How To Make A Flower Pot At Home (4 Methods)

By   | Last Updated :   February 24, 2022 | Filed In :   DIY & How To

If you love creative DIY, this fun project is just for you! If you’d like to learn how to make your own flower pot at home, keep reading.

how to make a flower pot at home

Credit: Pixnio

What you need to make a flower pot at home

We’ve put together a few ideas for making your own flower pot using different materials.  You can find detailed instructions for making each one below:

Flower pot making methods

Recycled plastic bottle flower pots

This is a super easy project and great for keeping kids entertained.

Materials and tools you’ll need:

Keep in mind that there’s more than one design when it comes to reusing plastic bottles. In this method, we’ll be making a plastic vase that resembles a ceramic vase. You can view the video that shows how to make it too.

decoration vase

Credit: Maxpixel

Step 1: Prepare the bottle

It’s best to use two bottles of the same size, empty cola bottles are ideal. Remove the sticker around the middle and cut the top of the bottle off, remove the top of the bottle with the lid too. Make another cut about 2.5 inches from the bottom of the bottle so you end up with 3 bottle sections.

You can discard the middle bit. The two pieces you are left with should fit nicely into each other to create a shorter version of the original bottle.

Step 2: Create the top of the vase

Take the second bottle and cut off the top of the bottle just above the sticker. Remove the area the lid is attached to. You should now be left with something that resembles the top of a vase. If you like, you can shape the top of the vase to create a fluted effect. Use a glue gun to glue the two narrow parts of both bottles together to finish the vase look.

Step 3: Prepare the plastic for painting

Before you can prepare your plastic vase, you will need to glue the loose plastic pieces together. Simply put some glue on the inside of the piece that’s supposed to fit over the bottom piece and slide it into place. To make sure it’s sealed, you can place some masking tape all around the join.

Step 4: Paint and seal the vase

Once everything is stuck together, paint the vase using acrylic paint. The paint forms the foundation for the chalk powder to stick to. Once the paint is dry you can mix a bit of glue and water into chalk powder until it has the consistency of cake batter. Only add small amounts of water to prevent the mixture from becoming too runny.

Take a piece of hard plastic or something similar to scoop up the chalk mixture and smooth it onto your vase. Do this until the middle of the vase is nice and round and the whole surface is smooth without any visible plastic. Leave to dry for at least 24 hours.

Step 5: Finish your vase

Once it’s dry, apply a final coat of paint and when this is dry, add a coat of varnish. You can decorate the vase further by sticking beads and clay sculptures to the outside of the vase if you like.

Homemade clay face pot

If you want to make a clay pot at home, you will need the following:

Once you have everything you need, it’s time to get started.

Step 1: Prepare the pot

If you don’t feel confident enough to form the pot yourself, you can use an existing pot as a mould.

Take your pot mould and cover it in cling film. This will prevent the clay from sticking to it and makes it easier to remove it once you’re happy with the form of your clay pot.

Step 2: Prepare the clay

Roll the clay out to the desired thickness, around 1-1.5cm should be thick enough. Now you can use the pot you prepared to measure out a base and side for your new planter.

Use a ruler to cut a rectangular piece that will make up the side of your planter, and the bottom or top of the prepared pot to measure out the base. Once done, cut out the forms and remove the clay around them.

Step 3: Form the planter

Start by picking up the rectangular piece for the side. Place it around the prepared mould pot and figure out where the ends meet on the pot. Once you find the overlap, take a blade or knife and cut a 45-degree angle through both overlapping layers. This will allow you to smoothly attach the sides without leaving a crease.

Once the ends are cut, score both sides of the clay to make the surface rough and strengthen the bond where the ends meet. Apply a bit of water or slip (clay mixed with water to a consistency of cream) to the join. This will allow an even stronger bond once the clay sets.

Gently join the clay and smooth down the line to make it seamless. You can use a wet sponge to do this. Leave it to sit for a few minutes before removing the mould from the inside.

Step 4: Attach the bottom of the pot

Use the circular piece of clay and place the mould on top of it. Score around the edge of the mould where the bottom will be attached to the rest of the pot. Make sure to score the bottom of the body of the pot where the base will be attached. Put a bit of slip (liquidised clay) on the rim and fit it over the markings you created with the mould. Push down gently to seal the deal.

Step 5: Round off your pot

You will notice that there’s a bit of excess clay around the base of your pot. You can remove this with a sharp knife by cutting away the excess and smoothing the edges that are left with a wet sponge.

If you want the connection between the base and sides to be stronger, use some slip and thin clay coils. Place the coils on the inside of the pot where it connects to the base and smooth it down until it appears to be seamless.

Step 6: Attach the feet

Mark out 4 spots where you want to place the feet of your pot. Once you’re happy with the placement, create a small crater in the area and scratch the surface for better attachment. Roll out 4 balls that you’ll be using as feet. Scratch the side of the ball that will be placed into the crater. Use some slip and gently push the balls into place, let this set.

