The nuances of working with cement mortar
For decoration and design additions, you can use flower pots, flowerpots, figurines of fairy-tale characters or plant objects made with your own hands from cement. This material cannot be called capricious, and most people have a lot or little experience working with it. Still, there are several important rules that must be followed to ensure that crafts made from cement mortar are of high quality and durable.
The technology for preparing the mixture itself is as follows . The main components are prepared: cement, construction sand, water and tile adhesive (for better ductility and reducing the risk of microcracks). For 1 part of cement, take 2 parts of sand (for greater strength, you can take 1 part) and 1 part of glue. Lastly, add water in small portions to the consistency of thick sour cream. It is convenient to work with such a mixture: it does not flow and at the same time is quite plastic.
All cement products require prolonged drying. Hardening can last up to 7 days. To prevent the surface from cracking, the finished creation is covered with polyethylene. To give the product a beautiful and correct shape, the base is placed on a mound of sand or buried in it (depending on the idea), but not on a flat surface.
After complete hardening, the figure must be coated with a primer and only after that can paint or varnish be applied. If the craft has roughness and other irregularities, it should be refined with sandpaper and a file before priming.
In addition to cement mortar, concrete is sometimes used, which is characterized by the presence of large fractions (pebbles or crushed stone) and increased strength. Crafts made from concrete for a summer residence can be represented by large monolithic boulders, and this material is also convenient to use to create a base for various compositions (a platform for a fountain, a pedestal for a sculpture, a terrace for flower pots, etc.).
Another material similar in its application is gypsum. It is not as strong as cement, but more plastic and decorative. It can be used to create hollow shapes. For garden creativity, molding (sculptural), acrylic and architectural types are used. When working with this material, you need to take into account its rapid hardening. It is often recommended to add it to cement mortar when creating sculptures.
Forms for concrete flowerpots
As for the forms, here, who knows, there are a lot of ready-made prefabricated and monolithic forms on sale, allowing you to get a variety of decorative flowerpots. However, their use is rare, both due to their decent cost and due to the excellent imagination of our homemade craftsmen who are able to turn almost any available device into a masterpiece.
- Containers - boxes, boxes and boxes of everything, more or less suitable.
- Plastic containers - bottles, canisters, eggplants, buckets of food and finishing materials.
- Household plastic and utensils - basins, buckets, baskets, tubs, saucepans, cups, pots, etc.
- Prefabricated forms - made of wood or metal.
- Fabric forms - burlap, towels, rectangular or oval rags.
- Things and shoes - most often children's and adult rubber boots, but there could be any old boots, shoes, or even bast shoes.
By and large, almost any object that catches your eye can become a form, if it can actually be adapted for filling at least once. They even manage to dig holes in the ground/sand, lay a film, and on top - a large leaf of burdock for texture and concrete. You can’t make a full-fledged flowerpot this way, but a bowl for succulents or decor for decoration will work out great.
One of the participants of our portal makes urns from concrete, but they can also be flowerpots if the shape is slightly modified. And in the original version, you can reorient the design for flowers.
IrinaZb Member of FORUMHOUSE
My trash can is made of concrete - I made a trapezoid from old scraps, if you prefer, you can use a square. The size of the figure should be larger than the diameter of the container (I use a bucket) that is inserted into the middle of the wooden form. Then I nailed the wooden base to the sides of the mold. I covered the walls, the bottom of the mold and the bucket with plastic wrap and secured it with tape.
Interesting ideas for beginners
Having no experience in using cement for decorative purposes, it is better to start with something simple that does not require modeling skills and obtaining the desired consistency. The first exhibits in your garden can be cute mushrooms, colorful balls or original flower pots.
To make a mushroom you will need an old rubber ball (the size of the cap will depend on its size), a plastic bottle (it will become the basis for the stem, its size should be proportional to the cap), a metal rod to attach the cap to the stem. The ball is cut into two halves, one of which is placed in a bucket of sand and pressed evenly. Next, cement mortar is poured into the resulting form and leveled.
The bottom and neck of a plastic bottle are cut off and inserted into the filled form in the center, immersing it by 1 - 2 cm. Then, using a long iron rod, the future stem and cap of the mushroom are connected and the cavity inside the bottle is filled with the solution. The product should harden for several days, after which you need to remove the piece of the ball and the plastic cylinder.
After a few more days, the product can be coated with paint and decorated with various elements. Mushrooms of different sizes look impressive on the plot in the form of a small clearing. It is also worth noting that your imagination may tell you to use other containers (bowls, jars) and methods for making garden mushrooms.
It’s enough to just make an openwork ball that seems so light and airy. For the base, use a balloon (the size of the future shapes depends on how much you inflate the balloon). Next, any rope is placed in the prepared solution and then the ball is wrapped around it.
Advantages of concrete forms
Due to the versatility of concrete and its resistance to any weather factors, which wood and polymers cannot boast of, objects of any shape, size and functionality, including flowerpots, are cast from it. And with the advent of various plasticizers and dyes for concrete in the public domain, it became possible not only to improve the characteristics of the solution and the finished product, but also to immediately obtain a presentable appearance. It’s no wonder that polished concrete floors, which look like an expensive, exclusive coating, are becoming increasingly popular. To make concrete flowerpots, they practically do not use ready-made adhesive mixtures, although they are presented in abundance, but rather a homemade solution based on Portland cement is mixed.
Complex figures with a frame
It’s more fun to decorate your country house with sculptures of animals and mythical characters. Such creations involve the preliminary production of a durable frame and layer-by-layer application of cement mortar.
