Making Concrete Art Pots

By Society & Culture & Entertainment Last updated Wednesday, April/24/2024

Creating the Mold

1). Choose the shape for your hypertufa container. Some people prefer box-shaped planters, while others like rounded or traditional pot shape. For a box-shaped container, use the cardboard boxes as a mold. For the rounded ones, use an inverted round pot as your mold. For the traditional pot shape, you will need to create a hole in damp sand to serve as the mold. You must have your mold chosen and prepared before you start mixing the concrete.
2). Place the PVC pipe in the center of the large box. Punch a hole through the box just large enough to insert the pipe in. When it is time to mold the bottom of the planter, pack the cement mixture in at the bottom of the box at a depth of 2 inches. This will form the bottom of the pot. Let the bottom dry for a few hours and then remove the pipe.
3). Cover the rounded pot with heavy duty plastic. The wrinkles caused by the plastic will be on the inside of the hypertufa pot, so don’t worry about making the plastic smooth. Form the concrete mix around the rounded pot beginning at the “bottom” of the pot and working your way around to the “top.”
4). Dig a hole in sand and insert a wastebasket into the hole. Dampen the sand and pack it around the exterior of the wastebasket. Twist the wastebasket and press downward and against the sides of the sand-hole. Twist a final time when the sand is packed to remove the waste basket.

1). Calculate the amount of concrete mix you will need. This depends on the size of the planter you are making. For a standard sized cardboard box of 18-by-12-by-9-inches, you will need 1.33 gallons of Portland cement (12 lbs.), 2 gallons of sifted peat moss, 2 gallons of perlite and 1 cup of reinforcing fibers. Adjust the amounts using a two parts cement to three parts peat and perlite ratio with a handful of reinforcing fibers.
2). Sift the peat moss to remove the sticks and large clumps, then discard them. Add the ingredients together and mix thoroughly using gloves.
3). Add water slowly. The mixture should be a malleable clay-like consistency. Squeeze a handful of the mixture; you should only get a few drops of water out.

1). Center the smaller box into the larger one. Pack the cement on all sides in between the boxes.
2). Level off the top edges when you get to the desired height. Cover with plastic and let the concrete cure.
3). Build up a 2-inch thick layer of concrete around the inverted pot beginning at the bottom of the mold. Cover with plastic and let the concrete cure.
4). Place the 1-inch diameter pipe into the center of the sand hole and pack a 2-inch layer of the concrete mixture in the bottom of the hole around the pipe. Insert the round foam mold into the hole and pack the concrete mix around the edges between the mold and the sand. Cover with plastic and let the concrete cure.

1). Leave the plastic covered molds in place for 36 hours. At the end of that time period, test the concrete by scratching it with your fingernail. If a scratch forms, the cement needs another day or two to cure. The humidity and temperature in your area play a big factor in curing time.
2). Remove the mold when you can no longer scratch the surface with your fingernail. Smooth the rough edges with a stiff wire brush, but don’t brush too hard. Set the pot in a shady area for three weeks and allow the curing process to finish.
3). Change cement coloring in the mixing stage by adding a tube of liquid cement colors to the mix. Change the coloring after the curing stage by painting the exterior surface with masonry coating.
4). Add exterior design during the curing stage by wrapping a few vines with leaves around the pot and gently pressing the leaves and vine into the cement. You may also choose to add sea shells or sea glass to the exterior of the pot before the curing step.

1). Block any holes on the bottom and fill the pot with water. Portland cement has a high alkali content and can be harmful to plants.
2). Refill the pot every ten days or when it is empty. Ideally you should let the pot leach for a period of three months.
3). Move the cured, leached pot to the desired location and you are ready to begin planting.