Vases made of cement (concrete) - non-standard manufacturing methods

Manufacturing options

Concrete mortar is a fairly plastic material, so there are a lot of ways to create products from it. You can make flowerpots in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Take a look at the photos below to see for yourself.

Decorate finished products to your taste

Decor option

Concrete vases in the interior

Decorative concrete vases

As noted earlier, a concrete vase can be used as a decorative addition to a modern interior. In recent years, styles such as loft, hi-tech, minimalism and industrial have gained great popularity.

The video in this article will tell you how to make a vase from concrete.

Often these interiors use concrete surfaces as accent walls, countertops and other furniture. Stylish concrete vases made of concrete will fit perfectly into such an interior, and living plants placed in them will look most natural.

Concrete decorative pots

At the preparatory stage you will need to stock up on:

A container in which the solution will be mixed;
Sand, cement, stones and water;
Knife, scissors and tape;
Plastic or glass bottle;
Cardboard box;
Test tube;
Spatula;
Drill.

Tools for making a concrete vase

Manufacturing process

You can make a stylish vase from concrete mortar as follows:

First, cut off the bottom of the bottle;	Trimming the bottom
A test tube or other object similar in shape is inserted into the hole in the lid, which must be pre-drilled. The lid is screwed on;	Drilling a hole in the lid
Instead of a test tube, you can use a pencil or a candle to form the inner container of the vase where the flowers will be placed;	The test tube is placed in the hole in the lid
The concrete solution is diluted to the consistency of thick sour cream;	Mixing concrete mixture
The plastic bottle is turned over from where the bottom was to the top and the resulting concrete solution is poured. If the bottle is made of glass, then the solution is poured in the usual way through the neck;	Pour the concrete mixture
Then a tube is inserted;	Insert the test tube
After the concrete has hardened (after 24 hours), use a sharp knife to cut off the plastic without damaging the outer layer of the vase;	Cut the plastic with a sharp knife Read also: Stretch ceiling in the corridor and hallway: types of structures, textures, shapes, lighting, color, design
To remove a vase from a glass bottle, you need to wrap it in cloth and carefully break the glass;	The glass bottle must be carefully broken to remove the finished product.
Then remove the test tube or other item used in the work.	Removing the tube (test tube)

Option one

Necessary materials:

ordinary or white cement, grade M 400;
sifted sand;
gravel from 3-7 mm;
pure water;
wire for wall reinforcement;
container for mixing the solution;
paint (optional);
polyethylene film;
grease, grease or special lubricant to separate the mold and the finished product;

Forms for pouring. You can choose absolutely any form for the solution; these can be plastic bottles, pots, buckets and even cardboard boxes, the corners of which are glued with tape to strengthen them.

Preparing the mixture

Take 2 parts cement, 3 parts sand and 3 parts gravel, then mix sand and cement, add gravel and mix well. To reduce the weight of the resulting product, part of the gravel can be replaced with fine expanded clay.
Gradually add water to the resulting mixture in small quantities and mix everything again. If you want to get the product in color, you should add a concrete pigment to the solution. The finished mixture should be homogeneous and thick.

Filling a flowerpot

For convenience, the surface of the inner mold and the outer mold should be coated from the inside with grease or a release agent; some use vegetable oil.
Cover the bottom of the outer mold with a layer of mortar 5-6 cm thick, level the surface and install the inner mold. If the internal form does not provide sufficient wall thickness, it is necessary to strengthen them with reinforcing wire , place it in the center of the proposed wall, and then fill it with mortar.
Cover the mold with film or a damp cloth and leave in the shade for 3-4 days, during which time the solution should completely set. In order not to complicate your work and not to drill the necessary drainage holes in already hardened concrete, you can place several tubes before pouring the solution; their height should be equal to the thickness of the walls and bottom.
After a few days, we remove the product from the outer mold (if thin plastic or cardboard was used, it will be easiest to carefully cut it) and leave it in the shade to dry completely. This may take up to 2 weeks; it is advisable that during this time the flowerpot is wrapped in plastic film or moistened with water to prevent cracks from appearing on the surface.
The finished flowerpot can be painted with special paint or decorated with pebbles, mosaics, as well as sea and river shells.

Photo source: www.postroiv.ru

Composition and structure

Depending on the manufacturing technology, component compositions will be required that are slightly (or significantly) different from each other. Let's take a closer look at three ways to make a vase using mortar.

Method one - concrete flowerpot

To get a product that imitates stone well, you need to take:

two parts of peat (which can be replaced with expanded clay or vermiculite);
one part coarse sand (for texture);
one part dry fresh cement;
water (add it to the dry mixture until the mass reaches a viscous consistency).

Cardboard boxes (two pieces, one inside the other with a gap equal to the wall thickness of the future vase) can be used as forms for a concrete vase in this embodiment. Or any other containers. You can also buy a ready-made plastic mold at a hardware store.

Method two - when a form is not required

This technology was published in one of the Hungarian magazines. There is no need to make or buy a mold - just simple plywood (board) templates are enough for the internal and external walls. Each of the templates has a semicircular recess, and wire loops are attached to the side.

