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DIY Concrete Head Planter

April 13, 2021 by Denise - 202 Comments

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HOW TO MAKE A CONCRETE HEAD PLANTER AND NO MESSY CONCRETE REQUIRED! | VIDEO W STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL

DIY Concrete Head PlanterHi sweet SI family, it’s great to be back. I have such a fun DIY before and after for you today. I’ll also bet that after this T2T project, you’ll be going through all your knick-knacks to see what YOU can try this on. You won’t believe how authentic this DIY Concrete Head Planter turned out!

My talented T2T blogger friends also have some impressive before and after’s that I’m linking down below… so let’s get this party started!

Here’s what I started with. When I posted this before pic for my T2T Crew they all agreed she needs a name. Agreed! So I thought it would be fun to have YOU name her. Be sure to read on because I’ve included the details of the “Name This Lady Contest/Giveaway” below.

Head Planter Before

Here’s her new look. She started out as a youthful-looking lady of plaster and has turned into an ancient-greek-goddess using this faux concrete painting technique.

Side View of Cement Lady Planter

Even I’m impressed with how easy this was to do and how R*E*A*L this concrete finish looks!

Plant in Concrete Head Planter Pot IG

Here’s a close-up… what do you think?!

Close Up DIY Concrete Planter Head

How To Make A Concrete Head Planter Collage

THIS POST IS SPONSORED/CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE.  YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.

SOURCE LIST

How To Make A Concrete Head Planter

I used this plaster bust I’ve had for years but you could also use an inexpensive styrofoam head or even an old doll head you can pick up from a thrift store. Using a doll head sounds a little creepy but check out some of these cuties.

Remove The Top Of The Head

I placed her on a level table and then using a 12″ Level, I drew a straight pencil line around the top of her head while keeping the bubble in my level centered. To cut this plaster, I used an Oscillating Cutting Tool like this, which made the job quick and easy. You could also use a grinder, Dremel Tool, or even a hand-saw. After I cut through the plaster I removed the top. It wasn’t a 100% straight so I switched the blade to a 60 grit sandpaper and sanded it smooth and level.

How To Make A Head Planter Pot

Prep Surface

This DIY Head Planter Pot will be in my home so I didn’t bother prepping. But if you were going to use this outdoors, including a drainage hole in the bottom of your planter for water flow and then priming to seal the plaster would be a good idea.

Faux Concrete Paint Finish

I started by mixing a 50/50 mix of Fluff with this DB Sea Spray Additive. It was a little thick so if I was doing this again I wouldn’t use quite as much additive because as you’ll see in the video (which I’ve included below), it was a little chunky to apply although gave great results.

Head Planter Before

Below is what she looked like with the first coat of textured Fluff. When applying your paint, you don’t have to worry about getting 100% coverage because some smoother areas just add to the concrete look.

Faux Concrete with Paint and SeaSpray

Once the first coat was dry, I used this Manatee Gray mixed Sea Spray in about an 80/20 ratio so it wasn’t as thick and much easier to apply. I dabbed it on in some areas and brushed it on in other areas.

I used the same cheap dollar store brush for all my coats.

Faux Concrete with Gray Paint

To create a third layer of darker gray, I just added in some of this black to the Manatee Gray mix and stippled it on. Again I left some of the Fluff and Manatee Gray peeking through in areas.

DIY Planter Head Pot Painted

While the paint was still wet, I put a little Fluff and Manatee Gray on a shop towel and dabbed areas to create the illusion of even more concrete texture! Doesn’t she look great?!

Painting Faux Concrete on Planter Face

For the final touch, I took a toothbrush, applied a little of this Caviar black paint, and splattered and speckled this faux concrete finish.

Speckling Faux Concrete w Paint

Here’s what all the steps looked like side by side so you can see what each step added.

Plaster to Faux Concrete with Paint

DIY Concrete Head Planter Video

I create a short step-by-step YouTube tutorial so you can see this lady’s transformation in action. If you have any issues viewing the video below, feel free to watch it here… and don’t forget to subscribe! 😉

Once she was all dry, all there was left to do was add a gorgeous plant!

Spider Plant in Concrete Face Planter

If I was to do anything differently with this project, I might have cut a little more off the top of her head to make the opening a little wider. This way I would have more options for the size of the plant I could use. But overall, I’m SUPER happy with her new look!

Plant in Concrete FACE Planter IG

How To Make a Head Planter

Now let’s have some fun and play NAME THIS LADY!

Super easy. Leave a comment down below with a name you think suits this concrete planter goddess. I’ll go through them and pick a name (and a lucky winner) next week. The person who provides the winning name gets a $50 Amazon Gift Card emailed to them as a thank you for helping me NAME THIS LADY! This is going to be fun. I can’t wait to hear what you come up with!

Win A $50 amazon gift card!

And now for some MORE TRASH TO TREASURE FUN!

