Fixing Terra-cotta Pots

Give your old terra-cotta pot a second life with simple a repair

In our disposable culture we sometimes forget that there is a beauty in items that have been well used and given a second chance through repair. For example, an old terra-cotta pot can be repaired quickly and easily, using nothing more than some copper wire and a masonry bit. This technique, which can give a favourite old pot a bit of character, is also a great way to repair a hairline crack before it becomes more severe.

How to fix a broken terra-cotta pot

1. Fit the broken piece of terra-cotta pot into place. Using pencil, mark pot to determine where to drill. The marks should be placed like holes for laces on a sneaker (about ¼ to ½ inch in from break to prevent terra-cotta from cracking when drilled). The copper wire will be strung through holes and tightened to hold piece in place.

Materials and tools:

• Broken terra-cotta pot, preferably with just one or two clean breaks
• Pencil
• Single-ply copper wire
• Rotary tool such as a Dremel
• 1⁄8” masonry drill bit

2. Use a rotary tool fitted with masonry bit to drill holes on either side of the crack.

3. Cut wire into 7.5-cm (3-in.) lengths. From the outside of pot, put wire length halfway through bottom drillhole on pot and put other end through bottommost hole of broken piece. Twist copper wires together inside pot and trim excess wire. Repeat on remaining pairs of holes. Push twisted copper wire against pot until flush with pot.

More simple fix-its for the backyard

Find 125 simple projects like this one in Sean Conway’s Cultivating Life: 125 Projects for Backyard Living by Sean Conway and Lee Alan Buttala. Packed with vivid photos, fun sidebars, expert tips and step-by-step instructions, Conway presents big and small ideas, from making a portable salad table for growing lettuces to building a porch swing.

Garden

Fixing Terra-cotta Pots