Making a fountain from scratch? (brink & concrete)
 

I was wondering if anyone has attempted this.

What I have in mind:

I don't know the technical terms for the parts of fountains, but I'll
explain the best way I can. I have in mind two basic parts: the pool
part at the bottom (sqaure shape) and the vertical (rectangle shape)
part on the back that will house the pump inside and circulate water to
create a waterfall over the top and into the pool. (Picture the whole
thing as a chair shape without legs and the waterwall coming over the
top of the chair and into the seat.)

I'm thinking of doing this out of brick.

After that is complete and dry, I want to cover it with concrete to
hide the brick structure and then paint it with some concrete paint to
give it either a terra-cotta color or maybe a Tuscan-style yellow.

I've never done anything like this, so I need some insight from people
who maybe have experience in putting something like this together. I
know I'll need some type of sealant. Would that only need to go in the
pool area or inside the well part also. Would the entire inside need to
be coated with a sealant? And would I do the sealant before or after I
paint?

What kind of pump would I need to push the water up and give it a wide
sheet of water effect coming off the top? Is that the basics I need: a
pool, well and pump?

Last I want to embellish it with a mosaic on the bottom of the pool
and some sort of tile design on the back.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been searching websites,
but can't really kind what I'm looking for.

Thanks! :)

Home Depot sells rubber blankets that is used to make ponds. That would be
cheaper for the under ground part of the pool.

Good luck

Gary


wrote in message
oups.com...

I was wondering if anyone has attempted this.

What I have in mind:

I don't know the technical terms for the parts of fountains, but I'll
explain the best way I can. I have in mind two basic parts: the pool
part at the bottom (sqaure shape) and the vertical (rectangle shape)
part on the back that will house the pump inside and circulate water to
create a waterfall over the top and into the pool. (Picture the whole
thing as a chair shape without legs and the waterwall coming over the
top of the chair and into the seat.)

I'm thinking of doing this out of brick.

After that is complete and dry, I want to cover it with concrete to
hide the brick structure and then paint it with some concrete paint to
give it either a terra-cotta color or maybe a Tuscan-style yellow.

I've never done anything like this, so I need some insight from people
who maybe have experience in putting something like this together. I
know I'll need some type of sealant. Would that only need to go in the
pool area or inside the well part also. Would the entire inside need to
be coated with a sealant? And would I do the sealant before or after I
paint?

What kind of pump would I need to push the water up and give it a wide
sheet of water effect coming off the top? Is that the basics I need: a
pool, well and pump?

Last I want to embellish it with a mosaic on the bottom of the pool
and some sort of tile design on the back.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been searching websites,
but can't really kind what I'm looking for.

Thanks! :)

Thanks, but it's more of an above ground fountain than an in-ground
one. I don't really want a rubber blanket because I want to make a
pretty mosaic at the bottom of the pool. I have an idea of how to do
it. I think my biggest obstacle is how to make it work properly and I
know pumps can be expensive. I'm excited about getting started, though.

Thanks for the reply





Gary & Karen wrote:
Home Depot sells rubber blankets that is used to make ponds. That would be
cheaper for the under ground part of the pool.

Good luck

Gary


wrote in message
oups.com...

I was wondering if anyone has attempted this.

What I have in mind:

I don't know the technical terms for the parts of fountains, but I'll
explain the best way I can. I have in mind two basic parts: the pool
part at the bottom (sqaure shape) and the vertical (rectangle shape)
part on the back that will house the pump inside and circulate water to
create a waterfall over the top and into the pool. (Picture the whole
thing as a chair shape without legs and the waterwall coming over the
top of the chair and into the seat.)

I'm thinking of doing this out of brick.

After that is complete and dry, I want to cover it with concrete to
hide the brick structure and then paint it with some concrete paint to
give it either a terra-cotta color or maybe a Tuscan-style yellow.

