DIY Marbled Concrete Planters

Gather all materials. Lay down cardboard or old sheets to protect your working surface. An outdoor working location is recommended.

Decide how tall you want your planter to be. Using a ruler or measuring tape, mark this height around the full circumference of the 10” forming tube. On the 8” forming tube, mark at least 2” more than this height.

Using a compass saw, cut the 10” and 8” tubes where you marked them. This will leave you with two shorter tubes that will be used to create the mold for your planter.

Trace one end of the 8” tube onto a flat sheet of cardboard to create a circle. Cut out the circle using scissors. Repeat with the 6” tube.

Duct tape each cardboard circle to one end of its coinciding tube to create your inner and outer mold. While wearing gloves, use a rag to apply vegetable or motor oil to the outside of the smaller tube, and the inside of the larger tube for lubrication.

Using a shovel, add the concrete mix and water to a bucket using a ratio of 4-parts concrete to 1-part water. Thoroughly mix the concrete and water together until you achieve a uniform consistency similar to peanut butter. Add more water or concrete mix if necessary.

Separate half of the mixed concrete and set it aside. Prepare the concrete dye according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Slowly add the dye to one half of the concrete.

Mix the dyed and undyed concrete together sparingly. Be careful not to overmix or the marble effect will be lost.

Scoop enough concrete into the bottom of the 10” tube to create a base layer about 5cm thick. Smooth and flatten the concrete.

Place the 6” tube inside of the 10” tube with the closed end down to create the mold for the planter. Fill the bottom of the 6” tube with stones to weigh it down. Keeping the inner tube centred in place, fill the 10” tube to the top with concrete. Tap around the outsides of the mold as you go to get rid of air pockets. Smooth the surface of the cement once the mold is full.

Allow to dry for at least 48 hours.

Once the cement is completely dry, take out the stones and use a utility knife to carefully cut and remove the cardboard tubes.

Lightly sand the top and outside of the planter smooth.

To create a hole for drainage, flip the planter over and drill through the bottom with a masonry bit.

Fill with soil and your favourite flowers or plants.