DIY Concrete Planters

DIY Concrete Planters

How to make DIY concrete planters in geometric shapes using a cardboard mold. Includes a free template!

Hey, Brent here! Today I am sharing these geometric concrete planters I made this past weekend using cardboard molds. You may have noticed things were a little slow around the blog last week. That is because Courtney and I spent the past week in San Francisco! We had a great time exploring the city.

Unfortunately, Courtney caught a cold on the way back home so while she was resting this weekend I took it upon myself to start a new project that was inexpensive and quick to put together (if you don’t count waiting for the concrete to dry).

I had fun experimenting and making these DIY concrete planters to display around the house.

How To Make DIY Concrete Planters

FREE TEMPLATE

STEPS

1. The first thing I did was measure and trace seven triangles on cardboard and then cut out each individual cardboard triangle with the box cutter. At the end of this post I have included a PDF of the pattern I created for our geometric concrete planters to download if you are interested in making your own.

I cut out seven triangles of equal size and then arranged them into the pattern above.

2.

Next, I taped the inside seams of the triangles together.

3.

Once the box was taped on the inside and assembled into the three dimensional form, I added tape to the outside to strengthen the mold.

4.

To create the inside mold, I cut out two more triangles and three squares.

5.

I assembled these pieces and covered all the seams in tape to create the three dimensional form.

6.

7. First, I prepped my materials which included the bucket, water and the concrete mix. I made sure to have twice as much water than needed on hand.

8. Then I poured the water into the bucket and mixed in the concrete mix with the mixer attached to a drill. I continue to add the dry concrete mix into the bucket until the mixture was thick and evenly mixed with the water. To test for the right consistency, I dug a little hole in the mixture. When the mixture didn’t fill in the gap, I knew it was ready to use.

9. Once the concrete mixture was ready, I filled the bottom of the outer mold. Then I placed the inner mold into the outer mold. The inner mold acts as a plug and creates the hole in the planter for the plant.

10. When you mix concrete it traps air bubbles inside of it so after I poured the concrete into the mold I used an electric sander to vibrate the concrete forcing the air bubbles out which gave me a smooth finish.

11. I let the concrete sit in the mold for several hours and then I removed it from the cardboard. I found that depending how long you leave the concrete in the mold, you get different textures on the concrete which I like because it makes each planter unique.

12. You can see the difference in the photo above. For the planter on the left I let the concrete dry in the mold for approximately 18 hours which gave me a smoother texture. The planter on the right was the first one I made and I only let it dry in the mold for around 3 hours which gave me a rough cinderblock like texture.

I planted succulents in them and placed them on the nightstand in our bedroom. These were so easy, inexpensive and fun to make that I am sure I will be making many more to add throughout the house.

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Original article and pictures take studiograyhouse.com site