Build Your Own Birdbath

If you've ever thought that a birdbath would make your outdoor decorating complete, but balked at the cost, this guide is for you! This is a detailed tutorial on how to craft your own birdbath out of things you can buy at your local hardware store.

First, you need supplies.

2 Terra cotta trays.
4 8 inch Terra cotta pots.
1 optional dish garden style tapered bowl with drainage hole.
acrylic paint in your chosen colors
stencils, if you're going to be painting a design
waterproofing sealant
rubber gloves
construction adhesive (caulk, preferably clear)
foam brushes
10 lb free weight plate (optional, but recommended if you live in tornado alley or hurricane country like i do.)

To begin, paint your trays and pots. I used 1 bottle of yellow acrylic paint, watered down with maybe 1/4 cup water, to give it a textured wash sort of look. If you are artistically gifted, you could use stencils or freehand painting to include a design element like flowers, or a repeating pattern. i am not artsy, so i just painted them yellow, because it feels springy. we used a combination of paper-towels and finger/hand painting to get that texture. Let each coat dry in between. You may need to paint at least two coats on, to completely cover the Terra cotta. If you want a slightly Mediterranean look, you can use a medium grade sandpaper to distress the paint after it has dried, allowing some of the Terra cotta to show through.

Once you have it painted and distressed, if you've chosen to do that, and everything is all nice and dry, (24-48 hours, depending on how humid your climate is) get your waterproofing sealant, rubber gloves, and foam brushes. Make sure your little ones are occupied for at least 45 minutes. (I recommend Noggin, for all your brain deadening needs.) Paint the waterproofing sealant on the insides and outsides of the pots. Paint each piece once, and then go back and do a second coat. Use even strokes, because some of that stuff dries so you can see the brush strokes. Let it set up for 24 hours. (Make sure if you leave it outside, that it's not going to get rained on. Try keeping it in a garage, or shed, if possible, just in case.)

Then, take your top tray and one 8 inch pot. Use construction adhesive (caulk) to attach the open/rimmed edge of the pot, to the center of the tray. (This is where measuring comes in handy. Find the center in whatever way works for you.) Set those 2 pieces aside.

Take your bottom tray, and (if using the optional weight plate for a weighted base, use your caulk to glue the weight to the INSIDE of the tray. Wait at least 30 minutes (or however long your caulk advises) before flipping the tray over.) Take one 8 inch pot, and find the center of your tray. Caulk the open/rimmed edge of the pot to the tray. Take another 8 inch pot, and caulk the closed end/bottom of the pot to the closed end of the pot on the tray. Then, take your last pot, and caulk the open/rimmed edge to the open/rimmed edge. Then caulk your top pot/tray (the bit that you started with), and caulk the closed/bottom to the closed bottom.

So, it goes upside down tray, upside down pot, right side up pot, upside down pot, right side up pot, right side up tray. Let your caulk set up for at least 24 hours, away from rain. (In the shed or garage, or, cover it with a tarp.)

If you decide to do the optional bowl, I don't recommend caulking it to the topmost tray, for ease of cleaning. However, if you live in a climate with strong winds or hurricanes, I do suggest bringing it indoors for those periods of time, so it doesn't become a projectile.
Fill bowl with water. Wait for birds.