DIY A Budget-Friendly Faux Stone Planter With A Pool Noodle – Here's How

While stone planters look great, they can be expensive and heavy. This is especially true if you want to get multiple stone planters. If you're looking for a cheaper way to create your own faux stone planter that's both lighter and easier to move than a real one, then try an easy pool noodle hack instead.

Stone planters are always in demand on patios or inside living rooms, because they add a bit of style. But they're often expensive, running anywhere from $40 to upwards of $200. They can easily stain as well, even if you learn all the tricks about how to clean concrete planters. Not to mention, concrete or stone planters are heavy all by themselves ... but add in soil, too, and now it might feel like you're moving cinderblocks around your patio. Of course, you can always lighten the load by using pine cones when filling planters.

If you're looking for a cheaper and lighter alternative, try making your own faux stone planter — a project cleverly put together by @watchsharesave on TikTok. To make your own, grab a trash bin or 5-gallon bucket. Keep in mind that you might need to drill holes in the bottom for proper drainage. Most plants need good drainage or they'll wither and die as their roots start to rot in the soggy water. But to make your own faux stone planter, you'll also need a pool noodle, scissors, a glue gun, painter's tape, a can of white spray paint or dust-proof sheetrock compound, and a can of stone finish paint. 

To start, cut the pool noodle in half the long way. Measure around your bin or bucket, and then cut the pool noodle into segments that will wrap around and meet. Then, glue them on horizontally. If you're using a slanted trash bin, you might need to cut the sliced edges at an angle to make them lie flush. If you're using a 5-gallon bucket from somewhere like Lowe's or Home Depot, then the noodles should lie flat without any alterations. 

Glue the first segment on the bottom and work your way up. You might also want to add in some painter's tape around the seams where the pool noodle edges meet to avoid an unsightly gap there. Spray paint the entire project in white, or for added texture, use a dust-proof sheetrock compound. Be sure to do so in a well-ventilated area, like outside. Fumes from spray paint can be unhealthy even if exposure is short. 

After the paint or compound is dry, add on a coat of stone paint, like Krylon coarse stone texture finish spray paint. This gives the appearance of speckled stone texture. Stone paint comes in a variety of colors, including white, black, or gray. Let it dry, and now you've got a lightweight pool noodle faux stone planter. This is just another reason that these super-affordable foam noodles might be the unsung heroes of the garden. There are so many innovative ways to reuse pool noodles for thriving garden plants.