I know you’re going to LOVE what this talented team of ladies has for you today. They always surprise me with their creativity!  Below are their BEFORE photos. Visit the links underneath to see the amazing AFTERS and to learn how they did it. I’m heading over to take a peek right now myself! x

Trash To Treasure 20210413

1. Girl In The Garage

2. Prodigal Pieces

3. Artsy Chicks Rule

4. Confessions Of A Serial DIYer

5. Salvaged Inspirations (I’m so happy you’re here!!)

Thanks for joining me today. I’d love to hear what you think of this faux concrete head planter and don’t forget to leave her a name to qualify for the Giveaway!  I’ll be back next week with an Ethan Allen Cane Table Makeover and the winner of the Name This Lady Contest. This winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize so be sure to check back. See you then! 🙂

Thanks for reading. 🙂
Wishing you a beautiful day and Happy Painting friends!

Denise XO

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Comments (202)

  1. My first impulse was Elsabeth because she looks quite classy and European but my vote is Spidartha with her spidey senses she looks kick ass and awesome.

    Reply

  2. Thanks So Much for showing us how much
    “HELENE” changed in her looks.
    This is an Excellent Technique and so very easy to do. You Are Appreciated.
    I hope you Love “HELENE’S” name as much as I do, She went from “HELEN” to “HELENE” in an Absolutely Wonderful Make-over !
    “HELENE” Loves her New Look as do we all.
    Thank You So Much. Made Me a Follower for Life
    Sandi H.

    Reply

  3. Denise, this is stunning. I think she now looks more Roman or Greek so I would name her Athina, after the Greek goddess. . I have two styrofoam heads I ordered on Etsy last year that I bought just for this purpose. They were $2-$3 each ( soooo much cheaper than the link you have posted for Amazon). Just sayin’.
    And I’m with you about the doll heads, way to creepy for me!
    Thanks for sharing. I’m thinking I’ll use a grainy gesso to cover the styrofoam and then go from there. Wish me luck!

    Reply

  10. So cool!!!! Now I’m on the hunt for a beautiful bust. Thank you for this tutorial. Looks like a fun project. My SIL is a fire fighter, I bet if I found a statue of a sort, I could do this for him somehow. Cool beans!

    Reply

  11. Just beautiful. And something even I might be able to do. Head hunting I go. I think she looks like Calista.

    Reply

  20. “Thallo” is the Goddess of spring flowers!
    I want to do that!! I have a light fixture I want to look like concrete and the DB Sea Spray is perfect for the texture! I used sand from my grandson’s sand box for some texture and I am sure the Sea Spray is cleaner! You always have such wonderful ideas! XOXO

    Reply

    • A light fixture is an AMAZING idea!!! While I was painting her up I was also thinking of a rustic ‘faux concrete’ planting table or all the knick-knacks I could find at the thrift store to try this on! Thanks for participating in Name This Lady Cecilia! Good one!… picking one is going to be tough!

      Reply

  22. I love her! Think I would call her Guinevere which means white shadow, white wave. Lady Guinevere sounds good too.

    Reply

  25. She could almost be Medusa’s lost great aunt but she I think a good name would be Babett with 2 T.’s.. Have a great day..

    Reply

  29. You have really inspired me. I needed something to pull me out of my creative covid slump. You are amazing!!!! Thank you

    Reply

    • Awww, thanks so much, Jane! I’m not sure where you’re located but we are in another covid/lockdown for the next 30 days here in Ontario so I totally get it. I’m glad this inspired you.🤗

      Reply

  32. Gertie is her name, a name of another time. Now I am looking at stuff with an eye of “what will that look like with the top chopped off!”!! lol

    Reply

  34. Hi. I love the makeover. I have a similar concrete piece that needs work and I’ve been looking for inspiration so thank you for sharing.

    She looks like an Arabella to me.

    Reply

  36. Hi Denise. What a beautifully creative project. I love how your planter turned out! She went from stately in plaster to artsy-chic in concrete. I’ve seen head planters in my local HomeSense store and love the look, but I’m not sold on the doll head planters;D Teehee. I’d name her Wendy, because she looks just like a friend I had as a young girl.

    Reply

  37. Love the effect of the layered finish!! To me she appears very poised & feminine, so I have TWO names to suggest: Freya, which means ‘Lady’, and Serena, which means ‘calm’.
    Whatever her name, she is very unique!! Great job!

    Reply

    • Hi Gayle and thank you! I’m doing this super simple. All you have to do is leave a comment here on the blog… exactly like you left this comment except including a name for this lady. No contest link included or required. Hope this helps and if you have any issues feel free to reach out. 🙂

      Reply

  41. This lady turned out great! I think she looks like a Victorian lady whose lover went to sea. She’s waiting and watching for him to come back. That’s why I think she looks like an Amelia. A beautiful lady pining away for her lost love. Any way you look at it, you did an awesome job!

    Reply

  44. Wow, another amazing transformation!! I wouldn’t have thought of doing something like this in a million years. I think she looks like an “Alethea”.

    Reply

  46. Love this! You are so creative!! The name that immediately popped into my head for this pretty lady is Sofia.

    Reply

  47. She should be named Medusa. The plant gives the thought of the snakes and the concrete look you have given her seems as she has looked in a mirror!

    Reply

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