Stone Tile Disappearing Water Wall

Let's make a calming, relaxing, and peaceful waterfall!

This water wall measures two feet high, allowing it to be placed in endless locations around your house. The water wall is quiet, but still is peaceful listening to the water run down. There are many different emitters you can come up with, and the water wall is completely customizable. The construction may seem difficult, but anyone without any tiling experience, including me, can still build this and make it look great, especially with the help of this Instructable.

As I mentioned earlier, this water wall is completely customizable. You could change the size, the tile, the emitter, the base, the pump size, add lights, etc. I wanted something that I could put inside, portable, and relaxing. I used leftover tile from our shower remodel, and it turned out great. You could also use larger river rocks for the wall and have a different base. The emitter could be a drip emitter like I have, where the water goes down the wall, or you could have a spicket where the water pours down from. Whatever you decide, it will look amazing in the end!

- Tile

- River Rocks

- Plastic Tub

- Fake Moss

- Pump

- Hose

- 2x4x8 Wood Board

- 1x2x8 Wood Board

- Plywood

- Cement Board - 1/4"

- Thin-Set Tile Mortar (Look for a Broken Bag - Save Money!)

- Grout (Look for Broken Bag - Save Money!)

- Calk (Same color as Grout)

- Screws

- Hot Glue

Tools

- Drill

- Saw

- Router

- Bucket

- Mortar Trowel

- Grout Float

- Sponge

- Hot Glue Gun

- Clamps

- Utility Knife

First, you need to figure out what size base you want. For my base, I used the largest size plastic storage container I could find at a local grocery store. This ended up being around 17x11. After you figure out how the base is going to be, you need to figure out how tall you want your water wall to be. I chose 2', to keep it easy and simple. If you want your water wall dimensions different than mine, you'll have to design your frame. If you want to follow along, use the dimensions in the next step to build your wall.

After you figure out how tall and wide your wall is going to be, you need to find a pump that is right for your wall. Pumps are measured by their GPH rating, as well as their lift height. BE CAREFUL: Sometimes the maximum lift height is the highest the pump can vertically lift (with no water coming out at the max height), not how high the pump can vertically lift and still have water coming out (at or about the flow rate). Make sure you get a pump strong enough to pump the water up the wall and have enough water coming down the wall. You want to make sure that the lift height is at least 1/4 more than how tall your wall is. Also, be sure to pay attention to the outer diameter(O.D) of the pump outlet, not the inner diameter(I.D).

The last planning step involves the tile. If you use pebble rocks, layout the ones with flat edges for the border. If not, layout your pattern of the tile. After that, take a piece of your tile, assuming they are all the same depth, and measures the depth of it. Using the equation below, calculate the depth of your tile wall. This will be needed to construct your wall in the next step.

Equation: Depth of cement board (.25") + Depth of mortar + Depth of tile - Wall overhang (.25" - .5") = Router Bit Depth

Let's get building!

There are two main parts of the frame: the wall and the base. First, you are going to construct the wall of the fountain, then the base.

The base consists of two vertical posts, and a bottom brace to tie the two together. This will also be part of the base. First, cut two 22.5" pieces of 2x4 wood. Then, cut two 17.5" pieces, one for the wall, one for the base. Lastly, cut two 11" pieces for the base. Now it's time to get out the router if you have one. Set the router bit depth to the amount you calculated in the last step. With the router, make an indented section of the wall bottom 2x4 on each edge. The indentation should be 3.5" wide (the width of a 2x4), 2.5" tall, and the router bit deep. This will allow the wall to be lined up and overhanging the plastic tub by the perfect amount. In the middle of the routered piece, drill a hole big enough to fit a tube.

Don't have a router? You can use a jigsaw to cut the same shape out. If your water wall is small, you could use a smaller board for the bottom piece, such as a 1x4. Just make sure it will support the weight from the tiled wall.

Now that the boards are cut, assemble them! The two-wall support pieces connect to the routered wall bottom and the two base sides. Three screws on each side should be strong enough. Make sure to pre-drill these holes to prevent splitting the wood. Then, connect the last base piece to the other two.

