Faux DIY Concrete Garden Decorations

Learn how to make faux concrete garden decorations and statues by upcycling old home decor pieces.

Thrift Store Decor Wednesday sort of got away from me this month. With the 4th of July holiday week (it lasted a week, didn't it) I had totally forgotten about getting my project ready. When Monday morning came and I realized that this was THE week, I thought I might need to bail out on this month's posting altogether.

Then I decided to "shop" my garage to see what I could find.

And lo and behold this chicken jumped out at me. I had bought her YEARS ago at Hobby Lobby on clearance. I swear it had to be 15 years ago. She didn't fit in with my kitchen decor any longer, but I didn't want to just willy-nilly donate her to Goodwill so she sat in the corner of my garage awaiting her fate (as chickens are known to do).

BTW, I have nightmares of donating things to Goodwill one day and then a few days later going to the Goodwill Outlet store and finding them at the bottom of one of those bins along with jagged china pieces and old armless Barbies. I picture my discards looking up at me all broken-hearted and judgemental thinking "Look what you did to me!".

So anyhow, I decided to spruce her up and use her in the garden for decor instead.

✨ BTW, today is Thrift Store Decor Wednesday, so make sure you hang around to the end of the post to see the rest of the team's thrift store repurposes for the month!

I have a few other concrete pieces around the yard, so I thought why not add a "concrete" chicken to the mix?

For example, my husband bought this concrete urn for me for Mother's Day this year.

I'm in love with the Streptocarpella saxorum, also known as false African Violet, which I planted in it. It's another one of those houseplants you can use outside in the summer and bring inside for the fall and winter like I showed you in my Summer Shade Container Garden post a few weeks ago.

Why yes, I do have a concrete lawn goose circa 1985 in my yard. And no I don't dress it in goose clothes or anything, but he belonged to my mother and I feel obligated to keep it around.

They actually sold reproductions at JoAnn Fabrics this year, so they might be having a comeback tour.

Step-by-Step: Faux DIY Concrete Garden Statues from Old Decor

Note: This is an outdoor-friendly version of my Baking Soda Paint Tutorial for updating a thrift store vase from a few years ago.

(This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. You can read my full disclosure policy here.)

Supplies

• Plastic or Resin Home Decor Piece
• Rust-oleum 2x Ultra Cover Paint & Primer in Stone Gray Satin
• Rust-oleum 2X Ultra Cover Paint in White
• Rust-oleum 2X Ultra Cover Sealer in Matte Clear Satin
• Silica Sand or Desert Sand For Terrariums (I put mine in a vintage syrup pitcher for easy pouring, but you can just use your hands)

Instructions

I started by washing my chicken in the kitchen sink.

It had a lot of dust, dirt and spider remnants on it from living in the garage.

After it dried, I sprayed a light coat of the Stone Gray color over the entire bird.

Then I immediately tossed some of the sand onto it. The damp spray paint acts like a glue to hold the sand in place.

Concrete is not smooth and perfect looking, so adding the sand gives it a gritty, more realistic texture.

Not that I am an expert on chickens or anything, but it reminds me of when chickens throw dirt on their bodies to clean themselves. I think it's called a dust bath.

Or sand bath in this case.

I followed that up with alternating messy coats of the white and gray colors. I was absolutely NOT striving for perfection and these coats were not full coverage. I tried to have some of the white poking through in some places and more of the gray in other places.

As I stated, this is a very haphazard look.

As a last step, I sprayed the entire chicken with two coats of the Rust-oleum Clear Matte Sealer. This sealer is exterior-rated and will protect it from the weather.

Of course, it hasn't actually gone through much weather yet since I just made it on Monday, but other outdoor items I have sealed with it have held up very well.

I think she's happy to be out of the garage and back on display!

Other Upcycles You May Enjoy:

• Old Wooden Ladder Garden Ideas
• DIY Silverware Wind Chimes
• Rustic Birch Bark Vase
• How To Make A Radio Flyer Wagon Coffee Table (with storage)

Pop on over to see what the other Thrift Store Decor members are doing this month (summer months mean a smaller group).