Concrete planter

Pool season again and since I'm the "pool boy" at our Villas, I decided I wanted some plants to make it more homey.... :)

I found the huge Elephant Ear tree at a local store but couldn't find a planter big enough or heavy enough to not tip over so I made one out of concrete.
Bought the tree on a Sunday and the pool opened the following Saturday so I had less than a week to make the forms, pour the concrete and hope it would dry fast enough to hold together moving it from my shop to the pool.
I used 4.5 bags of concrete @ 80lbs.....2 bottles of Charcoal tinting and some Malamine shelving I had sitting around.
I had a little chipping pulling the forms and moving it but it turned out fine.


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It turned out really nice. Did you need to do anything to the form to make it easier for you to remove the form after it all dried?

That turned out nice. You can use a rubbing rock or concrete brick to smooth the exterior and fill the small holes if you'd like. Why no drain hole ?

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Originally Posted by zoama585

Why no drain hole ?

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Look closer. ;)

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Originally Posted by Rambozo

Look closer. ;)

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I didn't notice the little ones.

Beautiful work, there. Looks great!

Looks fantastic! I've been tempted to try some concrete tabletops, and I was envisioning a setup very similar to the mold you've build. Is there any sort of steel reinforcement in your planter? Or is the concrete fiber-reinforced in some way? I'd think that without some wire mesh or something embedded in the concrete around the circumference, it might be prone to cracking at the corners.

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Originally Posted by MuttonHawg

Looks fantastic! I've been tempted to try some concrete tabletops, and I was envisioning a setup very similar to the mold you've build. Is there any sort of steel reinforcement in your planter? Or is the concrete fiber-reinforced in some way? I'd think that without some wire mesh or something embedded in the concrete around the circumference, it might be prone to cracking at the corners.

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Fiber mesh doesn't add to the cured strength, it's only there to prevent shrinkage cracks while curing. Wire only helps when it's under tension, otherwise it just keeps a piece from falling away once cracked.

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Originally Posted by zoama585

Fiber mesh doesn't add to the cured strength, it's only there to prevent shrinkage cracks while curing. Wire only helps when it's under tension, otherwise it just keeps a piece from falling away once cracked.

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I didn't necessarily state it well, but that was actually my point - the corners seem like they would be the points that would crack, and without wire, if/when they do crack, the sides would fall outwards from the soil pressure.

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Originally Posted by Mr120

It turned out really nice. Did you need to do anything to the form to make it easier for you to remove the form after it all dried?

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The Malamine is smooth so it will pull away clean, this is what they use when making table tops. I sealed the plywood and rubbed wheel bearing grease on it about 10 mins. before I poured the concrete, lol. I was in a hurry to get it going. I drilled five 7/16" drain holes in the bottom.

As far as smoothing it out... After I got it in place and planted, it doesn't look too bad so I'm just gonna leave it alone. Character, right!? :)
I didn't use any reinforcement, just used the high strength fiber concrete. Pulling the forms off 24 hours after the pour caused a few problems and I busted a corner down low while transporting it and loosing control of the dolly and it slammed down. Concrete is tough and if you can take your time it usually looks great, just gotta make sure to vibrate the concrete or form or at least use a hammer and repeatedly tap the form to settle the concrete.


Here's my waterfall I made
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d8...C/IMG_1896.jpg

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Originally Posted by MuttonHawg

Looks fantastic! I've been tempted to try some concrete tabletops, and I was envisioning a setup very similar to the mold you've build.

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Here is step by step of a table top. I know a few people have made table saw tops this way, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clJQhjdyK6o

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Originally Posted by MuttonHawg

I didn't necessarily state it well, but that was actually my point - the corners seem like they would be the points that would crack, and without wire, if/when they do crack, the sides would fall outwards from the soil pressure.

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There are high strength countertop mixes avilable in bags that would be perfect for your use without the need for wire. Just keep it at least 2" thick and let it cure fully before handling it. Concrete takes 28 days to reach full strength.