Composition of the solution used in this technology:

dry fresh cement - one part;
sand (with coarse or medium grain) - from three to five parts;
water until the mixture has a fairly thick consistency.

Method three - plaster vase

In this case, we most often need a permanent form. If the product is small, then, for example, plastic bottles can be used.

A larger flowerpot can be made from a bucket of building materials, a large tin can or box.

To make a vase you need:

gypsum powder;
plaster bandage (can be replaced with strips of fabric or a bandage);
water - to create a mixture of sour cream thickness.

Read below about how to make an outdoor flower vase out of concrete for your dacha with your own hands, from a solution with rags, cloth and burlap.

This video will tell you why a concrete vase for the street is better than a plastic one:

Technological process

In order to make a beautiful, high-quality and durable product, it is necessary to carry out the following steps step by step:

At the initial stage, a solution of sand and cement is prepared in a 1:1 ratio. However, it should not be too thick.
A prepared rag is immersed in the resulting solution, and this is done in such a way that the product is completely saturated and not even a small piece remains dry. The rag should remain in the solution for approximately 10-15 minutes.
Next, you need to take a container on which the rag will be placed and wrap it with film. This is done so that the finished vase easily falls behind the mold.
The soaked rag must be removed from the solution and allowed to drain excess liquid, after which it is carefully placed on a container wrapped in film. To ensure that the bottom of the future vase is as even as possible, the fabric must be placed on the selected container as evenly as possible. If you wish, you can experiment - make the edges wavy or come up with some other original solution.
The vase is left until completely dry (usually this takes from 24 to 72 hours), after which it is removed from the container.

If the resulting flowerpot looks too gray, then it can be made brighter and more unusual. To do this, it is enough to use ordinary concrete paint, and not just one, but several colors. The finished product will decorate any cottage, garden or personal plot.

Making a flower bed made of cement

You can decorate a concrete flowerbed by using small pebbles, paint, mosaics, and stencil designs. Here everything will depend on imagination and creativity.

How to paint a concrete flowerbed in the yard

The simplest option for decorating a cement flower garden is painting. For work, compositions intended for concrete surfaces and stone are suitable. The painting process is not complicated:

Treat the surface from dust.
Apply two layers of deep penetration primer.
Paint the flowerbed in the chosen color.

How to make a flowerbed from concrete and fabric with your own hands

Flowerbeds made of concrete, burlap and fabric fit original into the existing landscape design. As for the auxiliary materials, you will need a suitable container such as a plastic bucket; it will serve as the form of a flower bed. The step-by-step process of making a flower bed from a towel and cement is as follows:

Make a concrete solution of liquid consistency.
Place the rag into the concrete mass and hold it for a few minutes until it is completely saturated. Hang it on a bucket, which is first recommended to be lubricated with mining or any oil.
After 48 hours, when the cement is completely dry, the flowerpot should be removed from the bucket and painted in bright colors.

A flowerbed made of cement and rags will have a more interesting appearance if the edges are slightly curved outward.

Drawing and mosaic

You can make a flowerbed out of concrete of any shape - round, square, or diamond-shaped. It is good to use mosaic elements to decorate it. Flower beds decorated with shells, sea pebbles, and fragments of ceramic tiles look very impressive.

Concrete flower beds should be decorated using a material with increased resistance to moisture and ultraviolet radiation.

First you need to decide on a pattern, then draw its contours on the concrete surface with chalk. Using glue and decorative elements, fill the interior space of the pattern. Upon completion of work, varnish.

Garden decorations

You can improve the area with the help of artificial trees made of sculptural concrete. These decorative hollow products can be represented not only by full-fledged plantings, but also by their individual parts. Stumps, branches, and roots made of cement look beautiful in the garden.

Concrete trees are great for zoning a site and effectively arranging free space

Small cement pot for a fountain or flowers

The flowerpot is molded onto the inner wall of the mold. She's smooth. Therefore, the cement mortar must be thick and not slip along the form.

To do this, light fractions of filler and necessary additives, including pigments, are added to it.

As a result, a flowerpot made of cement looks like a product carved from pink tuff.

You can read about how this is done and what composition of the cement mixture is chosen in the article about a flowerpot for a fountain.

Flowerpots made of fabric and cement

A flowerpot made of fabric and cement is made using a similar technique for making an artificial boulder (short video).

This way you can make durable and complex flowerpots. But there are much simpler methods.

Pots made of gypsum and cement are compared. Methods of painting products are considered.

Formed sand with a weak solution of PVA glue can serve as a mold.

Making a vase with a smooth surface

If you are not happy that the vase you made from cement and rags has rough walls, then you can use this trick.

To do this you will need in addition to the above:

fifteen percent silicate glue;
a large piece of high-density cardboard;
another piece of polyethylene film.

The sand must be very fine (sifted), just like cement. You can also add a small amount of Rotband plaster to it when preparing the mixture.

Instead of water, silicate glue must be used. You can purchase it quite easily, as it is sold in every hardware store. If the glue is of a higher concentration, then it must be diluted with water to the required concentration, or more precisely, fifteen percent.