Introduction: Concrete Barrel Waterfall Fountain Pot

About: Hello ! I'm Creative D2H, You can see in my posts how to make beautiful things, to create houses of history, fairy houses, recycling ideas, decorations, crafts,and paint. They use very cheap materials and alwa…

In this instructable, I show you how to make a waterfall fountain with an original design. In this fountain, there are 3 mini barrels, a large barrel that forms the base and the basin, a mountain, and a plant pot. Everything is made only from cement and sand. I followed a technique called "Faux Bois" which refers to the artistic imitation of wood or wood grains in various media. It’s fun to make and you can use it as an awesome decoration indoors or in your garden.

Tools :

  • Cutter
  • Metal ruler 50cm
  • Soldering Iron
  • Universal pliers
  • Painting Palette Knives: Link
  • Masonry trowel
  • Acrylic Paint: Link
  • Professional Paint Brushes: Link
  • Mini Submersible Pump: Link
  • PVC Tube: 6mm inlet diameter (for the pump)
  • Submersible Led Lights Waterproof: Link

Supplies

  • Plastic box: 0,5 liter
  • Plastic planter: 12 liter
  • Fine mesh 2mm: 0,5mx1m
  • Sand: 10kg
  • Ordinary Cement: 20kg
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Epoxy Resin + Hardener: 70g

Step 1: Mini Barrel - Sand Casting

I used an empty plastic box of yogurt (500g) to exploit it as a circular mold. We fill the box with wet sand. Be sure to pack the sand well so that it retains the desired shape after removing the box. You can use a spoon or directly with your fingers to pack the sand well.

Then the box is removed from the mold gently and slowly in one upward direction.

Step 2: 1st Concrete Layer

We move on to the preparation of the concrete mix. In this whole project, I follow the same ratios of the mixture: 2.5 cups cement +1 cup sand + water. Only I vary the quantity of water to arrive at the consistency of the desired mixture. Always the first layer of concrete is the most diluted.

In the first layer, I pour the diluted concrete over the sand mold. We gradually cover everything with concrete. This step requires a lot of concentration, you have to work very slowly and long. The risk of the sand collapsing is significant.

The painting palette knives are a good practice tool to cover all the sand with the concrete while keeping the same thickness.

Painting Palette Knives: Link

Step 3: 2nd Concrete Layer

Then we move on to the second layer of concrete. The concrete mix of this layer is less diluted. Be sure to cover all the 1st concrete layer with the same thickness.

In the end, we have a hole in the center of the barrel using the same pumping tube to be installed later.

Step 4: Sculpting

After an hour, I start by delicately drawing straight, equidistant lines. Between every two lines, I draw light lines in the shape of wooden grooves. Follow the steps shown in the attached photos.

Step 5: Making the Spout

We go directly to the building of the spout of this part of the fountain. The spout is important for directing the flow of water. At the bottom of the mini barrel, we open a rectangular opening of 2x4cm dimension. Using the same wet sand, we form the shape with the dimensions shown in the attached photo. We cover the sand with the same thickness (1cm) as the concrete. After a period of between 30-60 minutes depending on the temperature of the room, we cut the excess parts using a new cutter blade while following the operations shown in the attached photos.

Step 6: Making the Belt

We go directly to adding the barrel belts. We start by gradually adding two wide belts, then I do the finishing and I eliminate the unnecessary parts.

Step 7: Sand Emptying

After at least 3 hours of drying, we move on to the sand evacuation step. You can use a spoon for this operation. For the best sand cleaning result, one can wash with water and use a paintbrush to scrub the inner walls of the barrel.

Slight cracks can be repaired by adding a light layer of cement to the internal walls. Then, I add small identical and equidistant balls to form the tack nails of the belts.

Step 8: Making 2 Other Mini Barrels

In this step, we follow exactly the same steps described above to make two other identical mini barrels. In total, we need three mini barrels to make a waterfall.

Step 9: Big Barrel - Sand Casting

I used a plastic plant pot (12 liters) to exploit it as a circular mold. We fill the box with wet sand. Be sure to pack the sand well so that it retains the desired shape after removing the box. You can use a masonry trowel or directly with your hands to pack the sand well.

Then the pot is removed from the mold gently and slowly in one upward direction.

