She Turned Four Concrete Pavers Into This Modern Outdoor Planter
Four 12-inch concrete pavers formed the entire body of this outdoor planter, but none of them were cut, drilled, or used as a mold. Brittney Smart stood each paver on edge and joined them with landscape adhesive, creating a square box with an open top and bottom.
Visible seams made the first version easy to identify as four connected slabs, so the project didn’t stop after assembly. Feather finish went across the faces, corners, and top edges, covering the joints while adding a new concrete surface over the original pavers.
After sanding and sealer, those four separate pieces were still underneath, but the finished planter no longer looked assembled from patio material.
Four Pavers Formed the Box
Construction started with four equal-size square pavers and a tube of landscape adhesive, with no lumber, internal frame, or poured concrete needed to establish the planter walls.
First paver stood vertically against a concrete step, which kept it supported while another slab was positioned against its edge. Using the pavers upright turned each 12-inch square into one complete side of the planter.
Landscape Adhesive Held the Corners Together
Landscape adhesive went along the narrow edge of the second paver in a zigzag before that edge was pressed against the face of the first. This left both slabs standing at roughly 90 degrees while keeping the adhesive joint between the two pieces.
Third paver extended the box with the same edge-to-face connection, while the fourth had to connect to two slabs at once. Adhesive went on one edge and the opposite face of that final paver so both open corners could close together.
With all four walls connected, each corner was adjusted to 90 degrees before the adhesive was left to cure for at least 24 hours. At this point the planter already had its finished size and shape, but the four vertical seams remained exposed.
Feather Finish Covered the Paver Seams
Feather finish was mixed with water and spread over the assembled box after the adhesive had cured. For each planter, the original project used about three cups of powder and two cups of water, adding enough water to reach a spreadable consistency. Pasted text
Instead of coating only the visible joints, the mixture covered the exterior faces, top edges, corners, and upper section of the interior walls. More material went directly over the adhesive gaps before the spreader carried it across the surrounding paver surface. Pasted text
Vertical passes over the exterior seams helped keep the spreader from dipping into those gaps, while some trowel marks were left across the faces rather than smoothing the coating flat.
Sanding Removed the Rough Edges
After the feather finish dried, coarse-to-medium grit sandpaper was used where the coating needed to be knocked down. Sanding was optional in the original project, since leaving more of the applied finish in place produced a rougher concrete surface. Pasted text
The sanding step also cleaned up corners where extra feather finish had been added to cover the joints, without exposing the paver seams underneath.
Concrete Sealer Went Over the Finished Surface
Exterior concrete sealer was chosen for the final coat. The product appeared bluish-white during application before drying clear. Pasted text
Rather than brushing the entire exterior first, the sealer went across the top edge of one side before moving to the corresponding interior and exterior surfaces. Working around the box this way also gave time to remove drips from adjacent walls. Pasted text
Upper interior walls and corners were sealed as part of the same process. Once everything dried, the planter was flipped so the exposed bottom edge of the feather finish could receive sealer as well. Pasted text
Finished Planter No Longer Shows the Four-Paver Construction
Potting soil went straight inside the open-bottom structure before a plant and drip line were added. With the vertical joints buried under feather finish, the only obvious evidence of the original pavers is the thickness of the walls around the top opening.
A second planter made with the same method created a matching pair on either side of the entrance. Each one still consists of four upright patio pavers held together at the corners, but the coating conceals the connections that made that construction obvious before finishing.
Could you tell four patio pavers were hiding underneath the finished surface?