Faux bois means “false wood.” Cement-based planters created to look like wood generally last much more than the real thing and will weather to look pleasantly rustic. They can be constructed from concrete or hypertufa, which has a more porous, sandstone-like texture. You can find recipes for many concrete or hypertufa combinations online. Select one which seems most suitable for the size of planter you wish to create, selecting stronger mixes for larger containers.
Find a container the size and shape you would like your planter to be. Put it inside a garbage bag. Smooth the bag so that it clings to the container and turn the container upside down on a tough surface.
Don heavy rubber gloves, a dust mask and goggles. Combine portland cement, masonry sand and fibermesh with water to make a concrete mixture. Instead, mix portland cement using peat and perlite, in addition to fibermesh and water, to earn a hypertufa mixture. Expand the ingredients in a wheelbarrow, plastic tub or plastic sink, adding water in tiny amounts until the mixture reaches the consistency of stiff frosting.
Implement your mixture to the plastic-covered container, using a trowel, to a depth of 1 or 2 inches. Produce flux in the mixture with your gloved fingers or the trowel to get a hardy tree-bark look. Leave a few raised places to represent knots or broken-off branches.
Cover the planter with moist burlap or plastic, allow it to sit for 12 to 36 hours, until it appears firm enough to get finer carving. Add more textures and lines as desired, using a table fork, roofing knife or nail. Use a piece of log or a picture as a guide, if necessary.
Maintain the planter covered with moist burlap or plastic for three more days. Turn it right side up and eliminate the plastic-covered container. File off rough edges using a wire brush.
Leave the planter to cure from the shade for several weeks. Fill it up with water and allow the water drain out gradually through the lines that are stale. Keep filling the planter with water for a couple weeks to allow lime to leach out, before placing any dirt and plants in it.