{"title":"How to Make a Concrete Gazing Ball for the Garden","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/crafts/how-to-make-a-concrete-gazing-ball","category":{"slug":"crafts","name":"Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"CADEmade","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRoFs9wnTpIdByh6fGmiWkg","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRMbA6w5DEc"},"tldr":"How to make a concrete gazing ball over a play ball: tape, slurry, pat on sand and cement, then add texture and an aged terracotta patina.","quickAnswer":"How to make a concrete gazing ball over a play ball: tape, slurry, pat on sand and cement, then add texture and an aged terracotta patina. A medium project: about 2 hours, plus 48 hours to dry or set. Materials cost about $15 to $30. You need 15 things, including vinyl play ball, self-adhesive cement board tape and Portland cement. The 9 steps start with wrap the Play Ball in Cement Board Tape.","totalDurationSeconds":641,"videoDurationSeconds":641,"difficulty":"medium","project":{"difficulty":"medium","projectMinutes":120,"waitMinutes":2880,"totalMinutes":3000,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":15,"max":30},"yield":"1 garden sphere"},"tools":["drill with mixing paddle","mixing bucket","small mixing bowl","chip brush","spray bottle","garden hose","gloves","dust mask","scissors"],"materials":["vinyl play ball (9 to 12 inch)","self-adhesive cement board tape","Portland cement","play sand","concrete bonding adhesive","liquid cement colour (optional)"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Wrap the Play Ball in Cement Board Tape","text":"Pump a plastic play ball a little firmer than it came so it will not dent under the weight of concrete. Set it on a saucer or a pot rim to keep it from rolling. Wrap self-adhesive cement board tape around it, sticky side down, crossing the strips in every direction. Keep going until the ball is almost fully covered and the colour barely peeks through."},{"number":2,"title":"Mix Portland Cement and Bonding Adhesive Into a Slurry","text":"In a small bowl, stir about two cups of Portland cement with roughly a cup of concrete bonding adhesive. Add water a little at a time. You want a wet, mushy paste, a bit like thick mud, that almost holds a dent when you press a finger in. The adhesive is what lets the cement grip the mesh tape on the ball."},{"number":3,"title":"Paint the Cement Slurry Over the Taped Ball","text":"Brush the slurry over the whole taped ball with a chip brush or an old paintbrush. Lay it on thick so none of the tape threads show. Rest the ball on a pot or saucer as you work. A wide, stable base is better than a tall one, because the ball gets heavy. Let the coated ball dry overnight until it feels hard with no give."},{"number":4,"title":"Mix the Sand and Cement Concrete for the Sphere","text":"For the main layer, combine one part play sand with one part Portland cement in a bucket. Add a splash of bonding adhesive and some water, then mix with a paddle on a drill. Keep adding water or a little more cement until the mix feels like play dough. It should hold its shape in your hand. Mix small batches so each one stays workable while you use it."},{"number":5,"title":"Pat Concrete Onto the Slurried Sphere","text":"Mist the dry slurry coat with a spray bottle so it is good and wet. Grab a handful of concrete and pat it onto the ball, starting at the bottom. Press each new handful into the edge of the last so they join into one shell. Keep wetting the surface as you go. A large ball takes several batches, so mix the next one before you run out."},{"number":6,"title":"Finish the Top of the Concrete Gazing Ball","text":"Once the lower half is covered, flip the ball if you need to and work over the top. Check the shape from a few angles so it stays round. The surface texture is up to you. Cade liked the dimpled pattern their fingertips left and kept it. Add a few final pats to even out thin spots, then let the sphere dry overnight."},{"number":7,"title":"Brush Terracotta Pigment Slurry on the Concrete Sphere","text":"For colour, mix a fresh slurry of Portland cement and water with liquid cement colour. Cade used terracotta and dulled it with a little brown. Wet the cured sphere well, then brush the coloured slurry over the whole surface. It goes on bright, so do not worry if it looks too orange at this stage. The next step tones it down."},{"number":8,"title":"Hose Off the Concrete Gazing Ball for an Aged Patina","text":"Before the colour coat sets hard, take the sphere outside and spray it with a garden hose. Most of the pigment washes away, but some stays in the dips and texture. That leaves a soft terracotta patina that looks like weathered stone. Stop spraying when you like what you see. Leave it alone to cure for a couple of days."},{"number":9,"title":"Smooth a Wet Final Coat on a Second Concrete Sphere","text":"For a smoother look, make your final coat as wet as you can and spread it on with bare wet hands. Pat and rub it until the sphere is even and round all over. Your wet palms leave a fine orange peel texture. Shape the bottom last. Leave the bonding adhesive out of this layer if you hope moss will grow on it in the garden."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-18T13:45:42.817Z","published":"2026-10-18T13:45:42.488Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}