IN last years People increasingly come to their dachas not to dig in the garden beds. To improve their garden plots, they often use the services of landscape designers, on whose advice they spend a lot of money on purchasing park sculptures. After reading this article, you will learn how to make concrete sculptures with your own hands.
A little history
Since time immemorial, people have tried to create a special atmosphere in their areas with the help of all kinds of figurines and sculptures. Our distant ancestors believed that stone sculptures not only influence the surrounding vegetation, but also change the fate of the owners. So, a family of little gnomes brings good harvest and good luck. Animal sculptures give their owners health and longevity, and marble human figures save them from loneliness. Characters from various fairy tales promise their owners interesting life filled with amazing events.
Main features and advantages of the material used
Many owners probably always have a certain amount of concrete, cement or putty that can be used to create park decor. The main advantage of a mixture prepared on the basis of sand, cement and water is its plasticity. Therefore, it is very easy and simple to work with such material. In addition, concrete sculptures are resistant to precipitation, so they can be safely left outdoors. They also don't require special care. The owners will need to occasionally restore the figurine's coating.
Another significant advantage similar products you can count their weight. Even relatively small concrete sculptures for the garden have a fairly impressive mass, so it is unlikely that anyone will steal them.
What is needed to create park figures?
Before making such decor, it is necessary to decide what functions the future product will perform, since the choice of materials largely depends on this. To produce a concrete sculpture you will need the following components:
- for the frame;
- concrete or a mixture consisting of water, one part sand and three parts cement; to increase the plasticity of the solution, PVA can be added to it, and liquid nails can be added to increase moisture resistance;
- putty knife;
- polyethylene film;
- spray bottle with water.
In addition, you need to stock up on the right size in advance.
Making concrete sculptures in different ways
Today, there are several methods for creating park figures. The most popular of them are:
- Frame technology, in which a base is first formed from wire, which is subsequently covered with a solution. To make thicker elements, a construction mesh or the same wire is wound onto the desired part of the existing frame. In addition, the basis can be any suitable and unnecessary household item. This could be an old bucket, baking dish or box.
- Molding technology in which the solution is poured into a pre-prepared mold. You can buy it or make it yourself from scrap materials, such as a rubber ball or glass container. After the concrete has hardened, it must be removed from the finished figurine.
- A coating technology in which a solution is applied to the surface of any suitable frame made of brittle material. After hardening, the base located inside the product will need to be destroyed. It should be understood that concrete will have a relatively low weight.
All of the above methods can be used not only individually, but also combined with each other.
Concrete sculptures and the general style of the site
To avoid turning your garden into something tasteless, you need to use several simple tips specialists. Before you finally decide on the choice of such decor, you need to draw a detailed plan of your own site and graphically try on various options for the figures. Each sculpture needs to create a certain background that emphasizes its style and beauty. Thus, it is advisable to place small products in open areas near artificial ponds, garden paths, flower beds, front gardens or fences. Tall large figures are recommended to be installed next to fountains or neatly trimmed bushes.
Garden sculpture should be in harmony with the overall style of the garden and emphasize the direction of its image. For a romantic area planted with delicate flowers, monochromatic graceful human figures or magical, sophisticated plant compositions are optimal. A village garden can be decorated with colorful folklore elements or figurines of domestic animals.
To produce high-quality and durable garden sculptures made of concrete, it is important to choose the right brand of cement. How better properties consumables, the higher the performance characteristics of the finished product. During work, do not neglect safety measures. It is advisable to work in a special protective mask to prevent cement dust from entering the respiratory tract. The finished figurine can be processed using a special saw with diamond wheels.
Well-known concrete, it turns out, is not so prosaic as to be a sign of exclusively dirty construction sites. This is a very artistic material, from which interesting crafts can be made in skillful hands.
We are ready to clearly confirm what has been said. Let's look at the photo, dear readers.
Numbers for houses
You can place such a cute thing in your garden (found on chezlarsoon).
Drawer handles
To make these things, you will, of course, need concrete itself, screws and small cardboard boxes, for example, from light bulbs. It's very simple (found on projektila and signedbytina).
Bottom for a vase
Not every interior is suitable for the design depicted. However, the novelty and remarkableness of the idea is no less (found on adailysomething).
Watch
The little thing is easy to make. Any shape and design. You just need to find a suitable mold and pour the solution into it. After it dries, the mechanism is attached (found on instructables).
