DIY Decorative Concrete Fence Post

Build a box out of four 2-inch thick boards and a piece of plywood to create a mold for the post. Make the box 8 inches longer, wider and deeper than the planned post. This gives you a 4-inch clearance on all sides. If you want a 4-foot tall post, make the box 4-feet by 8-inches long. If you want the post 6 inches around, make the box 14 inches wide and deep. Make a square out of the four pieces of wood. Hammer them together with nails at the corners. Place the plywood at the base of the box. Attach it by hammering nails through the plywood into the boards. Place the nails every 1-1/2 inches to fully secure the box and support the weight of the sand and concrete. Leave the top of the box uncovered.

Fill the inside of the box with playground sand. Mix water into the sand until the sand holds its shape when you form it into a ball. The amount of sand needed depends on the size of the wooden box. For 4-foot post, for example, use 50 lbs of sand.

Draw the outline of the fence post in the center of the sand using the tip of your finger. Once you like the shape and size of the drawing, dig out the shape using a garden trowel. Leave a 2-inch to 3-inch wall of sand on all sides of the post to create a sand mold.

Create a pattern out of small mosaic tiles along the three walls of sand. Press the tiles into the sand half way with the decorative side in the sand.

Prepare a batch of quick set concrete by mixing the dry concrete with water according to package directions. Mix pour the concrete into a concrete mixing tub. Mix the concrete with a mixer attachment and a drill. Use a The amount of concrete needed depends on the size of the sand mold. For example, a 4-foot posts will need 20 lbs of concrete.

Pour the prepared concrete into the sand mold. Use a trowel to smooth the exposed side of the concrete. Allow the concrete to set for an hour. Then, add mosaic tiles to the exposed side of the concrete. Since areas of concrete not touching tiles will be textured by the sand, if you want a uniform look, apply a thin layer of sand to the top of the post. This will texture the concrete here. If you have enough tiles to leave little to no exposed concrete, skip the additional sand.

Leave the concrete to cure for three to four days. Once the concrete sets, remove the post from the sand. Dust the outside of the post with a paintbrush to remove the sand.