How to Build a Terra Cotta Pot Fountain
Enjoy the tranquility of a soothing terra cotta pot fountain, in your garden or on your patio, by designing and building your own. Terra cotta pots and saucers come in a variety of sizes and can easily be stacked and arranged to create a beautiful trickling tower. These clay pots are a quick and easy way to economically spruce up your outdoor space. For an added vintage look, repurpose used pots for their authentic patina.
Things You'll Need
- 18-inch terra cotta saucer
- Clear acrylic spray sealer
- 6-inch terra cotta pot
- 8-inch terra cotta saucer
- 4-inch terra cotta saucer
- Pencil
- Round bastard file
- Drill and 3/8-inch masonry bit and conical rasp bit
- Tubing to fit pump, 12 inches
- Small submersible fountain pump
- Scissors
- Decorative pebbles and stones
- Pillar candle
Instructions
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1
Paint the inside of an 18-inch terra cotta saucer with clear acrylic spray sealer. The 18-inch saucer is the base to your fountain. Allow the sealer to dry. Apply two to three additional coats, allowing them to dry thoroughly between applications. This will seal the base of the fountain, preventing the water from seeping through the sides.
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2
Fill your kitchen sink with water and soak the 6-inch terra cotta pot, and the 8-inch and 4-inch terra cotta saucers, for at least two hours. This will aid in the drilling and filing of the terra cotta.
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3
Measure the top edge of the 6-inch pot and evenly space four marks with a pencil. File 1/2-inch deep grooves in the rim, at each mark, using the round bastard file. Measure and file four grooves on the 4-inch saucer rim and four grooves on the 8-inch saucer rim, in the same way. These grooves will allow the water to freely flow through the fountain. One groove on the 6-inch pot rim will accommodate the cord on the pump.
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4
Mark the center of the 8-inch terra cotta saucer with a pencil. Drill a hole through the mark using a 3/8-inch masonry bit. Widen the hole to thread the pump tubing through, using a conical rasp drill bit. Widen the hole in the bottom of the 6-inch terra cotta pot, using the rasp bit in the same way.
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5
Attach the tubing to the pump, following the directions on the pump package. Thread the tubing through the hole in the bottom of the pot, from the inside out. The pot will sit upside down. With the 8-inch saucer right side up, thread the tubing from underneath to the inside top of the saucer. Allow the saucer to sit on the bottom of the pot to create the fountain tower. Cut the extended tubing 1/2 inch above the center hole, using scissors. Place the 4-inch terra cotta saucer upside down on top of the extended tube. This will allow the water to come up through the tube and out through the grooves on the 4-inch saucer.
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6
Center the fountain tower in the 18-inch terra cotta saucer. Position the pump underneath and thread the cord through one of the grooves on the pot. Arrange pebbles and small stones in the 18-inch saucer, covering the bottom and the cord. Add a few additional pebbles and stones in the 8-inch tower saucer. Place a pillar candle on top of the 4 inch saucer to weight it down and add a decorative element.
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7
Fill the 18-inch saucer with water about 1/2 inch below the brim. Turn the pump on. Rearrange the pebbles and stones as needed to achieve the greatest flow of water up through the tower and back to the base.
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