How to Make Faux Pottery Using Plaster

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Sending flowers is such a thoughtful gesture, but I never know what to do with the vase they come in. The glass vase is usually pretty blah at best and ugly at worst. It would be such a waste to just throw it out, though.

Instead, you can do this easy upcycling project to turn a basic glass florist vase into a chic piece of pottery.

To make a faux pottery vase, you simply coat a basic glass flower vase with a few coats of plaster and embellish with a small leather remnant. To prevent the plaster from chipping off the vase, you need to first create a solid, textured base for the plaster layer to grip.

Let me show you how to make a faux pottery vase using plaster and an old glass vase.

How to Make a DIY Faux Pottery Vase

Step 1: Cut your plaster cloth into strips

First, you’ll cut your Plaster cloth into roughly 2″ wide strips. In order for your plaster to adhere to the smooth glass surface of the vase, you need to create a strong base layer for it to grip.

Some people simply spray the vase with primer or paint, but in my experience, this still leaves the plaster vulnerable to cracking off the glass later.

Instead, I use plaster cloth gauze — the material that casts are made from — to create a strong shell with a rough texture for added durability. The added bonus to this is that it will smooth over any undesirable details, like the 80s-style swoosh that my vase had.

Cut a bunch of strips and, one by one, dip them in water and smooth over the vase in overlapping sections. Let dry overnight.

Step 2: Paint a thick layer of plaster

Prepare a small batch of Plaster in a 2:1 ratio and paint a thick layer all over your vase.

To prepare, I mixed 2/3 cup of plaster and 1/3 cup cold water together until well combined. You want to keep your batches small because plaster starts to thicken and dry quickly.

Using a cheap chip brush, paint your vase in thick, horizontal strokes until the entire surface is covered. For my 15″ tall vase, I only needed one batch of plaster.

Let dry overnight.

Step 3: Apply the final layer of plaster

Using the same 2:1 ratio, mix another batch of plaster for your final coat. For this coat, use random crisscross and up-down strokes to create an organic texture for the final piece. This will also cancel out any remaining horizontal ridges caused by the plaster cloth layer.

Step 4: Add leather cuff

Cut a wide strip of leather and wrap it around the center of the vase. This step is purely optional, but I had a bunch of leather scraps.

It’s easy! Simply cut a length of scrap leather to your desired width, wrap it around the center of the vase, and use hot glue to secure it in the back.

Your faux pottery vase is complete!

I’m a big fan of crafting with leather. If you are too, try one of these simple leather crafts for your home next:

• Woven Leather Coaster
• Faux Branches
• Leather Napkin Rings