Tablet stand
The basis of the product is a regular popcorn bucket.
Framed crafts
Concrete is great for small craft projects. A mold, a solution, some time to dry, and now you have an original little thing in your hands. It can be decorated with a frame (found on skonahem).
Heart shaped handles
Hooks
Hook lamps are perhaps one of the most interesting projects. Why? Yes, because the idea of a new life for ordinary old things is always attractive in itself.
And the functional component of the craft is also significant. You can even hang quite heavy things on the devices - a coat or raincoat (found on instructables).
Fridge magnets
An easy item to make. The key here is to press the magnet in before the concrete completely hardens (found on athomeinlove).
Numbers for tables
The durability of the products is obvious. And after drying, they can be decorated with bright colors (found on loveandlavender).
Cutting board
The finishing touch to creating such a household item should be sanding to get the board perfectly smooth (found on adailysomething).
Candlesticks
The usual thing went into effect cardboard box milk bottle (found on chezlarsson).
You can play with the shapes and sizes of the products (found on inmyownstyle).
For creating original crafts Absolutely any available means will come in handy - coins, adhesive tape, plastic cups, baking dishes (found on sayyestohoboken, signepling and naver).
Used the bottom of a plastic bottle (found on ellasinspiration).
And then the master found a simple use tin can(found on monsterscircus).
A little imagination, and here you have an original little thing (found on nimidesign).
Concrete plant pots
Items can be any shape, different colors (found on ruffledblog).
Several triangles were connected and a template was made. And they used it to make this piece of furniture (found on abeautifulmess).
Once again, the inspiration for creating a cute little thing is an ordinary plastic bottle. It is convenient because you can vary the height of the product (found on handmadecharlotte).
Flowers in concrete! And even stylish asymmetry in execution. This trinket is good as a gift (found on the site).
Here are examples of symmetrical pots of all shapes and sizes. It looks beautiful, quite modern.
Concrete lamps
Another one bright idea. When the shape for the base of the lamp has been selected, then you just need to be patient. You will have to wait a bit for the solution to harden (found on pastill).
Concrete is great for decoration lighting fixtures. It is durable and stable. In addition, you can experiment with the design to your heart’s content, casting exactly the shape you want (found on the site).
For this lamp you only need balloon ik. Then don’t forget to make holes for the wires and level the surface with a sponge (found on elinsvra).
A lampshade of this shape will look good in the kitchen. It can be painted in your favorite color (found on esmeraldas).
Concrete and a plastic bottle are simply made for each other. So many interesting options. The bottle is also advantageous because it is convenient to route wires through the neck (found on brit).
No matter how carefully and with special diligence the design of the site is carried out, sometimes it seems that something is missing. Often, this feeling is caused by stylistic miscalculations when designing a garden, but sometimes these are just gaps that need to be filled with something.
This is where a simple cement mortar comes to the rescue. Few people know what this unpretentious and cheap material with its correct application and taking into account its main features. For example, you can use it to make figures for the garden, as in the photo:
Simple figures from cement mortar Any beginner can make it. You need desire, a minimum of knowledge and a lot of patience.
How to choose a place to place sculptures?
The point is that on garden plot There are certain places that need filling, they just ask to place something spectacular and at the same time stylistically justified.
It is necessary to decide on the size and take into account overall design garden, otherwise you may end up with something awkward and clumsy. In this case, the gardener risks spoiling the overall impression of the garden, into which he has invested a huge amount of work and a lot of time.
How to work with cement mortar: a step-by-step guide
Cement is very easy to use and does not require special skills, but some nuances are worth remembering:
- If possible, it is better to take the basis for the figure: plastic products, basins, pots, dolls, ready-made figures made of plastic.
- Cement is a chemical compound, you must remember that you need to wear gloves when working with it. Of course, nothing fatal will happen, but the skin will become dry and rough, and microcracks may even appear.
- The required proportions are 1:2, that is, one part of cement to two parts of sifted sand. Just enough water should be added so that the finished solution has the consistency of sour cream. To increase the strength of the solution, you can use a 1:1 ratio.
- The time for complete hardening of the cement mortar ranges from three days to a week, depending on weather conditions. It should be taken into account that in cool and humid weather the figurine will take longer to gain strength, but in such conditions it does not require any care, with the exception of shelter from powerful jets of rain, which can change the shape of the figurine.
