How to Make DIY Concrete Vases with Protective Bottom Coat!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Plasti Dip. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am so excited to share with you this quick and easy DIY project to make these beautiful vases for your home (in our case, our tiny house!). It requires very few tools and supplies and only took us about an hour of active work and a full 24 hours for the cement to dry—perfect for a quick weekend project!

We partnered up with Plasti Dip to coat the bottoms of the vases to prevent them from scratching our countertops and desk!! Frankly, we absolutely love the Plasti Dip Craft colors that we picked out—goes well with our house’s colors!

Today, I’m going to show you step-by-step just how easy it is to recreate these DIY Concrete Vases with Protective Bottom Coats—let’s dive right in!

SUPPLIES

2 x Empty plastic bottles (you can use wine bottles, but will take about 4-5 days for concrete to dry)

1 x 2 Gallon Bucket (to mix concrete)

1 x 25lb bag of quick-setting concrete

Utility knife

Trowel

Painter’s Tape

Sandpaper (120 grit)

Scrap piece of wood or test tubes (to create a hole in the vase while the concrete sets—we used an old kitchen utensil)

Plasti Dip (Craft and/or Original) (Get yours at Amazon)

STEP 1: Cut the Plastic Bottles

Once you have picked out your plastic bottles of choice (don’t be afraid to choose funky shapes and sizes!), you will cut the bottom portions off of the bottles to make it easier to fill the bottles with concrete.

STEP 2: Mix and Pour Concrete

Depending on the type of concrete that you are using, you will want to refer to the directions on the bag. Most quick-setting concrete like the one we used will dry in about 24-48 hours (when using plastic bottles) or in about 4 days when using glass bottles as a mold.

According to the directions for your specific concrete, mix concrete and water at the adequate ratio (ours was about 3-parts concrete mix, 1-part water) in the mixing bucket using the trowel. Add a little concrete mix at a time until the consistency is like cake batter. This should take about 1-2 minutes. If you are using quick-setting concrete, just be sure to not let the mix sit for more than 5-10 minutes as it will start to harden in the bucket before you transfer it!

Begin pouring the mixed concrete into the plastic bottles via the bottom hole that we cut out earlier—using the trowel will make this easier! Once you have filled it to the desired height, tape the entire bottom closed so that no concrete can pour out when you turn it over.

Next, you’ll stand the plastic bottle upright and open the cap and place the scrap piece of wood or test tube into the bottle to create the vase’s hole!

A quick tip to make sure that the scrap wood doesn’t get stuck in the vase—after about 20 minutes of drying, take the scrap wood out as long as the concrete mix has dried enough to retain its shape and the hole inside!

STEP 3: Sand & Prep Vase for Plasti Dip Coat!

After about 24-48 hours of drying, your vases should be ready for their Plasti Dip protective coats! Use the utility knife to carefully cut and remove the tape and plastic around the vases.

After removing, you’ll want to take your sandpaper (an orbital sander will be much easier!) and carefully sand around the vase to remove any sharp edges and, most importantly, on the bottom to flatten the vases. Once you are done, wipe the vases down to remove any debris.

Next, you’ll want to determine the areas where you would like to spray the Plasti Dip protective coat (we chose to go up about 1-2 inches from the bottom on each vase). Take the painters tape and tape off the rest of the vase that you would like to prevent from spraying.

STEP 4: Spray the Plasti Dip Protective Coat!

Now that your vases are dry and prepped, we’ll go ahead and spray the bottoms with Plasti Dip Craft and Original Plasti Dip (Shop now on Amazon)! We chose Original & Plasti Dip Craft over just coating the vases with spray paint for several reasons—one, it protects the vases from chips and scratches; two, it will provide a comfortable, non-slip grip with its durable rubber coating; and most importantly, it will protect our countertops and tables from scratches from the abrasive concrete! An added bonus is bringing in a bit of color on the vases as well!

Take the Original or Plasti Dip Craft can and shake it well for about a minute—next, you’ll take your vase and at about 6-8” distance, spray an even horizontal layer across the vase and the bottom. Each coat will take about 30 minutes to dry and depending on how thick you want the rubber coating, you can apply 4-5 coats (letting them fully dry in between each coat)! Below is a quick video showing you how we did it:

STEP 5: Style & Stage!

Now that your vases have fully dried and the Plasti Dip coating is set, go ahead and remove the tape and your vases are ready for your home!

We picked up some fresh local flowers to fill the vases and placed them around the house—some in the kitchen and some in the living room!

And that is all!! In 5 quick and easy steps, you can recreate these DIY Concrete Vases with a beautiful protective coat to add to your [tiny] home as well!

This is just one of many uses for Plasti Dip Craft—be sure to check out their blog for some more DIY inspiration while we are spending more time at home for the foreseeable future!

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