Now is the time to punch some drainage holes into the bottom of your pot although you can skip this step if you’ll be placing a pot and saucer in your clay pot.

When the slip has set, smooth the area around the legs to remove the seam. Once done, turn the pot the right way round and gently push down on it. Make sure the surface it’s on is level. This way you can make sure your pot will stand level once it’s dry.

Step 7: Decorate

Now’s the best part! You can add the face details, using slip to attach them to the pot. If you want to paint the pot, you’ll need to wait for it to dry.

Once your pot is dried according to the instructions on the clay packet, you can decorate it by painting your pot any colour you like or glazing it.

Check out this how to make a clay face pot tutorial.

Recycled newspaper pots

Why not try making a recycled newspaper, papier-mache flower pot? To get started, you will need the following:

Step 1: Preparation

You will need a balloon, scissors, newspaper and glue. First, blow up the balloon to the size required. Get out your newspaper and stack several layers on top of each other.  Cut the stack of newspaper into strips that range from around 3 by 4 cm blocks. They don’t have to be exact, but the larger blocks will make it easier for you. Don’t make them too large since you’ll struggle with creases in the paper.

Next, take some wood glue and add a bit of water to it. Mix well until the glue dissolves into the water.

Step 2: Create the foundation of your pot

Take the balloon, newspaper strips, glue and a paintbrush and start creating. Brush some glue onto the balloon and place a newspaper strip on top of it. Brush the newspaper strip until it is completely covered in glue and smoothed down onto the balloon. Every strip of newspaper must overlap the previous one slightly. Don’t paper over the knot in the balloon!

Once your first layer is done, do it all over again until you have at least 3 layers of newspaper. Let it dry for 24 hours.

Step 3: Create the pot

Once your newspaper covered balloon is dry, you can pop the balloon on the inside and pull it out of the hole you left. Use a round lid or something similar to draw a circle over the area where you pulled out the balloon. This will become the top of your flower pot.

Cut on the line you just drew to create a wide enough opening with a neat finish. Gently remove any balloon that’s left on the inside. Place the pot upside down on a flat surface and gently dent the underside to create a flat base for your pot to stand on.

Step 4: Paint and seal

Now comes the fun part! Use acrylic paint of your choice and paint your pot inside and out. Once dry, use a sealant like a varnish or rubber spray to seal the pot inside and out. This will help reduce the likelihood of your pot rotting away. You can also place a smaller pot and saucer within the papier-mache pot.

You can further decorate your pot by gluing on beads, mirror shards and any other decoration you can think of. The choices are endless. Just make sure that the sealant is dry before you attempt further decoration.

Here’s a video to give you more insight.

Wooden flower pot

If you’d like to create a wooden flower pot, check out our ‘How to make a wooden flower pot‘ article. Here you will find everything you need to make your very own wooden cube planter.

Cement flower pots

Cement flower pots are very simple to make. If you’d like to have a go, you’ll need the following supplies:

cement flower pot

Credit: Hippopx

Step 1: Mix the cement

You’ll need a mixing bowl and trowel for this step. Follow the instructions on the packet and mix the cement with a bit of water until it forms a liquid with the consistency of cream.

Step 2: Prepare and fill the moulds

You will need a large container and a small container that fits inside it. Spray the inside of the large container with oil and make sure the whole surface is covered to prevent the cement from sticking to the mould.

Pour some cement mixture into the mould until it is about half full. Cover the outer surface of the smaller container with oil and gently push it into the middle of the cement in the larger mould. You may need to fill the smaller mould with a few rocks to weigh it down.

Step 3: Extract the flower pot

Once the cement is dry you can remove the rocks from the smaller container and lift the whole thing out of the cement. Turn the large mould upside down on a table and gently tap the bottom to dislodge the newly formed pot. It should come out quite easily.

Step 4: Final touches

Once your pot is out of the mould, you will need to drill some drainage holes at the bottom if you didn’t make provisions for them beforehand. Now you can either leave the pot as is and plant your desired plants inside it or you can paint it any design or colours you like.

Watch this online tutorial to see how it’s done.

Repurposed glass jars

This is probably the easiest way to make a flower pot. Simply take an empty glass jar, paint it any colour you like or leave plain and add some twine around the top. It’s really simple and effective.

repurposed jar pots

Credit: Piqsels

Conclusion

Now that you know a bit more about making a flower pot at home, it’s time to get started. Let us know how you get on in the comments below.

Have fun creating!

FAQs

Do flower pots need drainage?

Yes. All plant pots need drainage to keep the plants inside healthy. Unless you have cut flowers or aquatic plants, you’ll need to make sure all your pots have drainage holes.

Read more: How to get proper flower pot drainage

What is the best material to use for a flower pot?

If you want to go organic, then clay or cement is the best way to go. You can also recycle plastic bottles and even paper to create plant pots.

What can I plant in a flower pot?

You can plant just about anything in a flower pot, as long as the pot is big enough to accommodate the plant. Here are some ideas:

How to make a flower pot at home (4 methods)-min

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