Concrete-Esque Planter
OK. I admit it. Sometimes I drive behind furniture and decor stores and look to see if they have any goodies hanging out next their trash bins. Weird? Maybe. But every once in awhile, I see something cool. Like this awesome concrete-esque planter. Of course, I had to grab it.
When I brought the planter home, I immediately went online and attempted to look it up on the store’s website. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything listed regarding this particular piece, probably because it had been discontinued. However, after doing a Google image search I found out that it wasn’t even a planter at all, but some sort of storage stool. Interesting, but whatever.
It had a lot of cracks in it, as you can see. And a cat too! Oh wait, that is just Rowan helping with me. He does that sometimes.
Since I still planned on using it as a planter, I wanted to make sure to fill the cracks in a bit to deter dirt and water from leaking out.
My hubby brought home concrete mix for me and I got to work stirring it up with some water.
Using disposable gloves, I applied a layer of wet concrete to the cracks on the inside of the planter. I left the outside of the cracks alone, since I wasn’t sure how well it would match the existing color and texture.
Once the concrete patches were dry, I added a few packages of river rocks (from the dollar store) to the bottom of the planter for drainage.
Finally, I added some dirt and my trusty Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree. To keep this Rowan proof, I added an extra layer of river rocks to the top of the planter too. This keeps mischievous kitties from digging in the dirt and using it as an extra litter box.
Doesn’t this planter look great?
I love the character that the cracks add and we hope that this holds up and allows our pretty plant to grow bigger and stronger!
18 Comments
Kristin
You are probably not the first person to cruise a furniture store for cast-offs {ahem – plausible deniability here!}. That said, your project turned out beautifully! And thanks for the river rock tip on keeping cats out of plants – that’s always been a worry and one of the main reasons we haven’t brought plants into the house, but now I’m totally trying this!
Erin
Glad to be of help with the kitty tip, Kristin! Thanks for stopping by!
Lori @ A Bright and Beautiful Life
I love your freebie planter ~ it’s so industrialist chic. Thanks for the good idea to check behind stores at their dumpsters. I’ve never thought to do that.
Erin
Best of luck if you end up looking, Lori!
the cape on the corner
great save! i have kitty helpers, too. i just loooove when they “help”.
b
Erin
Kitties love to be involved, don’t they?!
Leigh Anne
I love it!! And what a great tip, I’m going to start driving behind the stores too!! I have a couple kitty helpers too, they always want in my pics LOL!
Erin
Best of luck if you end up looking, Leigh Anne!
Emily @ Table & Hearth
Um, score!! Beats a zillion coats of Ardex :)
Erin
Right, Emily? Thanks for stopping by!
Tania
It looks great! I love that you bought it anyway with all it’s imperfections and then patched it up!
Tania
Erin
Thanks, Tania! We actually got it for free, since it was left outside the store next to their dumpster. Score!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
What a find! I love the photo of your cat in it, too. You really dolled this piece up and it looks great in your room!
Erin
Thanks so much, Carrie!
Anna @Annabode
What a great way to repurpose this! It looks amazing as a planter, and the pebbles just MAKE it. Love!
Erin
Thanks, Anna! We are loving it!
Vicki
I know I’m late to this post, but here goes. First, I love this. I’m a plant lady and I am always on the lookout for a new way to display a plant. Cement/concrete is not a watertight material. If there is water that sits on the bottom it could very easily migrate to your wood floor. May I suggest that you go back and spray the inside with some rubberized material to seal it so you don’t get black spots on your beautiful floor? Also, there is the possibility of the container leaching something not healthy for a plant. A lining would take care of both potential problems.
Erin
Thanks for the info, Vicki!