I've never done anything like this, so I need some insight from people
who maybe have experience in putting something like this together. I
know I'll need some type of sealant. Would that only need to go in the
pool area or inside the well part also. Would the entire inside need to
be coated with a sealant? And would I do the sealant before or after I
paint?

What kind of pump would I need to push the water up and give it a wide
sheet of water effect coming off the top? Is that the basics I need: a
pool, well and pump?

Last I want to embellish it with a mosaic on the bottom of the pool
and some sort of tile design on the back.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been searching websites,
but can't really kind what I'm looking for.

Thanks! :)

I think you better hire a professional mason contractor. What you're
talking about I think is way beyond the average handyman.

In article .com,
" wrote:

I was wondering if anyone has attempted this.

What I have in mind:

I don't know the technical terms for the parts of fountains, but I'll
explain the best way I can. I have in mind two basic parts: the pool
part at the bottom (sqaure shape) and the vertical (rectangle shape)
part on the back that will house the pump inside and circulate water to
create a waterfall over the top and into the pool. (Picture the whole
thing as a chair shape without legs and the waterwall coming over the
top of the chair and into the seat.)

I'm thinking of doing this out of brick.

After that is complete and dry, I want to cover it with concrete to
hide the brick structure and then paint it with some concrete paint to
give it either a terra-cotta color or maybe a Tuscan-style yellow.

I've never done anything like this, so I need some insight from people
who maybe have experience in putting something like this together. I
know I'll need some type of sealant. Would that only need to go in the
pool area or inside the well part also. Would the entire inside need to
be coated with a sealant? And would I do the sealant before or after I
paint?

What kind of pump would I need to push the water up and give it a wide
sheet of water effect coming off the top? Is that the basics I need: a
pool, well and pump?

Last I want to embellish it with a mosaic on the bottom of the pool
and some sort of tile design on the back.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been searching websites,
but can't really kind what I'm looking for.

Thanks! :)

I haven't ever attempted such an ambitious project but I did partially
watch a pond being installed by a bunch of pros last summer similar to
what you describe. They used concrete blocks to build the pond and
then put some sort of skimming stuff over that and set some nice stones
on the top edge. I really didn't notice how they handled the pump. Good
luck! The ponds that I have built all required a good deal of tinkering
with before they were just right. (Some never made it :-) ) Lots of fun
in retrospect, but a royal pain at the time. Good luck!

Cea

Liquid CIM is available hero.....You can DIY...It rolls on w/paint roller
and turns to rubber..
The pump should be at the bottom of the wall with the plumbing going to the
top to a trough of some sort such as a piece of vinyl gutterw/holes drilled
along the bottom to drain down your wall....I've built such an animal a few
years ago...Sort of the same shape except I used a window from a full glass
storm door for the back part..
Hero because you've "never done anything like this before..." and you're
doing it........ Keep going..


wrote in message
oups.com...

I was wondering if anyone has attempted this.

What I have in mind:

I don't know the technical terms for the parts of fountains, but I'll
explain the best way I can. I have in mind two basic parts: the pool
part at the bottom (sqaure shape) and the vertical (rectangle shape)
part on the back that will house the pump inside and circulate water to
create a waterfall over the top and into the pool. (Picture the whole
thing as a chair shape without legs and the waterwall coming over the
top of the chair and into the seat.)

I'm thinking of doing this out of brick.

After that is complete and dry, I want to cover it with concrete to
hide the brick structure and then paint it with some concrete paint to
give it either a terra-cotta color or maybe a Tuscan-style yellow.

I've never done anything like this, so I need some insight from people
who maybe have experience in putting something like this together. I
know I'll need some type of sealant. Would that only need to go in the
pool area or inside the well part also. Would the entire inside need to
be coated with a sealant? And would I do the sealant before or after I
paint?

What kind of pump would I need to push the water up and give it a wide
sheet of water effect coming off the top? Is that the basics I need: a
pool, well and pump?

Last I want to embellish it with a mosaic on the bottom of the pool
and some sort of tile design on the back.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been searching websites,
but can't really kind what I'm looking for.

