Is there a reason you prefer to use plaster of paris? Are you trying to keep it lightweight? I haven’t used plaster of paris for anything since I was in grade school, but it seems to me that it wouldn’t be as durable. Mold The Other Balloon End and Create Drainage Holes Keep it somewhere where the temperature won’t vary widely over this hour or two period. Be sure to keep this out of the sun while it’s curing because the balloon may expand and pop. The cement will cure within an hour or two. The second side will be easier, so don’t worry about trying to get the first side fully covered, a third will be good. So keep the cement free and clear of everything except the balloon. You can keep wetting the cement or your hands as you are sculpting, and also add cement to any areas that it may need to be built up.īe careful not to let the cement touch the edge of the container or strainer.ĭoing so will cause a bump and even more importantly, if the cement pushes against the strainer, it can cause it to crack. Start molding it and work your way around, shaping and smoothing as you go. If you get it too close together just push it apart. Leave it large enough to get your hand inside for ease of planting. Scoop the cement onto the top balloon, but leave the tied area free of cement, this is where you will leave the opening for the plant. Start with the tied end of the balloon facing upward. Have the cup of water next to you, along with a rag for clean up. Otherwise, use your weighed down container. (See pic in Step 4 for how this looks) If you are using a mesh strainer, then take a mixing bowl and cover it in a plastic grocery bag to protect it. The finished planter ended up being the perfect size. So I used that for reference and blew the balloon up to be the same size as the globe. The round planter size I wanted was about 6″ and I have one of those 5″ round globe light bulb covers, the common ones you see at every big box store for probably 9 bucks. So make the balloon smaller than what you want your finished planter to be. Inflate your balloon but keep in mind, the finished piece will end up being larger than the balloon because of the thickness of the cement. Please see Are Concrete Planters Safe For Plants? to learn more. While they are loved by most succulents, other plants may not share that love. **Not all plants do well in concrete and cement planters. You may be able to get away with just using the sponge to hold it in place. In place of the mesh strainer and mixing bowl, you can use a container such as a cup but you will need to weigh it down with stones or sand.Īnd you may want to use blue painters tape to help hold the balloon in place.Īlso, I needed to use the strainer because I did this outside and it was kind of windy out. Note: The measuring cup and mesh strainer will get cement on them, so only use these items for crafts. The reason this works is that this cement is smooth and quick setting.įor more info on the Rapid Set Cement All, please see my post comparing the concrete and cement craft mixes, as well as other good information on cement making. The type of cement you use for this project is very important. You should also check out her photos of the planters- amazing! Check out Brenda’s comment at the bottom of the post (in the comments section), she used this mix and it turned out great. * If you are in Australia, use this mortar mix.Otherwise a container like a cup or bowl that has a mouth the right size to support your balloon will also work.ĭIY Difficulty Level | Easy Materials For Making Cement Balloon Planters Use a small mesh strainer that has hooks allowing it to sit over a bowl. Make sure to have everything set up and ready to go because once you start mixing the cement, you won’t have much working time. You can use bigger ones in place of the 7″ and just blow them up with less air to be smaller, but be careful because they may end up being more oval than round. Make sure the balloon package says “round”. When planning the size of your round DIY cement planters you’ll have to consider your balloon size. You can probably use any brand of rapid set cement, but the trick is, make sure it is cement, not concrete and that it sets quickly. –Palm slap to the forehead for the “ah ha” moment!– Cement! That was the key.įor more details on why the Rapid Set Cement All works so well, take a look at my post about six different types of concrete and cement mixes that I tested, and how they all compare.īarb made these large orbs for her garden that were pretty much the same concept as the balloon planters, so I tried her recommendation of Rapid Set Cement All. She does lots of fantastic things with concrete. After all that, not able to let things go, I forged ahead with my research and I found a blog called Made By Barb.
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