How to Make a Concrete Planter

In this Instructables, I am going to show you how to make a very beautiful concrete planter in which you can plant any type of greenery, vegetables, fruits, flowers, decorative grass, cacti, etc. This planter is very easy to make and it has a very reasonable size. It only requires a bag of cement, a bag of fine construction aggregate and a handful of sand. Keep in mind that this planter is very heavy so have someone be nearby you at all times if you need any help. Let`s move on with the build.

Raw Material:

1:Laminated Melamine Boards:

Small Box:

Bottom: 49cm x 22.5cm

2x Long Side: 49cm x 19cm

2x Short Side: 19.5cm x 19.5cm

Big Box:

Bottom: 61cm x 33.5cm

2x Long Side: 61cm x 30.5cm

2x Short Side: 30.5cm x 30.5cm

1x long wood piece: 63cm

2:Styrofoam Block;

43cm x 30.5cm x 5.5cm

3:Wood Screws(Philips Head):

3 dozen 4cm wood screws

3 dozen 2cm wood screws

4:Right Angle Brackets:

12 pieces

5:Concrete:

1 Bag of Cement

1 Bag of Fine Construction Aggregate

Handful of Sand

Tools:

1:Drill

2:Cutter

3:Shovel

4:Measuring Tape

5:Scotch Tape

Small Box:

Take the following pieces and lay them on the floor as shown in the picture:

Bottom: 49cm x 22.5cm
2x Long Side: 49cm x 19cm

2x Short Side: 19.5cm x 19.5cm

Now, make a box out of these pieces using angle brackets and 2cm screws from the inside. Make sure the box is squared. We used angled brackets so that we can easily release the mold from the inside.

Seal the edges of the box using scotch tape.

Inside Mold:

Now take the small box and the biggest board (Bottom: 61cm x 33.5cm) and lay them on the floor as shown in the picture. Lay the small box on the board and measure all sides so that they are equal. Mark the outline using a marker or a pen. Now flip it upside down and make sure the small box is aligned at the center. Secure the small box to the board using 4cm screws. Seal the edges using scotch tape.

Big Box:

Take the following pieces and lay them on the floor as shown in the picture:

2x Long Side: 61cm x 30.5cm
2x Short Side: 30.5cm x 30.5cm

Make a box out of them as shown in the picture using 4cm screws. Seal the edges of the box using some scotch tape.

Mold:

Take the big box and the inside mold and lay them on the floor as shown in the picture. Put the inside mold upside down on top of the big box. Make sure to align all the edges and then secure them both with 4cm screws. Seal the edges using scotch tape.

Feet Spacer:

Take the long piece of wood and Styrofoam block and lay them on the floor as shown in the picture. Screw the Styrofoam block to the wood piece using 4cm screws in such a way that when you place the assembly on top of the mold there is equal space on both sides as shown in the picture. Secure the Styrofoam to the wood using scotch tape.

Your mold is now ready.

To make the concrete for this project you need 1 bag of cement, 1 bag of fine construction aggregate and handful of sand. The ratio of cement to fine construction aggregate is 1:1 meaning 1 part cement and 1 part fine construction aggregate.

Mix 1 bag of cement, 1 bag of fine construction aggregate and handful of sand together with enough water that it forms a flowing paste texture. That is it for the concrete.

Let`s move on to the next step.

Place the mold in a uptight position as shown in the picture. Now pour the concrete into the mold using a shovel in such a manner that the concrete reaches all the corners and there are mostly no air bubbles.

Keep pouring concrete until there is approximately a 5.5cm gap at the top. Take your Styrofoam block and secure it to the top of the mold using screws as shown in the picture. Fill the remaining area with concrete till the top.

Lightly tap all sides with a hammer to get rid of most of the bubbles.

Now wait for your concrete to set and dry. It may take one or two days depending on weather conditions .

Now comes the fun part. It is time to release the mold. Firstly, take of the long piece of wood, then take out the Styrofoam. Don`t worry you can break it.

Now carefully flip the mold upside down as it is very heavy and take off all the screws on the top. the top part should slide open.

Remove all the brackets from inside the small box and take out all the panels.

Next, remove all the screws on the outside and the panels will slide off without a lot of effort.

Be sure to cut the tape we used to seal the mold.

In this step we will add finishing touches to our planter. if you have to do any sanding or filling do it in this step. Since I am happy with the look of my planter, I am not going to do any thing to it.

The final thing you need to do is to fill the planter with water and leave it for a day so that the concrete hardens properly.

Your planter is now ready. You can plant anything in it now.

I chose to plant a West Indian Lantana.

Thank you for viewing my instructable.