Get out the cement board! Using the measurement of your wall and a straightedge, draw out the cut lines on the cement board. Using a saw, cut out the back wall frame. Then, cut out a slit for the emitter tube, about 4" in on each side. Make this about 1/2" tall. The emitter opening needs to be smaller than the width of the tub. Screw the wall panel to the wall frame using cement board screws. Make sure you use plenty of them, this part is going to be the heaviest of the whole project.

The last step is to build a bottom to hold the tub. Measure the inside of the frame and cut out the bottom using plywood. Now, cut the 1x2 into four pieces, each about three inches tall. Screw these four pieces into each corner and then screw the base into the four pieces.

This part may seem hard, but it's not as hard as you may think. The hardest part is mixing the mortar to the correct consistency. The best way to get it right is to practice. When mixing the mortar, add little bits of water at a time, you do not want to add too much water. In between adding water, mix it for about 30 seconds. A good check is if you can grab a softball-sized ball of the mortar break it in half, and it stays in its form, it is a good consistency, I tested the mortar on a different piece of cement board first and practiced putting the tiles on. I waited for it to dry to make sure it stuck well. I also used that practice time to find out how much mortar I need to make.

To practice, mix the mortar using about a cup of dry mix. Mix it to the right consistency. After mixing it, take the notched side of the trowel and smooth the mortar out at a 45-degree angle. Make sure to use the notches recommended by the mortar company. The notches should be scraping on the cement board. If not, keep going. Then, place your tiles on the mortar, pressing them down till as far as they will go. Make sure to keep all of them at the same height. Also, make sure that no mortar is touching the top 1/4 of the tile. This will make sure there is enough room to grout. After you place all the tiles, scrape off the mortar on the edges for a nice, clean look. Ta-da! You have tiled your wall!

After you have waited a minimum of 24 hours for the mortar to dry, it's time to grout! Grout is just like mortar, hard to mix. The consistency of grout is different than mortar. Grout has a creamy peanut butter consistency. If you wipe it on the side of your mixing bucket, it should stay there, not slip or droop down fast. Again, I strongly recommend you practice on the tiles that you practiced the grout on. To apply grout, you cover the entire surface with the grout. This makes sure that any holes in the tile (if porous) are filled and every crack and hole is filled. Using a grout float, wipe the grout across the tiles at a 45-degree angle. Use a sponge to get the access grout off. Wait about 15-20 minutes when the grout starts to dry and use a wet sponge to wipe off the grout from the tiles. Scrape the edges off for a clean look. Once the grout has completely dried, use the color matching grout calk to calk around the edges of the wall. Ta-da! You finished the wall!

You are almost done! Now it's time to cut the lid and tub, add the pump and tube, add some decorations, and plug it in!

To create the disappearing effect, you need to cut slits in the tub cover to allow water to drain through. Don't make them too big or the rocks will fall through. Cut a few in the front and a few in the back. Stagger them to keep the lid as strong as it can be. Cut a slit in the top of the tub to allow the tube and the pump cord through. Measure the appropriate amount of tube and cut it. Starting four inches in from the end, measure and mark the length of the emitter opening in the wall. In a straight line, drill small holes spaced evenly apart.

Attach the tube to the pump, run the tube and cord through the slit in the tub, run the tube through the hole in the base, and run the tube up the back. Hot glue the plastic tub to the bottom. Make sure the tub is pushed all the way back to the wall. Then hot glue between the bottom of the tile and the top of the tub lid. This will keep water from leaking. Hot glue the tube in the emitter opening with the holes facing down. Take the last four inches of the tube, inject hot glue into it, bend the end back, and zip tie it back. You could also use duct tape.

It's time to decorate! Measure out the amount of fake moss you need. Add an inch to the length and add an inch or two to the width. Make sure that the fake moss can cover the edges of the tub top by 1/2". Hot glue it on the sides, but not on the top. Then, hot glue more fake moss on the wall sides. Before putting the rocks on, make sure to wash them to get all the mud off. Put the rocks on top of the lid and on top of the fake moss to hold it down. Add water to the tub and plug the pump in! Ta-da! You are done!

Congratulations and enjoy your new Water Wall!!!