I have been asked to describe a container creation method I have been using for making planters for my succulents. It is a fun and inexpensive way to make containers and requires no special equipment.
I found some info online
about it but really just tried something and it worked for me. You can look for cement draping and draped hypertufa instructions.
Cement draping is fun and
easy, and costs very little in materials.
Once you start looking you will find molds everywhere.
Smooth flexible plastic is
best, metal works, but you may have to fight to get it free of the piece. If you have something that is not ideal you
may want to wrap it in a plastic bag.
Mismatched Tupperware
works great, so do plastic planters.
You may want an item to use as a stand if your fabric exceeds the side
of the mold. Do not use oil to release
the planter from the mold, it will prevent you from adding additional layers to
the interior of your planter.
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j6LOYY1TuBM/VNWVyRPSizI/AAAAAAAAAR4/2s8fzaGOeoY/s280/IMG_3306.JPG)
You need:
One bag of Portland cement,
(be real clear about this at the building yard, some "boys" seem to think that we
know nothing and will give you concrete mix)
You may also want a
texturing material to mix with the initial cement slurry. A handful of peat moss, coir, vermiculite or
fine perlite can give an interesting texture to the finished planter.
A dish pan or shallow
bucket
Fleece or other material that is thick
and fabric scissors.
A paint brush, not a fancy
one, because it will be essentially ruined by the cement.
With the cement, you must
be aware of how caustic the wet material is.
Gloves are an absolute necessity.
You need chemical resistant gloves, I use heavy duty ones, but
disposable nitrile ones will work as well.
You should wear glasses, sunglasses or safety glasses. A dust mask is
also highly recommended for the initial mixing.
This is the method I use:
I first scout out a mold,
there are molds everywhere, just look. I tend to have the mold kicking around so I
can look at it to decide how I am going to cover it.
I then take my fabric and
loosely cut it to size. I then play with
the fabric a little to decide where I want the high and low points to be.
CUT DRAINAGE HOLES!!!!
You don’t want to try to
cut them later and it allows you to have an alignment point on the mold.
Get a measuring cup, or
something to use for estimating the amount of cement used.
Soak the fabric in the
slurry and align it on your mold set the folds how you want them to dry. If it is warm you should be able to add a
second coat in a few hours. Within the
next couple of days, once it is firmed up I carefully remove it from the mold,
so it sits loosely on it and I then paint the inside of the piece. You continue to add layers until it reaches
the desired thickness that you want.
I usually have several
pieces in different stages of the process, and keep adding layers as I go. It takes about a half an hour or so at a time
to do a batch of planters.
Clean up!
Rinse everything when
cement is wet, you may have to scrub it to get it to loosen off of the dish
pan.
I
paint my planters, but you could also add a colorant to the cement slurry, or
leave them natural.
I almost always have
planters in some stage of production, feel free to set up an appointment or
come during one of my open sales to get a better idea of how to do the
method. (if you are local)
I hope I have inspired you
to try a new, fun, and forgiving method for home-made planters.
This is the planter that started it all. It is actually hypertufa and I tried several times to get it to work again and I just kept having failures with the hypertufa method. I fell in love with the design and had to come up with a way to get it to work.
This is the planter that started it all. It is actually hypertufa and I tried several times to get it to work again and I just kept having failures with the hypertufa method. I fell in love with the design and had to come up with a way to get it to work.
Very cool! Do you use the paint brush to apply the second layer? What paint did you use for your wonderful bowl shape? Thanks for the great instructions. ~Eva
ReplyDeleteI guess I missed this comment!! So sorry! I use paint brushes for second later and copper krylon paint
DeleteAwesome Great idea ��
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information you share it about the succulent planters I really must appreciate your work.
ReplyDeleteglass terrarium planters
Awesome! What a cool idea!!
ReplyDeleteHi I have just started making my first planter but used a doily x3 . I is hard the other 2 r still pliable . They have only been coated once . Do I need to keep coating them to make them stiff and hard ? Also is it a good idea to seal planters as u would concete pavers ?
ReplyDeleteI'm a first timer at this
Thanks Rhonda
I do put more layers on, but as long as the fabric is well coated it should be fine as soon as it seems strong, it takes some curing time.
DeleteI think most people would agree with your awesome article which is specially related of switchable film. I am going to bookmark this web site so I can come back and read more articles. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteswitchable film
Have you ever had your draped hypertufa droop after curing has occurred? What did I do wrong to have this happen?
ReplyDeleteAmazing stuff, really. Another expert in hypertufa crafting has also basically accepted the concepts you shared here. The understanding of this knowledge will help anyone construct their own hypertufa planters.
ReplyDelete