- After complete hardening time has passed, the figure must be processed by removing excess roughness with sandpaper or even a file. Before painting, the surface must be treated with a concrete primer, otherwise the paint will peel off. After the soil has dried, the statue can be painted, then coated with varnish in 1-2 layers. This way the figurine will acquire a sparkling gloss and will attract attention.
- For figures of large volume or size, it is better to use concrete. It differs from mortar in the presence of a large fraction, that is, the presence of pebbles and stones, which gives the material special strength. To prepare concrete, ASG is usually used ( Sand and gravel), usually unsifted sand.
Photo example:
How to make simple cement figures using a regular rag?
For the simplest cement figures, a ready-made base is usually used. An example would be a vase made from an old rag. To do this, hang a soaked rag on some container, say a bucket, turned upside down.
A liquid cement mortar is prepared, with which the same rag is impregnated. After complete drying ready product turns over and turns into an unusually shaped, avant-garde flower pot.
Parts of dolls and other toys are used in a similar way. For example, from the head of a large doll you can make an original flowerpot in an antique style. The method is absolutely the same, only the consistency of the solution is different and the head will have to be thoroughly coated, giving the required shape.
It is extremely easy to make an openwork ball. To make it you need rope or twine and a balloon. The inflated ball is wrapped in rope, which must be coated and soaked with liquid cement mortar. After drying, the ball is removed, and the finished structure can be painted.
Casting complex shapes from a frame
More complex figures are made from the base frame, but the solution will have to be shaped independently. You can take as an example any small flower bed. You can take anything as a shape, for example, a pig.
- For the frame, take a ready-made container and attach it to it with self-tapping screws. wooden blocks, imitating legs, it is also worth fixing a frame in place of the head and tail in order to increase strength.
- A thick, creamy solution is mixed, and the frame is gradually coated with it.
- Then, using small lumps of the same solution, the figure is given the desired shape.
- Excess must be removed with hands soaked in water. At this stage, skills in working with materials and certain artistic inclinations are already required.
Complex figures are sculpted by professionals. At their core - metal carcass, giving strength to the entire structure. The figure itself is either made by pouring mortar into a ready-made mold, or made individually by hand. In the latter case, the cost of the figure will be considerable.
Landscape designers love to decorate suburban areas products made of stone, concrete and cement. Although these words sound very loud and intimidating, in fact, crafts made from cement or pebbles look very cute. A big plus is that making crafts from cement for the garden with your own hands is very simple. Therefore, if you want to add some zest to your garden, then take a closer look at these. Anyone can decorate a garden with such homemade sculptures, flowerpots and candlesticks! See what you can do with concrete.
15 GREAT GARDEN DECORATING IDEAS
Make a leaf-shaped birdbath. For this you will need a large concrete solution. Just lay a layer of cement on top of the sheet and wait until it dries completely.
Original garden flowerpots for growing annuals are made from boots. Just pour a cement solution into old rubber boots, place a mayonnaise bucket on top (so that there is a recess) and dry. Everyone will be surprised by cute boots. You can color them later.
Stylish lamps that are not afraid of rain can be hung on the terrace or in the gazebo. The principle of making crafts from cement with your own hands is the same - fill the mold with cement solution, insert a straw for juice where the wire will pass and dry it.
The heart-shaped mini flower beds are absolutely adorable!
Now garden flowerpots made of cement can be made to suit every taste.
Wow, decorative legs look really fun!
If you fill such a concrete structure with ice, you will get an excellent outdoor refrigerator. A necessary thing for!
You can make flowerpots for flowers of any size and shape. Such cement crafts for the garden will always find a place.
To get such graceful hands, you need to fill the glove with concrete, wait until it hardens completely, and then remove it from the product. How beautiful it is! This is a decorative fence for flowers.
Concrete cups can last for more than one year.
Cement country candlesticks will create a romantic atmosphere on a summer evening.
Now there is no fear that the vase will break.
Rest assured, these DIY garden cement projects will transform it. Try to do something interesting.
How to properly mix cement for country crafts.
To ensure that the mold of the craft is completely filled, there are no bubbles on the surface of the casting, the resulting product does not crack after drying, or burst in the event of exposure to fire, you need to mix the cement (or concrete) correctly.
For small projects, 30 kg or less, cement can be mixed by hand. If you are planning something on a larger scale, you will need a concrete mixer.
Mixing cement can be mixed in a bucket, trough, or on plastic sheet or tarpaulin. Whenever you need to handle concrete, be sure to wear thick gloves. Concrete is caustic and thin gloves will tear too quickly. This will help as you work with a putty knife or small shovel to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bucket.
