How to Make a Stone Birdbath
Birds are one of the great pleasures of gardening and outdoor areas. They are attracted to berries, trees and flowers, bird food, and water. There are many ways to make bird baths, and many materials that can be used, but a simple stone bird bath is an easy and attractive project for any garden. With some inexpensive and easy to find materials, and a couple of days over the weekend, anyone can make a unique garden accent to attract birds. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 4 foot section of chicken wire
- 1 bag of quick mix concrete
- about 5 to 10 pounds of sand
- water
- decorative rocks and stones
- container to mix concrete
- hand trowel
- large plastic or canvas tarp
- plastic wrap
- cement release
- old large plastic or metal garbage can lid
- optional - pea gravel or small decorative landscape stone mulch
Instructions
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1
Spread the tarp on the ground or on a large surface like a picnic table or work bench.
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2
Pile the sand in the middle of the tarp in a shallow mound 3 inches high at the center point. Spread plastic wrap on top of it and spray it with the cement release. Shape the chicken wire over it, making an upside-down round shallow bowl form.
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3
Mix the cement in the container. Add a small amount of pea gravel or small decorative landscape stone mulch if desired.
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4
With the hand trowel, scoop out cement mixture and spread it over the chicken wire, adding decorative rocks and stones at random places or in a pattern. Let the cement dry for a day or two.
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5
When the cement is dry, carefully pick up the form and turn it over. Peel the plastic off.
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6
Mix some more cement and spread it on the inside of the bird bath form, setting more rocks and stones. Let it dry another day or two.
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7
When completely dry, hang the bird bath from a sturdy tree branch with chain, or mount it on top of a 4-by-4 inch landscape timber. A mounting post can also be made from larger, 3-to-6-inch diameter stones grouted together with cement into a 3-foot post, footed securely in a 6-inch post-hole.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep the cement layers thin when spreading it over the chicken wire form so the dish isn't too heavy when completed.
To hang it with chain, carefully drill 3 or 4 holes in the rim of the dish large enough for the chain to fit. Thread thin strong rope under the rim through the last links of the chains and knot them together for support.
