Staining Cement Bonsai Pots

I guess they don’t have to be Bonsai pots as anything can be planted in the pots afterwards. One thing I tried to read about before begining this is would the final stained pot leach bad chemicals into the plants, and the answer is NO. That was good news. I did a bit of research and selected some colors that sounded interesting to me.

Materials

I got these 7 bottles of stain and one more. The other cracked a bit during shipping so it is laying on its side outside of view of this image. It wasn’t a bad crack, just a hairline, so I taped it up and laid it on it’s side. With the tape on it I should be able to use it later.

Then came some of the pots I would try this out with. I had plenty to choose from.

I also had some very large Penjing pots, but I decided those should wait until I can be sure this is a good path.

The Decisions

After choosing the large rectangular pot and then deciding I would try a bi-color pot with a Jet Black edging and a Golden Safron primary color. The stain is water based and calls for about a 10:1 or 15:1 mix of water to stain. I did not think the 15:1 was getting much done and thickend the mix to a 10:1 or maybe even 8:1 mix. The application went much better with more stain in the mix.

I used a small plastic tub and it came with a lid. Since I have to apply many coats I think this worked out as I could place the brush in the cleaing water tub and then close the mix with the lid. I went away for a meal, came back and I could stain again right away.

I continued staining,,, and staining,,, and staining.

Lol. It is true that some coats are needed, let it dry, stain again. It is also true that if you can make the area you are staining as flat as possible you can reduce the chance of the stain running.

Another tool I kept nearby was a paper towel. It was always going to happen that some would run or drip or splatter. Well, that is how it works when I am doing it.

I think the pots are looking nice now and will only get better when I am done with the final stain. Then, they should look great with a Bonsai in them in the garden.