How to Make a Bird-Bath Water Fountain

Tape the outer rim of an 18-inch or wider terra cotta saucer. Spray an acrylic sealer on the inside of the saucer and let it dry. Apply a second and third coat of acrylic sealer to the inside of the saucer to prevent the terra cotta from soaking up water.

Set an 8-inch tall terra cotta pot, an 8-inch wide terra cotta saucer, a 6-inch tall terra cotta pot and a 6-inch wide terra cotta saucer into a bucket of water to soak for at least 1 hour.

Make four notches around the lip of the 6-inch terra cotta pot, the 6-inch terra cotta saucer, the 8-inch terra cotta pot and the 8-inch terra cotta saucer by filing notches in them with a 8-inch round file. File the notches so that they are angled with the inner edge lower than the outer edge for the best water flow. Make one notch in the 8-inch terra cotta pot's lip large enough for the cord of a submersible pump to go through.

Drill a hole in the center of the 8-inch and 6-inch terra cotta saucers with a drill and 3/8-inch masonry bit. Test the plastic flexible tubing to make sure that it fits into the hole snugly. Enlarge the hole with a drill fitted with a conical rasp. Expand the hole in the bottom of the 8-inch and 6-inch terra cotta pots (if needed) with a drill fitted with a conical rasp bit until the plastic flexible tubing fits snugly through the hole.

Prime and paint the large planter urn to match the terra cotta pots if desired and let dry. Apply an epoxy adhesive to the rim of the urn and set the 18-inch terra cotta saucer on top of the planter urn.

Connect the flexible tubing to the submersible water pump. Set the submersible water pump in the center of the 18-inch terra cotta saucer. Start stacking the pots and saucers. Set the 8-inch terra cotta pot upside down over the submersible water pump. Thread the pump's cord through the notch in the pot's lip. Pull the flexible tubing through the bottom hole of the 8-inch terra cotta pot. Thread the flexible tubing through the hole in the 8-inch terra cotta saucer. Invert the 6-inch pot over top of the 8-inch terra cotta saucer and thread the flexible tubing through the pot's hole. Thread the flexible tubing through the hole in the 6-inch terra cotta saucer and set the saucer on top of the 6-inch terra cotta pot. Cut any excess tubing from the top of the saucer so that it the tubing only sticks up 1/2 inch above the saucer.

Place a layer of pebbles around the top of the flexible tubing in the 6-inch terra cotta saucer to help disguise it. Place more pebbles if desired in the other saucers. Pour water into the large saucer basin to fill it so that the submersible pump is covered. Plug the submersible pump into an electrical outlet and turn it on to allow the water to cascade down the pots and saucers.