Stylish DIY Concrete Planters

If you've fallen in love with one houseplant, chances are your collection is rapidly growing and you're in need of more planters. Instead of buying them or thrifting them, consider making some yourself. One medium of choice among crafters is concrete because it is inexpensive and durable.

DIY concrete planters come in an array of sizes, shapes, and designs. The most stylish concrete planters are ones that pay attention to detail. We've selected some DIYs that are artistic, but also super easy to make at home. Pick a tutorial that will coordinate with the rest of your space and don't be afraid to get creative.

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Cast Concrete Into Geometric Shapes

Gray House Studio

Making concrete planters in a variety of different shapes is easier than you might think. This tutorial offers a free template you can download to make a geometric planter mold out of cardboard.

DIY Concrete Planters from Gray House Studio
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Add Different Colors to the Concrete Mix

A Kalio Chic Life

After you've cast a concrete planter, you can always paint the exterior. However, if you want to maintain a matte concrete finish, consider adding color directly to the concrete mix. Acrylic craft paint or powdered tempera paint will work to tint the concrete enough so you can create an ombre effect on your planters.

Mini Layered Concrete Planters from A Kalio Chic Life
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Use Supports to Cast a Large Concrete Planter

Remodelaholic

This concrete planter tutorial requires a bit of prep work to get it right, but the end result is worth the effort. Large concrete planters are expensive to purchase, but can be made successfully for less than half the cost. Take your time tamping the concrete to remove air bubbles and have the concrete appear smooth and even.

How to Make a Tall Concrete Planter from Remodelaholic
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Craft Globe Planters Using a Balloon

Artsy Pretty Plants

These relatively delicate planters are made by painting a thin layer of cement to the exterior of a balloon. The tutorial suggests using a cement mix instead of concrete because cement proved to be much easier to work with for this application.

DIY Cement Balloon Planter from Artsy Pretty Plants

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Set Some Wooden Legs Into the Concrete

Pretty Handy Girl

Some modern concrete planters have wooden stands that the planter rests in. This tutorial incorporates the legs directly into the concrete by casting the planter around the wood. You can tamp the concrete to create an even appearance, or you can opt to leave the concrete a little more messy looking.

How to Make a Concrete Wood Planter from Pretty Handy Girl
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Hang Triangular Planters From Rope

Pretty Life Girls

The concrete planter tutorial we highlighted earlier opted to use cement instead of concrete because concrete can be hard to work with a difficult to even out. However, this tutorial uses clay instead of cement or concrete. To get a concrete look, this planter was coated with a special paint that replicates a concrete finish.

DIY Cement Triangle Planters from Pretty Life Girls
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Create Mini Gem Planters for Air Plants

Proper

If you don't have a green thumb or have a low-light area where you want to add some life, add some air plants. These low maintenance plants thrive in all types of environments. Some people have made planters out of crystals and rocks. Instead, this tutorial casts miniature gems out of concrete using a silicone ice tray.

DIY Concrete Gem Planters from Proper
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Learn How to Add a Marble Effect to Concrete

Row House Nest

These shibori-inspired planters take a basic marble pattern one step further by making it high contrast. The tutorial spends a little extra money on artisan concrete and silicone molds, which helps these planters turn out smooth and pristine.

DIY Marbled Concrete Planters from Row House Nest

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Fake the Look of Concrete Using Wood and Paint

Erin Spain

In order to make a large concrete planter, you'll have to make a mold and supports using something hefty like wood. If this seems like too much work for you, you could fake the look of concrete by painting wood with a concrete finish. This idea is helpful if you want a large-scale planter that you will move around a lot. A planter of this scale cast with concrete would be quite heavy.

DIY Faux Concrete Planter Tutorial from Erin Spain
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Reuse a Water Bottle as a Planter Mold

Cupcakes and Cutlery

If you don't mind getting a little messy, this is a fun concrete planter tutorial to tackle with your kids. If working with children, remember that the idea isn't to get the concrete perfectly smooth or air bubble-free. Just enjoy the process. To get started, gather a large and small water bottle, a straw, and some ready-mix concrete.

DIY Concrete Planter from Cupcakes and Cutlery
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Get Whimsical With Your Decorations

We Are Kitty Gang

Casting a concrete or cement planter is simple enough, but decorating the exterior is where you can express yourself. Have fun with paint! These crafters opted to use exterior paint instead of acrylic to paint the outside of the planters since the finish would hold up better outdoors.

DIY Cement Planter Pots from We Are Kitty Gang
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Make a Concrete Base for Glass Planters

Fall for DIY

Most planter tutorials involve making a planter that you plant directly inside. This planter acts as a base for terrarium style glass planters. What this does is keeps all the water contained within the glass and preserves the concrete planter for a longer period of time.

DIY Chrome Concrete Planter from Fall for DIY

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Plant a Rock Garden Inside a Flat Planter

Style Curator

Not all concrete planters need to be upright with a large basin. Succulents don't need a lot of depth to grow, so they work well in rock gardens that are planted in flatter, disc-like planters. By making some planters shorter, you can create a lot more interest when pairing them with other planters of varying heights.

DIY Large Concrete Planter from Style Curator
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Dip an Old Towel in Concrete

The Rustic Willow

This concrete project might be the messiest because it can be hard to control where the mix ends up. The nice thing about this tutorial, though, is that you don't need a lot of supplies to complete the project. However, it may take some patience and persistence to get it right.

DIY Concrete Planter from The Rustic Willow
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Cut Your Time in Half by Using Cinder Blocks

Little Miss Momma

For those of us that like to complete DIY projects in less than an hour, this tutorial is a great compromise. Instead of casting the planters yourself, you'll be repurposing cinderblocks. These can be found readily available at most home improvement stores.

DIY Painter Cinder Block Planters from Little Miss Momma