\Have you guys seen the concrete trend in home decor?  It is seriously SO pretty.  I love the modern twist on a classic look.  I’ve been looking and waiting for huge concrete planters to go on sale so I can put them on our front porch.  I need big planters to fill the space and balance the size.  But guys, have you seen the PRICES!? Holy moly.  WAY too expensive for me.  The ones I’ve found available to me, cost between $65-$250 EACH and I want/need two.  Ummm yeah, not spending on that if I KNOW I can make it myself!

My inspiration 🙂

So I did what every good DIYer (and how every story seems to start here) does and headed off to the hardware store to find materials so I can do it myself! I’m not afraid of a little hard work, burns calories and gets me the look I want without spending tons of cash!  Like every project I do over here, I look at other tutorials or websites and figure out if this project has been done before.  Luckily, for me, this project has been done before so I looked at materials used and the basic concept to plan what’s next for me.  Then comes the fun part, walking the aisles of the hardware store, looking for what I need! This particular day, was a beautiful spring day and somehow, I was there alone, no children with me, which obviously elevated the experience for me!

 

What did I find? Here’s the materials I found and purchased for use during this project.  I made two planters at one time, so here’s the shopping list for 2, large planters!

Materials

2- 5 gallon buckets 

2- 2 gallon buckets

80lb bag of concrete mix – not gonna lie, I didn’t realize there were options when it comes to concrete. So, I just got the one that looked the most “multi-purpose”.  I used the entire 80lb bag for these planters

Water

4 heavy bricks

Canola cooking spray-I’m 100% sure there is probably a lubricating product specifically made for concrete but, I didn’t have any, so this is what I used #housewifelife

How To Instructions

When I got home, I laid out my materials, setting out my large buckets and small buckets in the yard.  Using my cooking spray, I liberally sprayed the outside of the small buckets and inside of the larger buckets before I mixed my concrete.  Then using the instructions on the bag of concrete, I mixed the concrete mix with water.  Now, I fully admit, I was thinking there would be a recipe, kind of like when you make brownies or pancakes, but there was no such recipe.  It just said “add water”……so I did!  I added just enough water to mix in well and make it to a pourable consistency.  Make sure you are wearing eye protection and a mask.  The concrete mix is quite dusty and you do NOT want to breathe in that material or get it in your eyes.

Also, be sure to mix up the concrete in small batches.  This lengthens the project but keeps it at a manageable weight.  Concrete is HEAVY so it becomes harder to lift and pour as the weight increases!

The next step is to pour the concrete into the larger bucket. I poured until the bucket was 1/3 of the way full, estimating how tall the 2 gallon bucket is.  Once this step was complete, I slowly pressed in the 2 gallon bucket and put rocks in the bucket to weigh it down.  Finally, I poured concrete into the space between the large and smaller bucket until it was filled to the top.

The concrete took a full 5 days to harden.

Removing the concrete from the buckets, MIGHT be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done!  Three days of drying, I tried using a utility knife to cut away at the sides of the bucket but this scratched the concrete since it was not all the way dry.  I waited another 2 days and then tried cutting from the bottom.  This was the “money move”.  Once the bottom had a slit in it, I was able to slide the entire planter out of the large bucket.  To remove the smaller bucket, I cut around the top of the bucket until it was loosed up enough to slide out!

I carried these heavy things to my front porch and planted flowers in them.  The way I made these, they do not have a drain hole, so I placed rock at the bottom to allow some drainage.

I seriously LOVE the way they turned out and I hope you do too!  Please follow me on Instagram and let me know if you love it! Also, check out how I styled my front porch for this summer!

Here is some more front porch inspiration. Shop commissioned links here