How to make a concrete block planter

It’s easy to create this simple concrete block planter – perfect for herbs or strawberries.

Weekend DIY with Mark Rayner - Project 40

Difficulty level: Easy

You will need:

Concrete blocks (one double and two single)
Low tack masking tape
Paintbrush
Resene Concrete Primer
Resene testpots of Resene Alabaster and Resene Glorious
Stiff-bristled brush
Tape measure

To get the look: Mark painted the wooden garden edging with Resene Waterborne Woodsman tinted to Resene Cherrywood.

Instructions

Step one
Clean the concrete blocks thoroughly with a stiff-bristled brush.

Step two
Apply one coat of Resene Concrete Primer to all sides and edges of the concrete blocks and allow to dry. This will seal the block so that water will not come through and damage the paint finish.

Step three
Apply two coats of Resene Alabaster to the sides of one of the single concrete blocks and the top edges of the other two concrete blocks. Allow paint to dry.

Step four
Mask off 20mm strips around the top of each concrete block, as shown.

Step five
Paint along the edge of the masking tape with Resene Alabaster, as shown. This will help to prevent the second colour from bleeding through. Allow paint to dry.

Step six
Paint the top of the first single concrete block and the sides of the two other two concrete blocks with two coats of Resene Glorious. Allow two hours for each coat to dry.