DIY Concrete Bowls
You guys! This was such a fun little project to work on. Having been stuck at home for 14 weeks already because of maternity leave and then Covid-19 I have been SO restless. Thank goodness I stumbled upon Sarah’s Joinery and Design Co’s DIY Highlight of making these amazing Concrete Bowls because it gave me something new to do before I head back to work in a couple weeks.
Something I LOVE about this DIY is that it is so cost effective. Compared to what people sell them for online, I will never buy one at a store when I know I can make it quick easy from my home. I didn’t even get halfway through the bag of concrete and I already have made 9 succulent pots and one large concrete planter pot. So it’s definitely worth it!
Here are the supplies I used:
- Concrete Mix ($6.97 for a more rugged look) or Mortar Mix (around $15+ which will give you a more smooth look)
- Shovel & Home Depot Bucket ($3.48) for mixing
- Molds – (I used Small Tupperware ($2.46) & Big Tupperware ($5.47) from Walmart with plastic cups and plastic planter pots ($3) from Home Depot)
- Oil (I recommend Coconut Oil)
When doing this project I decided to go with the cheapest concrete mix I could find which ended up also being an instant concrete mix to speed up the drying time. (If you want a smoother finish on your bowls, I would recommend going for a mortar mixture or something with less rocks in it such as counter-top mix.)
I mixed it with water until it formed a texture as shown below. I didn’t want it too runny or else it would crack and then if I didn’t put enough water in it, then it wouldn’t stick or would dry up too quickly.
Next I chose some molds that I wanted to use and figured out which containers I would use together to create a shape that would work best for me. Once I decided on a shape and which container I would use as the top insert container, I filled that container with rocks to add some weight to keep it inside the concrete mixture without rising to the top or moving around.
In case the rocks made the container too heavy, I used nails to keep the container at a certain height inside the concrete mixture so that it wouldn’t sink down to the bottom. *See picture below*
Before pouring in the concrete mixture, be sure to oil down the inside of your bottom container and the outside of your top container. When I made my first couple sets of bowls I used vegetable oil, which worked really well. However I noticed later that the smell of vegetable oil stayed on the bowls and I wasn’t too thrilled with the smell. For my third set I used Coconut Oil and it was WAY better. So I definitely recommend trying it out with coconut oil in liquid form.
*If you do not oil the molds, the concrete will stick and you will not be able to reuse your molds.*
Once you’ve poured in the concrete and centered your top containers now it’s time to sit and wait! Since I got the fast setting concrete mix it only took 16 hours overnight (or 9 hours in direct sunlight) before I removed the molds to let it finish drying. NOTE: It is normal for the concrete bowls to be a little wet when removed from the molds.
To remove bigger molds, such as the blue planter pot in this picture, I turned the pot upside down and tapped around the base and edges until it popped right out.
Once your bowls start to look dry, go ahead and sand the top edges to make them smooth.
I made the mistake of sanding my big concrete pot planter bowl before it was fully dry on top and I took a big chunk out of the side. So be careful to not be over-eager like I was.
Once you’ve sanded them down you are ready to do as you please! Use them as succulents planters, jewelry containers, decorative bowls, or turn them into a candle. Let your imagination go wild!
If you’ve tried out this DIY, tag us @ourfamilymaison in your social media posts or comment below on your experience! We’d love to see your creations.