Thanks! :)

Thanks everyone. I really think I can do it. It's just like making a
table top fountain on a larger scale, right?

Regarding decorative tile, I don't need a lot of it and usually plain
ceramic tile isn't all that expensive.

I wish HGTV and the DIY Network had more programs specifically for
doing these types of projects.

If I'm unable to do it the way I want, then I'll have to find an
easier, cheaper alternative.

wrote in message
ups.com...


Thanks everyone. I really think I can do it. It's just like making a
table top fountain on a larger scale, right?

Regarding decorative tile, I don't need a lot of it and usually plain
ceramic tile isn't all that expensive.

I wish HGTV and the DIY Network had more programs specifically for
doing these types of projects.


There is pond newsgroup. The people there may be able to help.

I love the shows on HGTV on how to landscape. They will tell you that you
can build an elaborate garden complete with hardscape, water feature, and
lighting for about $12 and it will only take two days. Then they bring in a
crew of twenty laborers with shovels, a mason with helpers, an electrician,
a landscape architect, a carpenter, and assorted equipment including a
Bobcat, two backhoes, a dump truck, sod cutter, rototiller, wet saw,
vibratory compactor, and a 18 inch augur. After a few shovels of dirt have
been turned, you get a tour of a local garden center to select some pots or
a fountain. When the show returns to the worksite, the entire project is
ready for planting. The show goes to a commercial, and when it returns, the
crew is sweeping the sidewalk and the clueless homeowner are given a tour of
the garden where misinformation is dispensed about the plant material.

Oh, I know. I don't care for shows like that. Not realistic enough for
the everyday person. I like the programs like "Weekend Warriors" where
it has pretty much the average person getting something accomplished on
their own.

I'll search for the pond group. Thanks!

BTW, that is supposed to say "brick", of course, in the subject title
and not "brink"! I have no idea why I typed that.

Anyway, I found some "brinks" around the yard and drew with some chalk
on the house sort of a mock up of what I'm talking about. This is also
the location where I want to do it. Just to give a better visual.

Here's a pictu
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...2/IM002324.jpg








There is pond newsgroup. The people there may be able to help.

I love the shows on HGTV on how to landscape. They will tell you that you
can build an elaborate garden complete with hardscape, water feature, and
lighting for about $12 and it will only take two days. Then they bring in a
crew of twenty laborers with shovels, a mason with helpers, an electrician,
a landscape architect, a carpenter, and assorted equipment including a
Bobcat, two backhoes, a dump truck, sod cutter, rototiller, wet saw,
vibratory compactor, and a 18 inch augur. After a few shovels of dirt have
been turned, you get a tour of a local garden center to select some pots or
a fountain. When the show returns to the worksite, the entire project is
ready for planting. The show goes to a commercial, and when it returns, the
crew is sweeping the sidewalk and the clueless homeowner are given a tour of
the garden where misinformation is dispensed about the plant material.

wrote in message
oups.com...

I was wondering if anyone has attempted this.

What I have in mind:

I don't know the technical terms for the parts of fountains, but I'll
explain the best way I can. I have in mind two basic parts: the pool
part at the bottom (sqaure shape) and the vertical (rectangle shape)
part on the back that will house the pump inside and circulate water to
create a waterfall over the top and into the pool. (Picture the whole
thing as a chair shape without legs and the waterwall coming over the
top of the chair and into the seat.)

I'm thinking of doing this out of brick.

After that is complete and dry, I want to cover it with concrete to
hide the brick structure and then paint it with some concrete paint to
give it either a terra-cotta color or maybe a Tuscan-style yellow.

I've never done anything like this, so I need some insight from people
who maybe have experience in putting something like this together. I
know I'll need some type of sealant. Would that only need to go in the
pool area or inside the well part also. Would the entire inside need to
be coated with a sealant? And would I do the sealant before or after I
paint?

