DIY Concrete Birdbath For Less Than Six Dollars!

by Rhonda B

Medium

I made 2 concrete birdbaths for my garden for less than 6 dollars each, which is way cheaper than it would have cost to purchase one from a retailer and this is how I did it:

diy concrete birdbath for less than six dollars

You will need:

1. A good pair of gloves

2. Dust mask

3. Something to mix the concrete in (hoe, trowel, etc)

4. Molds (3 for each birdbath)

5. Mold release spray (I use cheap cooking spray)

6. Hardware cloth or chicken wire for reinforcement

7. Wheelbarrow or tub to mix concrete in

8. Concrete or a recipe of your choice-I used Quikcrete Commercial Grade Crack Resistant (for durability in my zone 5 garden)

9. Water

10. Pair of cutters to trim hardware cloth

Pick your mold:

Clean and dry molds, cover any holes with tape and then spray with mold release (in my case cooking spray). Wipe off any excess oil in the molds. Cut hardware cloth to fit inside the molds.

Dump concrete into wheelbarrow or tub and add water and mix to reach the desired consistency. Follow manufacturers directions, note-adding too much water can weaken the concrete.

This is the consistency I prefer.

Begin filling the molds. Add a couple of inches into the bottom of the mold, firm it down then add the hardware cloth.

Fill around and inside the hardware cloth, firming down as you go.

Now fill the other mold, adding a couple inches at first, lay the hardware cloth on that, and then continue filling until you reach the point when the inner mold needs to go in.

Make sure to weigh the inner mold down with sand or rocks, center it as much as possible, then fill in the sides.

Cover them with plastic and let the filled molds set for 24 hours before you try to unmold them. Make sure they are on a level surface, After 24 hours unmold them. I had to cut away the molds-sometimes they stick, sometimes they come right out. After I unmold them I cure them for a week in a water bath-otherwise you can just cover them with plastic and make sure they don't dry out. After they cure you can seal them and put them out in the garden.

I made a couple of birdbaths along with a concrete planter and an orb from a basketball all for the cost of 2 bags of Quikcrete-a total of less than 12 dollars! Stop by my blog for complete instructions on how I did it.

Here are both of them:

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Frequently asked questions

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3 questions

DoraLee on Jul 02, 2017

What did you use for the molds.Looks like piping.

0
DoraLee on Jul 02, 2017

what did you use for the molds..ie; the one standing and the other like bowls>

0
Donna Glenn on Apr 21, 2022

Why do you have to keep them wet?

1

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2 of 168 comments

PAMELA on Jul 01, 2020

would love to see the wire attachment too..thanks very much for a wonderful bird bath..I want to make an extra one..!!

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Scarlett Carver on Jul 30, 2022

I’m impressed!

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