Cinder Block Planter

step 1 is laying your cinder blocks out ...it all has to fit tight to prevent soil from washing out.....some blocks will not be the same size...so it will be a trial and redo to get that fit....also..if you have a small gap,just fill it snuggly with pieces...you will not see this afterwards...

I ended up extending the box to allow 2 more roses to fit....as you can see I have 1 board on top....that is the next step.

to clad the cinder block,I measured first the total height on the stacked cinder blocks (without the cinder block caps )adding 3 more inches and cutting the boards to that dimension ....starting at the end I hammered the board in only 3 inches and then took another board and butting it up firmly beside the board I just hammered in to support the 1st board tightly and continued till all boards are hammered in. Make sure all boards are hammered in level to the top of the cinder block....not over!

I then took cinder block caps and placed on top....

I placed the caps on top of the cinder block...again it is all about size....the top should align with the bottom....

I used no glue on any kind and yet I have stood on them and many sit on them with no issues.

I painted the caps to match the pavers on the ground and the cladded cement blocks look far better cladded and tops painted then the natural gray hue of cement.

and the look all ties in...the wood on the planter matches to wood on the wall and the top of the planter matches the pavers on the ground.

we brought the fountain from the front yard back here...

we also took the seating area out to the side yard and put a dining area here