Rustic Stained Concrete Planter

Isn't she lovely? Planter's are "shes" right?!!!! Anyhoos the succulents are hiding the break and the stained pumpkin creates such a pretty backdrop for them too.

Now I know not everyone has a hollow concrete pumpkin lying around, but you can do something similar with any unstained concrete pot. Or you can make yourself a hollow pumpkin like we did using this tutorial

Either way the trick is in staining the concrete to get that gorgeous mottled rusty effect.

The rusty brown coloring comes from iron-based compounds in the stain. Copper-based compounds produce a stunning greeny-blue color. Applying concrete stain is pretty easy too, as long as your concrete surface is free of any paint or oils that could prevent the stain from penetrating. To apply the stain you can use a paint brush or paper towels.

Leave the stain to soak into the concrete form for about an hour and apply a second coat for a deeper, more pronounced effect. Here’s what the concrete pumpkin looked like after the first coat. You can just start seeing the those rusty colors emerge.

If you'll be using your concrete form as a planter it's really important to rinse it under clean water until the water runs clear to remove any stain that didn’t penetrate. Sprinkle with a little baking soda to neutralize the acid in the stain and rinse again. Allow the stained concrete to dry overnight before applying a concrete sealer for optimum durability. Wait for the sealer to dry properly before adding the plants.

You can buy concrete stains at most hardware stores. Look for the reactive stains. They're water based, so clean up is easy and the compounds inside react with the lime in the concrete to create that gorgeous mottled effect. Reactive concrete stains are permanent and last a long time so they’re perfect for outdoor planters. 

Have you tried stains on your concrete pots or creations?