Step 10: Concrete Basic Shape

We redo the same operations followed for the construction of the mini barrels. In the first layer, I pour the diluted concrete over the sand mold. We gradually cover everything with concrete. This step requires a lot of concentration, you have to work very slowly and long. The risk of the sand collapsing is significant.

Then we move on to the second layer of concrete. The concrete mix of this layer is less diluted. Be sure to cover all the fine mesh with the same thickness.

Step 11: Sculpting

After an hour, I start by delicately drawing straight, equidistant lines. Between every two lines, I draw light lines in the shape of wooden grooves. Follow the steps shown in the attached photos.

An oval shaped part (9 x 22 cm) was taken from the upper part of the barrel. On the opposite side, I made a hole of 10 cm diameter. This circular inlet will be used for the assembly and installation of the pumping system.

Step 12: Shaping the Basin

After 24 hours of drying, I turn the barrel upside down and put it in its default position. I draw on the sand the shape of the basin to build. Then I dig the basin (15cm deep) and empty the unnecessary volume of sand.

Then I pour diluted cement on the sand. I always try to maintain the same thickness of concrete throughout the surface. I put pieces of fine metallic mesh to give more robustness to the base.

After, I dug an oval-shaped hole (5x11cm) and 10cm deep. This hole will be covered with concrete and will be used as a plant pot. Do not forget to make small holes in the bottom of the plant pot to take out the excess water in case of watering the plant.

Step 13: Emptying

After at least 24 hours of drying, we move on to the stage of total sand discharge. The sand area can be washed with a water jet to ensure the cleanliness of the pumping chamber.

Step 14: Making the Belt

We go directly to adding the barrel belts. We start by gradually adding two wide belts, then I do the finishing and I eliminate the unnecessary parts.

Then, I add small identical and equidistant balls to form the tack nails of the belts.

Step 15: Assembly of Mini Barrels

We start the installation of the mini barrels, from the lowest barrel to the highest barrel. For the installation of the middle and top mini barrel, I cut 4 identical pieces of oval polystyrene (8x14cm) and 4cm thick. Then, I glued these polystyrene pieces in order to have a single block 16cm high. Using a soldering iron, I engraved the position of the middle barrel.

I use polystyrene because its weight is very light and it sticks perfectly to concrete. I cover the polystyrene with concrete and I added concrete balls and I sculpt them to form a mountain of stones. The installation of all the barrels is done by spraying water into the installation surface, then putting two to three spoons of lightly diluted concrete on the previously wet area. Finally, the barrel is gently placed on the concrete and the concrete released from both sides is wiped out.

Step 16: Paint & Coat With Epoxy Resin

After the concrete has completely dried, I start by cleaning the project and removing the dust from the cement using a dry brush. I used acrylic paint for its ability to resist more humidity.

Adding epoxy resin to a painting or art piece enhances the colors and gives the piece a glossy, clean finish. A clear coat of resin also provides added protection from general wear or scratches. Although the results glisten for themselves, the process requires patience, preparation, and care. In our project, epoxy resin is also used to hardening, waterproof, and prevent leakage.

I chose to make epoxy resin layers inside mini barrels, the spouts, and the basin only, that is to say in all the surfaces in contact with water. But, you can do a full epoxy resin coating of the whole fountain. You need 2 disposable cups for mixing, a Stirring popsicle, Gloves, Protective eyewear, and a brush. Make two coats of resin spaced 24 hours apart for drying.

Step 17: LED Light and Pumping System

At the bottom of each barrel, I glue a waterproof LED spotlight using hot glue. The colours of the LED spotlights that I used can be controlled remotely.

For the circulation of water and to operate the fountain, we need a submersible mini-pump, a PVC tube of the same diameter as the pump (6mm).

  1. Enter the pump tube into the 6mm hole in the 1st mini barrel
  2. Connect the pump with the tube
  3. Put the mini-pump into the pumping area through the 10cm hole.

Submersible Led Lights Waterproof: Link

Submersible Pump(800L/H, 8W) : Link

Step 18: Start-up

To put the fountain into operation, it is necessary to start by pouring a quantity of 4 litres of water into the basins.

To use the fountain outdoors, be sure to better protect the wires and electrical connectors from the rain.

Enjoy the video tutorial 👉 Link

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