Designing a concrete bird bath

These noble looking water troughs delight insects and birds. The bowls are cast in concrete and decorated with different coloured muggle and mosaic stones. So the pretty watering troughs become an eye-catcher for your garden.

Start by spraying the moulds with release agent. This makes it easier to remove the castings later

For the casting moulds, mix the concrete with a little water until a creamy mass is formed. For the large bowl use about 10 tablespoons, for the small bowl 7 tablespoons and for the bird 4 tablespoons

Fill the mass into the moulds for the shells, place the smaller casting mould on top and press it into the concrete. Weigh down the inner moulds. Let the concrete dry for about 12 hours. Now first remove the upper casting mould. Turn the other casting mould over and press with the whole palm of your hand on the casting mould so that it comes off the mould. Repeat this procedure for all castings. Let the casting blanks dry for another 12 hours.

Spread some assembly glue inside the shell. Now place the Muggle- or Mosaic stoneson top of it. Mix something Joint Filler with water in one Mixing cup and spread it with a soft brush also in the bowl. After approx. 8-10 minutes binding time, wipe off Joint Filler the remaining stones with a damp sponge. When dry, coat the inside with Mosaic Joint Finish.

The Terracottapots are painted with Beton Color. Place some Muggle or Mosaic stones. With the mosaic stones you should put some Joint Filler use for better adhesion. When everything is completely dry, glue the concrete shell with assembly glue on the upside down Terracotta-pot and the bird on the rim. We have decorated the bird with Metallicpaint before.

To ensure that the bird bath is waterproof and can also be used, coat the mosaic surface with casting resin. Use the 100 ml cold glaze pack from our range, mix it 1:1 according to the product instructions and cover the mosaic as well as the surfaces that are to be waterproof with this transparent glaze. Let it dry out well.