How to Build a Spanish Fountain

Hone your pottery-making skills to undertake this wall-style Spanish fountain project or plan to use poured cement tinted a rosy beige or adobe color to emulate the style and flavor of sun-kissed Spanish pottery. Prepare enough slip or cement to fill all of the mold’s nooks and crannies, including the base, water overflow lips and channels running the length of the fountain’s back side that hold the water delivery piping in place.

Spray the interior of the fountain mold with silicone so the slip or concrete mix doesn’t adhere to mold walls while the mixture cures and hardens. Insert sturdy hardware into the backside of the fountain while the molding material is still pliable to support the weight of the unit when it’s mounted on an exterior or interior wall. Fire the fountain according to directions provided by the maker of your kiln. Unmold the fountain once it’s hardened.

Use sandpaper, a razor or water and a sponge to smooth out rough edges before curing the fountain completely. Add separate touches – Spanish doves, ornate scroll reminiscent of ancient Spain or other styles of ornamentation – using pottery slip to bond the two surfaces. Glaze or seal the pottery-based sculpture once it’s hardened or risk cracks and deterioration down the road.

Place a submersible fountain pump into the bottom of the reservoir section of the Spanish fountain. Calculate the amount of thrust needed to funnel water through the unit. For example, a two-foot-tall wall fountain needs a pump that runs at 120 gallons per hour (GPH) while an oversized model – 4 to 5 feet tall – calls for a pump capable of generating around 2000 GPH. The reservoir on your Spanish fountain must be deep enough to completely hide the pump.

Thread tubing from the pump over the lip of the reservoir and then feed it up the channel located behind the wall fountain so it pops through the top of the unit. Choose a tubing network with multiple leads if your Spanish fountain is designed to disburse water from multiple ports like those found on larger fountains scattered across Spain. Mount the unit on the wall to position it properly and obscure the tubing from view.

Plug in the pump, fill the reservoir with water using a hose or pitcher and then test the water pressure to assess splash height before adding decorative touches to the Spanish fountain. You can use paint to create colorful accents -- Diego Rivera-inspired calla lilies or Dali-style designs. Wrought iron sculptures adjacent to the fountain add a touch of Spain, as do tiles with ethnic Spanish ceramic patterns.