What kind of pump would I need to push the water up and give it a wide
sheet of water effect coming off the top? Is that the basics I need: a
pool, well and pump?

Last I want to embellish it with a mosaic on the bottom of the pool
and some sort of tile design on the back.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been searching websites,
but can't really kind what I'm looking for.

Thanks! :)

Instead of tiles, why not use pretty colored broken dishes? A secondhand
shop in South Beach, Fl. has their whole floor done with them and is was far
more interesting than the things they sold.
Yard sales should yield all you need. Good luck and it really sounds like
fun.

wrote in message
oups.com...

I was wondering if anyone has attempted this.

What I have in mind:

I don't know the technical terms for the parts of fountains, but I'll
explain the best way I can. I have in mind two basic parts: the pool
part at the bottom (sqaure shape) and the vertical (rectangle shape)
part on the back that will house the pump inside and circulate water to
create a waterfall over the top and into the pool. (Picture the whole
thing as a chair shape without legs and the waterwall coming over the
top of the chair and into the seat.)

I'm thinking of doing this out of brick.

After that is complete and dry, I want to cover it with concrete to
hide the brick structure and then paint it with some concrete paint to
give it either a terra-cotta color or maybe a Tuscan-style yellow.

I've never done anything like this, so I need some insight from people
who maybe have experience in putting something like this together. I
know I'll need some type of sealant. Would that only need to go in the
pool area or inside the well part also. Would the entire inside need to
be coated with a sealant? And would I do the sealant before or after I
paint?

What kind of pump would I need to push the water up and give it a wide
sheet of water effect coming off the top? Is that the basics I need: a
pool, well and pump?

Last I want to embellish it with a mosaic on the bottom of the pool
and some sort of tile design on the back.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been searching websites,
but can't really kind what I'm looking for.

Thanks! :)

Take a look and see what is possible. Maybe instead of broken plates you
might was to mess with mosaics? Sure wish that was spelled correctly?
http://www.glastar.com/gallery/detail/?page=518

a
href="http://www.glastar.com/gallery/detail/?page=518"http://www.glastar.com/gallery/detail/?page=518/a

Thanks! I hadn't thought about that. Great idea! Ny neighborhood is
allowed to have garage sales on Saturdays; I should check some out.

wrote in message
oups.com...


Thanks! I hadn't thought about that. Great idea! Ny neighborhood is
allowed to have garage sales on Saturdays; I should check some out.


It dosen't look very difficult. I have built lamps and windows but never
tried mosaics but I sure would love to try. My husband has banned me from
the splashback on the sink. Creep!

wrote in message
oups.com...

I was wondering if anyone has attempted this.

What I have in mind:

I don't know the technical terms for the parts of fountains, but I'll
explain the best way I can. I have in mind two basic parts: the pool
part at the bottom (sqaure shape) and the vertical (rectangle shape)
part on the back that will house the pump inside and circulate water to
create a waterfall over the top and into the pool. (Picture the whole
thing as a chair shape without legs and the waterwall coming over the
top of the chair and into the seat.)

I'm thinking of doing this out of brick.

After that is complete and dry, I want to cover it with concrete to
hide the brick structure and then paint it with some concrete paint to
give it either a terra-cotta color or maybe a Tuscan-style yellow.

I've never done anything like this, so I need some insight from people
who maybe have experience in putting something like this together. I
know I'll need some type of sealant. Would that only need to go in the
pool area or inside the well part also. Would the entire inside need to
be coated with a sealant? And would I do the sealant before or after I
paint?

What kind of pump would I need to push the water up and give it a wide
sheet of water effect coming off the top? Is that the basics I need: a
pool, well and pump?

Last I want to embellish it with a mosaic on the bottom of the pool
and some sort of tile design on the back.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been searching websites,
but can't really kind what I'm looking for.

Thanks! :)


Take a peek here, http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/stainedglass/
Just read it thru and you will see all sorts of possibilities.
It also deals with the mosaics I was telling you about.