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About This Project
This little fountain, modeled after an old millstone, is the perfect size to tuck into a spot near your patio or kitchen window. There you can enjoy the sound of water trickling over river stones and watch the birds and butterflies that come to bathe and drink.
We'll show you how to build this fountain using bagged concrete mix and common construction materials. You can build the sheet metal forms and pour the concrete in less than a day. The next day, you can finish up by removing the forms, burying the tub, and assembling the concrete fountain and the pump.
With the increased popularity of water gardens, many home centers now stock fountain pumps and plastic liner tubs. We purchased a pump with a flow rate of 130 gallons per hour and a maximum pumping height of 4.5 ft. Make sure the pump you buy has similar specifications. You can substitute any large plastic container for the 7-in. deep tub we used as long as it's at least 26 in. wide. Fifteen-inch deep plastic whiskey barrel liners work well. The increased depth calls for a little extra digging, but you won't have to refill the fountain as often. Increase the height of the concrete column to compensate for the extra depth. For Internet and mail- order pump sources. The total cost of the materials, including a $30 pump and $20 plastic liner, is about $100.
In addition to basic tools, you'll need a plastic tub or wheelbarrow and a hoe for mixing concrete, and a steel trowel to finish the top of the wheel.
Solid forms are the first step to a successful concrete pour
When you build the forms for the concrete, take care to cut the plywood circle accurately and wrap the metal tightly around it. The double-faced tape holds the band of sheet metal to the plywood disc while you screw it in place. We lined the metal with foam sill sealer to create the ridges you see on the outside of the wheel. You can customize the wheel to your liking by substituting seashells, rope or other decorative items for the sill sealer. Attach them to the metal with hot-melt glue or double-faced tape.
We made the form for the column by snipping one locking edge and the end from an 8-in. round duct and rolling it into a 5-in. diameter cylinder. Allow the extra sheet metal to overlap. Complete the form by assembling and installing the copper pipe and taping the whole thing together with duct tape.
Don't forget to coat the inside of the forms, including the short copper pipe, with oil to prevent the concrete from sticking. We used a heavy layer of WD-40. The band of rope caulk in the bottom of the form creates a recess in the concrete that directs the water to drip from the edges, rather than run under the wheel.
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