How to make a pot of concrete with your own hands

What is important to know

About the manufacturing process

Flowerpots are fairly simple products. The main challenge is to give the concrete the desired shape. This is done using external and internal formwork, which are pre-lubricated with oil and inserted into each other. The remaining space between them is filled with concrete, which forms the walls and bottom of the flowerpot.

About formwork

Any available means can be used as forms. Most often, pairs are used from large and small buckets, basins or plastic flowerpots - this is the simplest option. The production of internal and external formwork from plywood, chipboard and extruded polystyrene foam will be a little more difficult. There is also a technique for impregnating fabrics with cement mortar. Old towels, sheets, and other materials with good absorbency are good for this.

To save money, wet sand is often used instead of internal formwork. And after the concrete hardens, it is simply removed.

The most troublesome, but opening up the greatest scope for creativity, is the pottery technique. Concrete is much easier to work with than clay. You will need a swivel table and a small piece of acrylic, plastic, or other sheet material to shape as desired.

About making concrete

To create a flowerpot, you will need a cement-sand mixture. You can buy it ready-made in a store or make it yourself by mixing 1 part of cement with 2-3 parts of sand sifted through a sieve.

Water is added gradually, while stirring the mixture until the consistency of thick sour cream. To form a pattern or other fine details, the solution can be thinned.

To cover the inside of the flowerpot, cement milk is used - cement diluted in water without adding sand. This liquid composition is applied with a brush.

About solidification time

Concrete gains full strength in 28 days. Initial hardening, when the formwork can already be removed, takes from 1 to 2–3 days, depending on the layer thickness and ambient temperature.

About reinforcement

Small flowerpots for indoor plants can be made simply from concrete. In larger and more massive structures, reinforcement made of metal mesh or wire is used to increase strength. In this case, the frame must be placed in the middle of the concrete layer.

How to make a pot of concrete and towels

One of the simplest options for a flowerpot. Without fiddling with formwork and complicated fixtures, you can get a pretty pretty product from literally nothing.

What is needed

• Cement;
• water;
• mixing container;
• plastic pot or bucket;
• plastic bag;
• old towel;
• marker;
• scissors;
• mixer;
• brush;
• dye.

How to do

Fold the towel in four and draw an arc with a marker, which will be the fourth part of the circle.

Cut off the excess along the line with scissors.

Unfold the fabric. If everything is done correctly, you will have an even circle.

Take a plastic pot, bucket, or other object that you want to shape your future flowerpot. Put the container in the bag so as not to stain with cement.

Cover the top with a towel so that the edges hang in the air.

Stir the cement and water in a clean container to a more or less liquid state.

Place a towel in the solution and soak well.

Hang the fabric over a pot or bucket and straighten the folds to shape.

Knead in a slightly thicker cement mixture. Apply it with a brush on a towel to make the future flowerpot stronger.

After a few hours, when the mass hardens, turn the product over and remove the protruding threads and pieces of concrete with scissors.

Remove the formwork pot from the inside. Paint the resulting concrete flowerpot if desired.

Nuances - in the video instructions:

How to make a pot of concrete using two buckets

Quite an easy way to get a regular concrete flowerpot. Plastic construction buckets are used as formwork. It is best to take in the form of a cone - it will be easier to pull them out later.

What is needed

• Cement-sand mixture;
• water;
• large and small buckets;
• two wooden slats;
• two mounting angles;
• aerosol silicone lubricant;
• stretch film;
• bricks or other cargo;
• mixing container;
• sanding paper;
• trowel (trowel);
• screwdriver;
• screws.

How to do

Using a screwdriver and mounting brackets, attach the two slats to the top of the small bucket. This will be needed in order to align them with a large one in one plane and get smooth walls.

Apply spray silicone or any other lubricant (motor oil, vegetable oil) to the inside of the large bucket and the outside of the small bucket. To facilitate disassembly, the latter can also be wrapped with stretch foil.

Prepare a cement-sand mortar. In consistency, it should resemble thick sour cream.

Pour some of the mixture into a large bucket and place a small one inside. The amount of solution should be such that the tops of the containers are on the same level.

Fill in the space between the pieces. To prevent the second bucket from floating up, put some kind of load like bricks in it.

Tap the bucket and shake it lightly so that the mixture fills all voids and there are no sinks in the product.

Cover the concrete with a foil while it hardens.

Disassemble the formwork after 1-3 days.

Sand the surface of the flowerpot with sandpaper.

