How to Make Aggregate Garden Pots With Resin

Prepare your mold. Since planter molds are not easy to find, create your own with two buckets, one an inch smaller than the other. Coat the inside of the larger bucket and the outside of the smaller bucket with a thin layer of petroleum jelly acting as a release agent. Coat the four pieces of wooden dowel with the petroleum jelly.

Figure how much resin and aggregate you need by subtracting the area of the smaller bucket from the area inside the larger bucket. For instance, subtract a 4 gallon bucket from a 5 gallon bucket means you need 1 gallon of resin and 1 gallon of sand for aggregate.

Prepare your work surface. Have a mixing bowl ready and four ¾-inch long wooden dowels acting as the drain holes in the mold. Put on rubber gloves. Have a wooden spoon or wooden handle for tamping down the mixture.

Pour in equal parts of the resin and catalyst into your mixing bowl. Stir slightly and add the sand. Quickly mix the sand until it is well coated.

Pour about 1 inch of the wet sand-and-resin mixture into the larger bucket. Push the 3/4-inch long wooden dowels through the mixture. Place the smaller bucket into the larger bucket, pressing the bottom firmly against the dowels and centering it.

Add the rest of the resin-and-sand mixture into the space between the buckets. Use the wooden handle to push it in place and reduce the chance of air pockets, still working quickly before it sets.

Let the resin mixture sit for the manufacturer's recommended time.

Turn the buckets over and carefully separate them. Remove the wooden dowels and clean the planter' surface removing any excess petroleum jelly.