DIY Bird Bath With Waterproof Terra Cotta

3 Materials
$10
1 Hour
Easy
This is my kind of project!; I used material I had laying about and made something useful!When my parents moved out of their home last year, they left behind a good bit of stuff. When we moved in last month, we weeded through and decided what we wanted to keep and what we needed to rehome.
This wrought iron base was one of the things left behind in the garage and was something I wanted to keep. I am not sure if it was originally a planter or a base for a birdbath, but in any event, I knew I wanted to find a way to use it so it was put in the 'keep' pile.
Fast forward a couple of weeks and I realized that a saucer for large pot would fit perfectly on the base. It was then that I decided that the future of this wrought iron piece was the base of DIY Bird Bath.
As luck would have it, I had a partial can of  Rust-Oleum’s Triple Thick Glaze which contained just enough to spray the inside of the saucer. The Triple Thick Glaze put a clear coating on the saucer so that the naturally porous terra cotta would become waterproof and therefore hold water longer than would the unsealed terra cotta saucer, just what I needed for this DIY BirdbathJust a tip on spraying the glaze, don’t get too heavy a hand. You need several very light coats to avoid areas that become cloudy. And, if by chance you do get too heavy-handed…you can sand off the paint so that you can do the lighter coats as recommended on the can. Of course, I’m just guessing…this would never happen to me!And, if you fill you bird bath with water and it 'disappears' quickly, let it dry out and give it another coat or two of the Triple Glaze.
And BAM…just like that I have a birdbath! Well…I guess I don’t have a birdbath as much as my feathered friends now have a birdbath. And, as if it just can’t get better…the best location for this birdbath ensures that it will get filled with water when the sprinklers go off! Truly, it was meant to be! 
Suggested materials:
  • Terra Cotta Saucer   (garage)
  • Base   (garage)
  • Rust-oleum Triple Thick Glaze   (garage)
Lynn @ Nourish and Nestle
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  1 question
  • Teri Thomas Teri Thomas on Jul 16, 2020

    Is the sealer you used okay for birds? Some can have chemicals harmful to birds.

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 4 comments
  • William William on Jul 31, 2020

    Rust-Oleum Specialty Triple Tick Glaze Spray is suitable for use on exterior surfaces. We do not, however, recommend it for use on surfaces that are constantly immersed in water, such as birdbaths, since the constant exposure to water will cause the coating to blister and peel.

    • Thanks William. For what it is worth, I painted the terra cotta one year ago and it shows no sign of blistering or peeling. Could it be that the terra cotta is a porous material?

  • Brenda Perry Brenda Perry on Jul 31, 2020

    I have the same question about the spray being safe for birds. I've been searching for a safe paint/sealer that's safe for birds for some time.

    • Hi, I called Rustoleum and was told that once cured the chemicals will off-gas. They didn't go so far as to say it was completely harmless, but did underscore that the chemicals would off-gas when fully cured.

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