Repurpose Old Stone Into A Bird Haven They Can't Resist

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While it isn't complicated to attract a variety of birds to your yard, they need a reliable food and water source. You have a lot of options for both, but one TikTok user, @shelleycarline_design, created a particularly stunning bird bath with repurposed stones. Carline turned old millstones into a focal point of her garden. To make the bird bath, she stacked the stones and secured them with construction adhesive. The top stone is concave and will easily hold 2 to 3 inches of water, the maximum amount you'll need for a bird bath.

Stone is an ideal material for a durable bird bath that will last for years. To make this project happen, you'll need some millstones, which you can find for sale at places such as Facebook Marketplace, gardening centers, brick and stone stores, and old mills. The stones are available in a variety of shapes and sizes, so choose those that best fit your space. Look for a larger top stone that has a concave side to hold water and smaller stones to serve as the support structure. You'll find the adhesive at your local hardware store by asking for a masonry construction adhesive, like Loctite PL 500 Landscape Construction Adhesive. While you're there, you can grab a bird-safe stone sealant, such as 511 Impregnator Penetrating Sealer, and masonry paint to complete the project. 

This DIY water feature uses several different-sized millstones to create a bird bath that is similar in shape to a traditional concrete bird bath. You're basically just constructing a vessel to hold a few inches of water, so don't overcomplicate it. Following the general idea of using old stones in the garden will give you a custom look without the need for slavish devotion to any specifics. In the video, pebbles and sliced logs create a base for the project, but it would also look great placed directly on the lawn or on a square of concrete pavers. If you want to bring in extra texture for added visual interest, you could build a small wooden base to serve as the foundation. 

@shelleycarline_design ♬ original sound – Shelley Carline

Working with old stones that aren't mass-produced is a big part of what gives this project its charm. However, that also means that you may need to make some adjustments to your stones to make them work. You don't have to train in advanced masonry techniques to build your bird bath, but you might need a stone working chisel and hammer to chip away the edges and roughly reshape the stones or remove imperfections to get them exactly the way you want. Then, you can stack the stones to build your bird bath. Do a dry run to make sure they'll stand steadily. When you're sure the structure is sound, apply a generous layer of construction adhesive between each layer to hold them together. Paint and seal the completed bird bath. Once it dries, you just have to fill it with fresh water and let your backyard birds take it from there!