If something remains unclear, watch the video:

How to make a flowerpot out of concrete and a plastic box

An interesting rectangular flowerpot, in which an old plastic box is used as a permanent formwork and frame. With a little creativity, concrete can easily be transformed into a realistic "wooden" box.

What is needed

• Cement-sand mixture;
• water;
• box;
• mixing container;
• rubber gloves;
• film;
• masking tape;
• dye;
• brush;
• trowel;
• rule;
• knife;
• funnel.

How to do

Make a mortar from a cement-sand mixture and water.

Using a knife, nippers or other method, punch a hole in the center of the bottom of the box.

Lay the film on the table and apply the mixture to the sides of the box. Spread and smooth it straight with your hands on both sides.

Use a funnel to add mortar to the holes in the corners of the drawer.

Spread the bottom of the drawer with a trowel or spatula.

After a couple of hours, when the cement dries a little, level the walls with a small layer of mortar using a trowel or spatula. To make even corners, use a rule, level, or block of wood as a template.

Draw vertical planks with a knife and outline the structure of the tree.

Apply a couple of narrow strips of masking tape around the bottom and top of the box. Spread some mortar over them to form the stapling rims and make them protrude from the surface of the flowerpot.

Cut and peel off the masking tape.

Paint the resulting product with paint for a more realistic look.

Full video tutorial below:

How to make a pot of concrete using egg trays

Another simple project with ready-made formwork literally out of rubbish. Despite the primitive approach, the result is an unusual flowerpot that will definitely attract attention.

What is needed

• Egg trays;
• glossy paper;
• plastic cups;
• cement;
• sand;
• water;
• film;
• Scotch;
• tubes;
• hot glue gun;
• scissors.

How to do

Cut all the pieces around the perimeter with scissors from the trays so that only full cells remain.

Connect the trays to each other and fix with hot melt glue.

After gluing several trays together, roll them into a cylinder and also fix the joint with glue.

Make the bottom of the formwork from the film and secure it by wrapping it with tape around the walls.

Roll a cylinder out of glossy paper, insert into the formwork and cover with wet sand.

Prepare a cement-sand mixture and spread it over the top of the inner sand formwork.

Fill the space between the walls with mortar. Insert several tubes into the center of the structure to make drainage holes.

In a day, when the concrete hardens, remove the formwork from the trays and take out the sand.

Prepare some solution and then pour it into four small plastic cups. When the concrete hardens, these parts will make supports.

Turn the flowerpot over, moisten it with water and, applying small dots of solution, glue the legs.

For more details, check out the video:

How to make a concrete flowerpot using a stool and styrofoam

A good option for those who want a thick-walled garden pot, but are not in the mood to waste time on wooden formwork. They are replaced here by a stool, four pieces of foam and plastic.

What is needed

• Cement-sand mixture;
• water;
• sand;
• plastic stool;
• Styrofoam;
• sheet plastic or acrylic;
• Scotch;
• motor oil or any other oil;
• gas-burner;
• pencil;
• knife;
• brush;
• ladle;
• funnel;
• silicone sealant;
• a tube.

How to do

Place a stool against a sheet of styrofoam and trace around the side.

Cut four of these pieces with a knife. They will serve as lateral parts of the outer formwork.

Attach the styrofoam to each side of the stool and secure with tape.

Gently heat the inner surfaces of the foam with a gas burner to create a rock-like relief.

Seal all joints of the styrofoam and stool with silicone sealant.

Cut the inner casing out of acrylic, plastic or other sheet material. Glue the parts together with tape, and then go through all the joints with sealant. The size of the inner formwork should be 3-5 cm less than the stool: the thickness of the walls of the future flowerpot will depend on this.

Lubricate the surfaces of the formwork that will come into contact with the concrete with motor oil, vegetable oil or any other oil. This will make disassembly easier.

Prepare a cement-sand mortar. Pour into the stool such a layer as thick as you want the bottom of the flowerpot.

Insert the inner formwork, fill it with sand and fill the space between the walls with the mixture. Tap the workpiece thoroughly so that the mass fills all the voids.

After two or three days, when the concrete has hardened, remove the sand and disassemble the inner formwork. Use a tube to make a drainage hole in the bottom.

Then remove the outer formwork. You should get something like this. If you are satisfied with its appearance, you can stop there.

Paint the flowerpot with a paintbrush if desired.

This master class will help you:

How to make a flexible round concrete flowerpot out of tubes

It is much easier to pour out such a cylindrical flowerpot than it seems. The main secret is in flexible formwork made of pipe and linoleum sections. At the same time, it is easy to change the dimensions to your own, simply by making the parts longer and increasing their number.

