Found I can make pretty good flower pots from dollar store bowls and a drill

Last weekend I wanted some small planters for succulents but the craft store wanted $8 each, so I grabbed three ceramic bowls from Dollar Tree for $1.25 each. I used a diamond drill bit I already had to poke drainage holes in the bottom, and they look exactly like the expensive ones my sister buys. Has anyone else tried drilling into dollar store ceramics or am I gonna crack one eventually?

2 comments

2 Comments

anna_carter5323d ago

Actually, there's a common mistake people make with diamond drill bits on ceramics - you need to keep the drilling area wet. My experience is that if you let the bit get dry, the friction heats up the ceramic too fast and that's what cracks it. I've drilled six dollar store bowls so far and the only one that cracked was when I got distracted and let the water dish go dry. Keep a spray bottle handy or drill in a shallow pan of water, and go slow with light pressure - let the bit do the work. Your mileage may vary but for me the cheap bowls have actually been more forgiving than the expensive ones, they seem to be fired at a lower temperature.

olivia55422d ago

Oh, you cracked one? That's a relief to hear it wasn't just me being clumsy, @anna_carter53. Six bowls and only one cracked actually sounds like pretty good odds for dollar store stuff. I'll definitely try the spray bottle trick next time, because I was just holding it under the faucet between holes.