To mix cement mortar with your own hands you will need:
- Thick rubber gloves
- Respirator
- 5 - 8 gallon bucket/trough/similar
- Master OK
- Ladle/Clean Water.
- Mechanical mixer (optional)
- Using a 1/2″ corded or cordless drill with a paddle mixer is one way to mix dry material. Once water is added, the concrete will be more difficult to mix unless you have a very powerful drill.
The process of preparing the solution
1. Weigh all dry materials and add them to the bucket ( concrete mixture, pigment, fiber, or any all-in-one composition).
2. Stir the dry material together until it becomes a uniform color. Always wear a face mask when mixing dry concrete.
3. Break up any clumps of concrete or throw them away if they do not disintegrate.
5. Add water to dry material and mix. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the container where you mix, making sure you don't leave behind any dry material.
6. Add the remaining water gradually, as needed, until the mixture reaches a workable consistency. If the mixture is too hard, you may need to add a little water. There should be no dry pockets at this point. Mix thoroughly before pouring.
7. Clean the container after mixing with water. Do not pour it down the drain as it contains active cement components and it will clog the drain.
Any personal plot can be enlivened with crafts made from stone materials. Original do-it-yourself concrete figures are clear proof of this. Such products withstand dynamic loads well and retain an attractive appearance for at least 40 years.
At one time, concrete was used exclusively for the construction of houses, airfields and roads. Today it is also used in decoration. adjacent areas. This is facilitated by the fine-grained structure and optimal hygroscopic humidity of the material. Architectural concrete is especially popular among amateur sculptors. It is famous for its greater resistance to moisture and aggressive alkaline environments.
Cement garden figures create unlimited possibilities in zoning suburban areas. Even if the most common mixture is used gray, it is important to make the solution correctly:
- Mix sand, crushed stone, gravel and cement until completely homogeneous.
- Dilute the mixture with water. It is important to remember that after adding liquid it will decrease slightly in volume.
- It is better to mix all components with a hammer drill or drill, and if you need to make large garden figures made of concrete, then with a concrete block.
- The amount of materials depends on the brand of cement. For example, when using M-300, 1 kg of cement requires 2 kg of sand and approximately 3.8 kg of crushed stone. If you have M-200 cement on hand, the amount of crushed stone and sand needs to be increased by 0.9 kg.
Video “DIY Garden Crafts”
In this video you will learn how to make several interesting jewelry for the garden with your own hands.
Necessary equipment for concrete crafts
Shovels, scales, watering cans, hammers, buckets and dyes will be useful in the work. The latter are needed to color the mixture red, blue, purple or, for example, green color. Ready-made fiberglass molds for crafts will help you recreate the images of legendary characters faster and better.
For implementation frame technology You will need a metal mesh, polystyrene foam or cardboard with your own hands. If you need to fasten individual elements sculptures, it is better to use wire with a diameter of at least 8-10 mm.
Master classes
Made from concrete unusual vases and stands for living plants. For this purpose, experts recommend using old shirts, sheets and towels as a basis. First, you need to soak them in a cement solution. After 10-15 minutes, hang on stands and wait for complete hardening. Optimal temperature air for solidification of figures - 30-35 °C above zero.
In just 2 weeks, tulips and hyacinths can be planted in ready-made flower pots. If so an unusual craft The owners plan to decorate the area near a fountain or pond; it is better to use wild rose seeds.
For a frame that imitates the body of animals, 5-liter bottles are suitable plastic bottles. The wire will serve as whiskers, and properly processed foam will serve as wool for goats and sheep. The shape of the fountain can be repeated by a loosestrife leaf or a balloon. If it is important for the owners to achieve maximum resemblance of the craft to a fairy-tale insect, the surface of the products will have to be treated with fragments of ceramic tiles.
Flowerpot made of cement
For the first craft you will need metal rods, old tights and thin cables. First, you need to pour cement into the stocking. To prevent the material from tearing, insert reinforcement into it. Cute legs and noses are made from twisted ropes. A ten-centimeter piece of fabric will be needed to imitate a fairy-tale beard. Once the cement has dried, the finished gnomes can be polished with plaster mortar.
The algorithm for making concrete birds, especially swans, looks like this:
- We insert a rod bent in the shape of a two into the neck of a five-liter eggplant.
