quarter cup water. Stir until you have a smooth consistency (like cake batter).
2. Pour the concrete into the larger plastic mould (we used an old yoghurt container) and then tap the bottom of the container onto a hard surface until no more bubbles appear on the surface.
3. Press the smaller plastic container into the concrete but not all the way to the bottom (we like to place it off centre to add interest). You may need to weigh the smaller container down with some pebbles to stop it rising out of the concrete.
4. Wait 24 hours for the concrete to set. This is important! We got impatient and tried to take the moulds out early and they crumbled.
5. Once the concrete has set hard, carefully tap it out of the mould.
6. You can lightly sand or brush (with a dry paint brush) the pots to gently remove any imperfections.
7. Paint or decorate the pot and then fill the hole with soil and plant your favourite succulent clipping.
It’s that easy! We’d love to see photos of your concrete planters. Tag @stylecuratorau when you post them online.
PS – you may like to also check out this article about how to grow succulents!
Could you drill drain hole in bottom?
Hi Polly, rather than drilling a hole into the dried planter, I would suggest using a straw or another cylindrical object to set into the wet concrete. This way, you’ll create a hole without having the concern of potentially cracking the planter… if you use the right drill bit and the concrete is thick enough and cured well, you could drill a hole but there’s always the risk of cracking so I would try setting the hole into the design 🙂
I did a few and the bases of the pots were quite sandy – and no matter how much I brushed them sand just kept on coming out of the base of the pot. Like they were a little weak or something. – do you have any advice? I used a bag of quick dry sand/cement premix
Hi Amanda
It sounds like your concrete mix might need a little tweaking. We would try again but use more cement and less sand in the mix, and allow the pot to fully dry before removing it from the mould (we say wait 24 hours but if you live in a cooler climate, you may need to wait up to 72 hours). Hope these tips help!
oh my! I was planning to buy these as i thought they looked so cool! I can’t wait to try this out and get all super creative!!
They’re so easy and fun to make! We’re thinking of trying some rectangular ones too 🙂
Very cool planters! So much room to add your own creativity to match your home.
Hi Julia, YAY so glad you like them 🙂
These are so cool and looks easy enough, thanks! I might even try this for a concrete pendant light?
Great idea Sarah! You could use old plastic bottles upside down to create the pendants. Let us know how it goes!