What is needed

• Tubes;
• linoleum;
• two even bars;
• thin rail;
• self-tapping screws with a press washer;
• plastic bottle;
• plastic flowerpot;
• saw;
• screwdriver;
• square;
• hot glue gun;
• motor oil or any other oil;
• putty knife
• scissors or knife.

How to do

Cut the pipe with a miter or any other saw into pieces that will match the height of the flowerpot. The quantity is chosen arbitrarily and depends on the desired diameter of the product.

Cut a strip of linoleum or other flexible and durable material. Its width should be equal to the height of the tubes, its length should be 20-30 cm more than the circumference of the flowerpot.

Secure two blocks or boards to the table by setting them perpendicular to each other using a square. This simple template will allow you to assemble the tubes perfectly evenly.

Attach several tubes to the blocks, separate with wooden strips 4-5 mm thick or something similar. Put the linoleum on top and fix it by screwing 2-3 screws into each workpiece.

Continue until the tubes run out and then roll the canvas into a cylinder. You should get this design.

Cut the bottom of a suitable plastic bottle and glue it with hot melt glue to an inverted flowerpot. Attach the latter to the base and go over the joint with silicone sealant. Be sure to spray all surfaces with oil to facilitate disassembly.

Install a flexible tube formwork on top of the resulting structure and fix the lower part with hot melt glue. Wrap the linoleum on top with several turns of tape so that it does not open from the weight of the concrete.

Prepare a cement-sand mortar and fill the formwork with it. Tap the walls so that there are no voids left.

After 1-3 days, disassemble the formwork, remove the inner insert from the flowerpot and bottle.

Use a trowel to remove any protruding concrete pieces and smooth the surface.

The whole process is in this master class:

How to make a pot of concrete using pottery technique

The most difficult, but at the same time the most skillful version of the flowerpot. It is made using a technique reminiscent of pottery. We'll have to tinker with a rotating table and a profile to shape the walls, but the result will justify all the hassle.

What is needed

• Cement;
• sand;
• water;
• steel wire;
• lubricant (motor oil or any other oil, hand cream).
• wooden bars or aluminum profiles;
• acrylic or plastic sheet;
• screwdriver;
• plastic spatula;
• rotating platform;
• scissors or saw;
• screws

How to do

The revolving platform can be built from the base of an office chair, or simply by securing a piece of plywood to the table, drilling it through the center and securing it with a bolt.

You also need to cut out two profiles made of acrylic or plastic sheet with scissors, a saw or other suitable tool. They will set the shape of the flowerpot. The smaller one is needed for the inner surface of the walls, the larger one for the outer one. These profiles must be firmly attached to the base at the level of the turntable. The stand itself can be made from wooden blocks or aluminum profiles, fastened with screws.

Sprinkle wet sand on the table and compact. It will serve as an internal formwork.

Scrolling the platform, cut off excess sand with a profile to give the formwork the correct shape. Add material and fill holes as needed to achieve a smooth finish.

Change the small profile to a larger one: it will set the shape of the outer walls of the flowerpot. Sprinkle the sand with water and smooth it thoroughly with a spatula or hand so that the inside of the product is flat.

Coat the platform around the perimeter of the formwork with any lubricant from engine oil to hand cream to help the concrete separate more easily.

Prepare a cement-sand mortar and cover the formwork with it. For the first layer, the mixture can be thinned to make it fit better.

Add a thicker mixture and gradually trim off excess with a profile, achieving a perfectly smooth surface.

Make two rings out of steel wire. Place one in the bottom of the flowerpot and the other at the top. This will make the structure more durable.

Spray the product with water and continue to rotate to shape. Add mortar to the pits to get a flat surface.

For the last layer, knead a thinner solution and cover the entire workpiece with it. This will make it perfectly smooth.

Use a tube or round stick to punch several holes in the bottom for drainage.

After a few days, when the concrete hardens, turn the flowerpot over and remove the sand from the inside. The product is ready.

Check out the video tutorial if you have any questions:

Mechanical engineer, well versed in engineering and technology. I have been using Mac and iPhone for over 10 years, I know everything about the ecosystem and Apple products. I not only write, but also know how and love to work with my hands. I worked as a car mechanic for 3 years, I only fix the car myself. I designed and built a house from scratch with my own hands, accumulating a lot of experience along the way. I love old school video games and comics, I play the guitar.

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