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How to Make a DIY Concrete Bowl Planter

concrete bowl planter filled with purple pansies

Learn how to make a simple and inexpensive decorative concrete bowl that can be used as a planter or for indoor decor. The rustic appearance goes well with farmhouse, minimalist, modern or boho decor. It also makes a great gift!

concrete bowl planter filled with purple pansies

I’m no stranger to concrete. Years ago, I made a large rectangular concrete planter that I used as an herb garden. This time, I decided to make a small concrete bowl.

I imagine filling this with moss and styling it on a coffee table or entryway. It would also look great empty on a bookshelf!

80 pound bag of Sakrete concrete mix

Let me first gush over how cheap this concrete bowl is to make! This 80 pound bag of concrete set me back only eight bucks!

plastic tub filled with concrete mix and a trowel

I made two versions of this project…the first was a “craft fail”, so you get to learn from my mistakes!

pouring water into a plastic tub filled with concrete mix

First, you’ll add water to the concrete. Be sure to wear a mask so you don’t breathe in the dust.

mixing together concrete mix and water

Then, mix the concrete until it’s the consistency of pancake batter. You can add less water if you a prefer a “chunkier” texture to your concrete.

greasing an aluminum bowl with canola oil

Grease the inside of the large aluminum bowl and the outside of the small bowl with vegetable oil.

setting a small aluminum bowl into a large aluminum bowl filled with mixed concrete

Fill the large bowl about 3/4 full with mixed concrete and put the small bowl on top.

a large rock inside an aluminum bowl to weight down a concrete bowl mold

Put a large rock in the top bowl to weight it down.

Wipe off the excess concrete with a paper towel.

two aluminum bowls being used to form a mold for a concrete bowl

Set aside to cure for 48-72 hours. The concrete bag said 24 hours, but when I removed the bowls from the first project after 24 hours…

concrete bowl with a large hole in the bottom and a broken side

This happened! I was so bummed out. Not only did part of the concrete break apart, but there was a large hole in the bottom.

glueing pennies together with hot glue

My husband had a great idea. He suggested that I elevate the bottom of the small bowl with pennies. So I hot glued three pennies together.

adding a dab of Gorilla Glue to the bottom of an aluminum bowl

Then I glued them to the bottom of the bowl with Gorilla Glue. You’ll need to wait another 24 hours for the pennies to fully bond to the bowl.

glueing pennies to the bottom of an aluminum bowl with Gorilla Glue

This step will allow enough concrete to get under the bowl so it will have a sturdy bottom (and no big hole!) Instead, it will create a small drainage hole.

putting mixed concrete into an aluminum bowl

This time I used less water when I mixed the concrete. The result is a “chunkier” concrete. If you like it smoother, use more water.

tapping an aluminum bowl mold with a hammer to release a concrete bowl planter

Now for the fun part, removing the aluminum bowls! I tapped them with a hammer all around.

removing an aluminum bowl mold from a diy concrete bowl planter

The bowls actually lifted out quite easily!

completed diy concrete bowl planter

Voila! I’m so happy the second try was a success!

concrete bowl planter filled with purple pansies

I couldn’t wait to fill my concrete bowl planter with spring pansies!

Now I’ve got a special treat for you! I’ve teamed up with six of my blogger friends for a spring gardening and outdoor blog hop! Next on the tour is my new friend Renae of Peacock Ridge Farm. You are going to love her outdoor pavilion! Be sure to check out all of the inspiring ideas below!

Until next time!

Rebecca

Earth Day Projects

Kippi at Home  // Zucchini Sisters  // Peacock Ridge Farm  // Cloches & Lavender

🌳 🌳 🌳 🌳 🌳 🌳

More Earth Day Projects

Darling & Dapper Life  // Olivia O’Hern  // Feet Under My Table 

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16 Comments

  1. Wow, Rebecca, that’s awesome, and I’m so glad you shared your oops. Your husband’s solution was brilliant! I’m always afraid of working with concrete, but you sure make it look easy!

  2. Rebecca, this is a project that has been on my list forever. You did a fantastic tutorial, and I happy to feature it at the Friday with Friends link party!

  3. I can hardly wait to try this! I love the look but have always been intimidated to work with concrete. You make it look easy. Thanks for sharing it at the Farmhouse Friday LP. We are featuring this tomorrow! Hope you link up again. Pinned

  4. This is such a cute and creative idea, Rebecca, and would make the perfect gift too. Thanks so much for making the instructions easy to follow. I can’t wait to try this technique! Loved and pinned, CoCo

  5. Such a great idea! And I can’t get over how affordable the supplies are. It looks like I’ll be adding a bag of concrete to my shopping list, since I’m definitely going to be trying this one for myself soon. And the 3 stacked pennies are a great way to create a drainage hole too, sheer genius!

  6. This is awesome! Great job. I have never tried anything like it before. You have inspired me.
    Blessings to you,

  7. Your concrete planter turned out perfect. I love your hubby’s ideas with the three pennies.
    Have a great weekend.
    Hugs,
    Kippi

  8. I LOVE this so much and your photos were fabulous because I am such a visual learner! I love your problem solving with the pennies…genius! I will have to give this a try!

  9. Your bowl turned out great, love the penny trick. I wouldn’t consider the first a fail at all, you could add a little extra in the bottom after the fact, no problem. Thanks for sharing!

  10. This turned out so cute and I love Violas! They make me so happy in spring. However today in NJ it’s freezing.

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