Want to hide your waterfall box? One frugal option is to use leftover floor tiles. The larger 24-inch ones work nicely and are often available at thrift shops where surplus building materials are sold.
If you would like to see how I built my garden pond all by myself, I have detailed here: How to Build a Backyard Garden Pond.
How to Hide Waterfall Spillways
Waterfall spillways (see one on Amazon) provide a few functions for garden ponds. These molded tubs have an opening for the input hose, bringing water from the pond pump, and then dumping it back into the pond via the waterfall. And round and round it goes..
The body of the tub holds filter sponges (to collect gunk from the pond) and bio-balls (see them on Amazon), which are another way to filter water.
Bio-Balls for Keeping Pond Water Clear
The problem is, whatever covers a spillway needs to be easy to remove because it’s a key maintenance area for a pond, so it needs to be something lightweight but durable for the outdoors.
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Options for Hiding a Spillway Box
After building my pond, I was looking for options to create some sort of easy-to-remove cover for my waterfall.
The product that pond companies sell is a fake rock like this one. You can place them across a spillway or on top of a skimmer box. They look okay in the photos but the price is a bit startling. Depending on the size, fake rocks can range in price from $60 to over $200. Crikey.
As a temporary solution, that went on far too long, I put a wooden board across the top and sat some rocks on it (above). It looked pretty good but it was a bit cumbersome removing everything to clean the filters.
Here’s my super lazy stage which I can offer no excuse for:
Finally, I scoured a local thrift shop that sells old building materials and found a good solution.
Watch How I Built My Pond
Use Tiles for a Waterfall Spillway Cover
Floor tiles are one good option for hiding the top of a waterfall spillway. The aim is to make it look nicer but still have easy access to the box below.
Choose something colorful if it suits your garden style or plain tiles that blend nicely with the natural surroundings.
Large tiles can be placed on their own or use smaller ones adhered to a piece of plywood.
I placed the two sections over the spillway and—ta-da!—it’s snug in place. It’s heavy enough that it does not move, but super easy to remove.
I wasn’t sure what I’d think but once it was in place, I really love it. It’s quite sleek and mod looking and really fits my garden style.
Now, to access the spillway, I just remove the two tiles and that’s it. Much easier and an excellent solution for just 6 bucks.
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~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