How to Make Mosaic Bird Bath From Flower Pots
A homemade birdbath provides a much needed water source to neighborhood birds and allows you to reuse something that you might have thrown away otherwise. Make a homemade mosaic birdbath from old or broken flowerpots. Choose colored or terracotta pots to make the mosaic; the colored pieces will be visually appealing but even plain terracotta can be striking if you work it into an unusual design. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 16-inch terra cotta saucer
- Thinset adhesive
- Grout comb with 1/8-inch tooth
- Water-based grout sealer
- Water (for misting)
- Grout
- Grout trowel
- 1 or 2 flower pots for the mosaic
- 3 or 4 flower pots for the birdbath stand
- Tile/grout sponge
- Small paintbrush (to paint sealer between the mosaic pieces)
- Parchment paper
- Paper grocery bag
- 11-inch diameter dinner plate or pot lid
Instructions
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1
Smash one or two old flowerpots, depending on the size, into small pieces. Place the flowerpots in an old pillowcase and throw it against a hard surface. Hit it repeatedly with a hammer to break up all the large pieces.
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2
Trace a circle on the parchment paper, in the terra cotta saucer and on the blank side of a paper grocery bag. Cut out the paper circles. Trace a larger circle in the saucer if you don’t want a border.
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3
Make a design with the flowerpot shards, leaving ½ inch between each piece.
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4
Mix one cup of thinset. Use the grout comb to apply a thin layer to one section of the saucer at a time. Covering the whole surface at once will cause the unused thinset to dry before you’ve had a chance to lay the pattern.
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5
Work one section at a time, starting with the largest features of the design. Spread extra thinset on the back of smaller pieces. Add the border after you've laid out the rest of the pattern. Let your project sit for two or three days.
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6
Make two cups of grout. Flowerpot shards are thicker than glass pieces (which traditionally make up mosaics), so make sure you have enough grout to mix up more if you need it.
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7
Wipe the surface of the mosaic with a damp sponge and apply the grout with a trowel or with gloved hands. Work the grout into the spaces between the mosaic pieces. Scrape off the excess with a trowel.
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Flatten the edges of the mosaic with the trowel.
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Let the grout dry for 15 minutes and then wipe the mosaic pieces clean with a slightly dampened sponge. Buff the mosaic with a dry cloth.
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10
Cover the mosaic with the grocery bag paper and let it sit for two days to cure the grout. Mist it with water two to three times a day.
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11
Apply the grout sealer to the cured grout and the terra cotta surfaces with a paintbrush.
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12
Mount the saucer on three overturned flowerpots. Stack the pots with the largest on the bottom, then the middle-sized pot, and top off the stack with the smallest pot. The saucer will sit on top of the stack. Construct the birdbath in an area where visiting birds will be relatively safe from predators.
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Tips & Warnings
Birdbaths should be no deeper than 3 inches at the center. If the saucer used in this project is too deep, place stones at the bottom to make it more shallow. If you can ensure that the shallowest areas are around the edges, you will help birds -- especially young ones -- ease themselves into the water.
Birds are attracted to moving water or fountains. You can purchase battery-operated water agitators made specifically for birdbaths. This will attract more birds to your beautiful mosaic birdbath.