- We fix the “neck” in the bottle with fragments of stones and broken tiles.
- Expanding plastic container, imitating the sides of birds, with sand.
- Mix the solution to treat the bottom of the product and the swan neck.
- We attach metal mesh wings to the frame. For better fixation of the head and neck, we use gauze bandages.
The crafts completely harden on the seventh day.
Sculpted concrete produces original figurines with wavy hair, deep-set eyes and expressive eyebrows. But since this task can only be done experienced craftsmen, we recommend using old dolls as a template. The upper part of the toy will have to be cut off, since it is in this part of the flower garden that climbing hoya or campanula will settle.
After complete drying, the heads treated with cement are covered with gray paint. Then apply more light tone. In the future, such products can be decorated garden paths and areas near artificial fountains.
DIY figures and sculptures
For a large craft, you will need a 20-liter water bottle. You can use wire as a mustache. At the first stage, it is important to thread the bottle with a steel cord. This is necessary for better processing of the base. cement mixture. Next we fix the wooden planks. They perform the functions of the legs, head and tail of the mustachioed owner of the flowering monastery.
It is better to mix the cement-sand mortar in a 1:1 ratio. To prevent it from drying out prematurely, you need to wear gloves. To avoid cracks on the head, paws and tail during the drying period, it is important to spray these elements of the product cold water every 3-4 hours. More suitable for coloring finished crafts water-based compositions. They tolerate mechanical loads well and are not afraid of moisture and ultraviolet radiation.
Fairy-tale and cartoon characters
If there are broken toys lying around in the nursery, do not rush to take them to the landfill. At correct processing Rubber and plastic products with a cement mixture can be used to sculpt Cinderella, Vasilisa the Wise, Winnie the Pooh, Cossacks and even the legendary Captain Vrungel. If you are interested in modern heroes, we recommend making little ones, fixies, octonauts, and for lovers of exciting adventures - Lady Bug and Super-Cat.
Plastic bottles, polystyrene foam, aluminum rods, spatulas and paints will definitely be useful in your work.
Such figures look great in children's gazebos and in the garden, surrounded by evergreen giants and fragrant beds.
The main thing here is to adhere to a clear sequence of actions:
- Cut off a large leaf. To prevent water from flowing out of the drinker, preference is given to plants without a tail.
- Knead cement-sand mortar in a ratio of 1:3.
- Place a burdock leaf on a sand-strewn surface. It is important that you get a small mound the size of a plant. Before this, it must be covered with plastic wrap.
- Coat the sheet with a thick solution.
- Decorate the concrete surface with colored glass. If you don't have any, use a hammer to chip away at a couple dozen drink bottles.
- After 7-10 days, remove the dried leaf.
Candle stands
For homemade creativity you will need cookie jars, M-300 cement, three-dimensional molds to create the desired texture, glasses, glue and sandpaper. The first step is to empty the jars of their contents, wash and dry them. Taking into account the optimal length of the candles, cut off the excess parts with scissors.
Patterned napkins should be placed inside the products. For better fastening, construction adhesive is useful. Next, mix the solution. The mixture should be viscous and homogeneous. And since the highlight of any composition is not only multi-shaped, but also multi-colored elements, use a coloring pigment.
After the mixture is in the jars, the candle cups are immersed in the concrete. After 3-4 days it will dry, after which you can remove the cardboard, napkins and molds. Sandpaper will cope with unevenness.
Other interesting ideas for concrete crafts
Thanks to the excellent physical and chemical properties of the material, it can be used to create a mushroom plantation, a flower bed, and even stone garden. In the latter case, it is better to take polyurethane foam as a basis, from which you can make a square or circle. After this, you need to prepare a cement-sand mixture at the rate of 3 kg of sand per 1 kg of cement. Next we improve the form. To fake diamond had more similarities with the natural one, it should be placed in plastic bag. This way you will be able to create original prints.
After final drying, we begin sanding and decorating the products. For this purpose, experts recommend water compositions of red, yellow, brown and green. Will give more realism to finished crafts sanding paper p80.
How to effectively use crafts in the exterior
Concrete figures may differ in shape and purpose. Small products look better along walking paths and on terraces. It is better to decorate the front part of the local area with large ones.
Around the concrete fountain you can arrange a relaxation and sleeping area. There is always a place for flowering flowerpots on the porch and on the steps of street stairs.
This The best way landscaping areas lined with stone, where it is impossible to plant even the most unpretentious plants.
