What do you do with an unused, broken-down SkyTV dish dangling precariously from the roof? Upcycle it into a birdbath – of course!
While you can create a masterpiece out of kitchen tiles and helpful guidance from DIY classes, we opted to make it up as we went along.
If you don’t have a spare SkyTV dish floating about, be creative and think of something else shallow and bowl-like!
The dish itself wasn’t very heavy and had holes in a number of places where it screwed onto the metal arms. This isn’t a problem. By the time you’ve finished grouting, the hole is patched up and watertight.
Things to consider when making your birdbath
Think how best to have this perched off the ground (away from cats and other critters that discourage the birds from stopping by). We used a recycled concrete pillar.
You will need to be prepared to break a few plates! This is the fun bit. Whether you have spares floating around the house, or want to select your own pattern from op shop purchases, you will need to break them into small pieces.
Trust me. Ceramic splinters fly in all directions, so it’s good to do this with a hammer and plenty of towels/ newspaper for safety. Seriously, eye protection is wise also. Sort the pieces into similar sizes, and discard the unusable pieces (often the curve of a plate as it is too thick and doesn’t sit so well in position).
Mix your mortar! This gets rather sloppy and dries quickly. We used coloured tiling grout and used plenty of it. By layering a good base on the dish, we sunk our broken plate pieces into our design position. Once completed, more scoops of mortar pressed into the gaps create a smooth surface.
If the grouting dries over the tiles don’t panic, although you will need to scrape it off again later (which you can do with a wire brush, or chip away at it with a flat-end screw driver if necessary). Even a good attack with the water blaster will do wonders.
**Update: —- the birdbath works! We spotted a myna bird take a bath in rainwater. Very awesome. Didn’t have the camera handy, but take our word!
Upcycle! Rediscover the joys of home-made garden art.
