Homemade Concrete Bird Baths

Birdbath Construction

• Rounded birdbaths are simple to make and allow plenty of creative design freedom. To make your birdbath, you need a pile of sand, a scoop, a trowel, a bag of concrete and a container for mixing the concrete, such as a wheelbarrow or large bucket. If you plan to make a pedestal for your birdbath, a tubular concrete form also is needed. After you have gathered all your supplies, determine the size and shape you want your birdbath to be and begin digging a hole of that size and shape in the sand. This will serve as the mold. Then mix the concrete and begin smoothing it into the mold using your hands or the trowel. To make a lip to fit over a pedestal, cut a ring from the concrete form, about 2 inches wide, place it in the center of the bath and smooth a ring of concrete from the bath all the way around the form.

Finishing the Bowl

• If you want to create a colorful, more ornate look, stones, tile pieces, bits of broken mirror, colored glass and acrylic paints can be used to provide color and serve as decorative accents for your fountain. Once the concrete is completely smoothed into the mold, you can begin gently pressing the stones, and other decorative pieces, into the cement to create the desired design. Leave the birdbath to harden in the mold for at least two to three days. Then take it out, clean the sand off and let it set for one week. After that, the birdbath can be painted with acrylic paints if desired. For added durability, a water-based concrete sealer can be used directly on the finished concrete or over the paint.

Pedestal Construction

• To make a pedestal for the birdbath, you need a tubular concrete form, a bag of concrete and two flat, heavy objects such as large pavers. Stand the form on one of the pavers, fill it with concrete and place the second paver on top of the form. Using pavers levels the ends of your pedestal so it will not lean. After the concrete has dried (usually 48 hours in moderate humidity), peel off the form and allow the pedestal to cure for one week.