Make Your Own Tabletop Fountain

If you've always wanted to make your own custom tabletop water fountain, now's your chance to try. Fall is a great time to implement water features into the home - as the cold weather moves in, it's nice to be able to bring a little bit of nature indoors. Our tabletop fountain tutorial uses pre-packaged bamboo spout kits, a bowl, and some river rocks to create a beautiful focal point for any room in the home.

Choose a watertight container that will be the basis of your fountain. Since we'll be using bamboo spouts, your container should be the right size to fit the spout you select. Make sure it can contain the flow of water. If you choose a bamboo spout that rests on top of the bowl, like the 5 Arm Bamboo Spout pictured at right your container shouldn't be so wide that the spout will fall inside. In addition to bowls you could try lotus pots, half barrels, galvanized buckets or any other container that will hold water. To make a container more waterproof you can either line the inside with pond liner, or spray it with a watertight sealant.

Place the pump that comes with your bamboo spout kit inside the bowl. Don't plug it in just yet - you should never allow a pump to run without being submerged in water. Position the pump so that you can easily run the cord out along the back edge of the bowl. You can either cover the pump with a decorative pump cover (Frog Pump Cover in Antique White pictured with the 5-Arm Bamboo Spout above), fill the bowl with river rocks to cover the pump, or leave it as it is.

Position the bamboo spout over the bowl. If you're using a 'rocking fountain' (pictured left), also known as a 'deer scarer', you can either place it inside or outside the bowl depending on the size and your preference. Fill the bowl with water and plug in the pump. You may wish to add an additional accessory such as a water wheel (pictured at the top of this post), or a figurine of some sort. Plants can also be added if the bowl is large enough.

If you're not crazy about the look of bamboo, you can skip the spout and simply place a fountain pump in the basin for a bubbling effect. You could also use a small 'pond spitter'.

All the maintenance your new fountain needs is the occasional addition of a few drops of anti-algae and anti-white scale water treatment, as well as keeping the water level above the pump to prevent damage. To see a full line of bamboo spouts and fountain care products, check out KineticFountains.com.