Interesting flowerpots can be made using buckets from construction mixtures. At the first stage, a container of suitable size is wrapped with a plaster mesh and covered with a thick layer of cement. At the second stage, until complete hardening, decorative adjustments are made, making an imitation of an old stump with natural wrinkles on the bark.
A monolithic figure of a hippopotamus would look appropriate near artificial reservoirs. The place for it must be determined immediately and carefully aligned, since in the future the figure will be stationary.
Two elongated plastic basins, which must be fastened with wire, are suitable as a frame. Another option is also possible: a thick cement solution is covered on top of a pile of broken bricks or crushed stone.
The figure itself does not contain complex elements and is easy to perform. After hardening, the product is treated with fixing impregnation and dry pigment for concrete, rubbing the powder with a hard sponge.
More complex sculptures are made in several stages: 1) making a frame from wire and foam plastic or containers; 2) covering the workpiece with a plaster mesh; 3) applying the mixture in several layers; 4) formation of small details (facial features, special texture, folds of clothing, etc.); 5) priming and painting the finished work.
Flowerpots in the shape of swans will become an elegant decoration of the garden. The body frame is an old plastic basin, the neck is woven wire. The head, wings and imitation plumage will have to be made from a cement mixture, showing the skills of a sculptor.
Monolithic figures have a significant weight, so as an alternative there is a way to create lightweight large objects. You can decorate your garden with boulders of different sizes.
To make them, any unnecessary and lightweight material (cuts of polyurethane foam, plastic bottles, polystyrene foam) is tied into a tight lump with wire.
The resulting base is wrapped in a plaster mesh and covered with thick cement mortar. The more irregularities and protrusions there are, the more natural the “stone” will look.
Small garden figurines are made from a mixture of cement with the addition of gypsum or Portland cement.
Here you can use the manufacturing methods described above, as well as any basics: old toys, items of clothing, household utensils.
How to paint a cement snail
Painting a snail is elementary.
We paint the garden craft in the base color.
We are waiting for the paint to dry.
We draw two spirals - on one side and the other.
We select the right colors. Suitable:
acrylic paint, epoxy, polyurethane, water-based cement paint.
After the coating has dried, it is worth covering it with acrylic varnish - the snail will become even brighter, its “house” will sparkle under the sun.
Design ideas
Below you can see several ways to create these decorative elements for your summer cottage.
For the first option, you can use ordinary old trees. Small stumps are cut out of such debris and buried in the ground. You can use old pots or dishes for the hat. In a budget option, the use of a plastic plate is allowed, but the material must be as dense as possible. To fix such a cap to the base, you can use either glue or nails.
Cuttings from old water pipes are perfect for mushroom stems.
Water pipes work well for legs. Mushrooms made from corrugated pieces look very interesting. As for the hats, here you can use the same materials as in the previous version.
This decor can also be created using ordinary clay pots. Only in this case the pot itself must be turned upside down and the lid secured on top. As a result, little pot-bellied mushrooms will appear in the garden.
One of the most difficult options is the creation of decorative elements from cement. Here you will have to work hard.
Initially, it is necessary to prepare a solution of cement and sand, which will later be poured into molds, for example, into plastic bottles.
As for the forms themselves, they can be absolutely individual, it all depends on the desired forms of the mushroom. To create a hat, you can use kitchen utensils, or again, make it out of cement. A helmet will look very original in such a role.
For creative types, we can advise you to design concrete mushrooms yourself. For example, line them with broken glass, and then you get a bright, colorful mosaic. This element will look especially colorful in the garden if placed in direct sunlight.
Gypsum mushrooms are created in a similar way. The only thing I can recommend here is to use paints for the final design. The main thing is to choose ones that are resistant to sunlight and moisture.
Scheme for preparing a cement solution for making mushrooms.
Excellent homemade products are also made from wood. But in this case, you will need the ability to use a chainsaw (if you plan to make large mushrooms) and a grinding machine. Although in general, cutting several elements from a log is not so difficult. In addition, wood lends itself well to painting, which can hide some flaws in the “craftsmanship”.
Glass is an excellent option for creating decor in your garden. Flower vases can be used as the mushroom stem, and a salad or fruit bowl is suitable for the cap. For those who don’t mind anything for their garden, you can also use crystal. But such products must be placed in the sun, because direct rays will cause such a riot of colors that you might think that there is a treasure chest in the clearing.
In general, there are many ideas for decorating your site. In any of these options, you will need this or that material, but everyone will be able to think for themselves about what they can do and what they will have to leave until better times.
Features of caring for garden plaster decorations
If the manufacturing and processing technology is followed, plaster figurines will last for many years, but proper care is integral to preserving the appearance of the products. Therefore, you should consider:
- when cold weather sets in and the air temperature drops to below zero, as well as during prolonged rains, you need to remove garden figurines from the garden for storage in a warm and dry room;
- It is best to place the figures on a base made of natural stone or concrete, which will prevent insects from being exposed to moisture near the base;
- The varnish on the figures should be renewed every 2 or 3 years, which will protect the color of the products.
Proper care is the key to maintaining the bright color of plaster figures
Why is this work attractive and useful?
In order to make this fairytale house, buy all the necessary tools and materials, and carefully read the entire step-by-step “instruction” chain so as not to miss a single detail. You may think that it is difficult for you to make this house, because you have never done anything like this before, but when you get into the process of work, you will realize that it is not so difficult.
I love that this job allows you to express your creativity while still having a fun and rewarding day with your kids: let your kids help you too, it will be a fun activity for them and they will also make good use of their time.
Where to start? What are the step-by-step steps to make this fairytale house?
