Holly Baker

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DIY Cement Planter

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I have been brainstorming ideas and keeping my eye open for something to use as a centre piece on the dining room table. The table is long and is a lot of empty white space, it definitely needed something. But I wanted something simple, something not too 'in your face', and something that wouldn't break the bank (duh!).

Then one afternoon while Wren and I were getting a couple plants at the hardware store it hit me: make my own planter out of cement! I know there are tons of DIY blogs and Youtube blogs that have done this before so I am not trailblazing or anything. But I felt pretty darned proud of making my own creation for a grand total of $7. 

Yes, this only cost me a $7 bag of cement, which I only used half of, so maybe more planter creations will be in my future!

To start, I went into my scrap wood pile and cut a rectangle in the dimensions I was wanting. screwed it together and set it on a plastic surface ( a garbage bag in this case). I also made a smaller rectangle that would create my inner planter area.
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I filled the large rectangle with about an inch and a half of cement, then set my inner form on top and filled the remainder of my cement to about an inch lower than the inner form stuck out. Then I tapped the outer rectangle with a mallet for a minute to get as many bubbles out as possible. I wasn't aiming for perfection so I didn't go too nuts.
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About 4 or 5 hours after I first poured the cement it was still pretty wet and pliable, and I gently removed my inner form at this point. It was really easy and while I was concerned the form wouldn't stay put without that in place everything did stay put. I then left the cement to dry for a day, then unscrewed and removed the outer form from the planter. Then we let it sit for 2 more days to fully cure before Sean kindly chiselled a couple spots to clean up the corner. He offered to smooth it and buff it as well, but I was totally in love with the rustic texture of the cement as it was!

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A 12 pack of ground cover planted in a row filled it nicely, and as soon as it was on the table I was in love!
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I put 6 clear, sticky rubber feet (the kind you put on cabinet doors to keep from slamming) on the bottom to keep it from scuffing and scratching the table. 
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The subtle texture and pop of green it gives is exactly what I was envisioning.
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I've never been one to patiently wait until I find what I was looking for, but I never thought I could actually pull this one off so I will admit to a small round of applause for myself once it was all done. Believe me when I say that the hardest part was being patient while it all dried.
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so what do you think? Does it seem like something you might try?