Making concrete garden ornaments

Concrete garden ornaments are a way to add visual interest and decoration to your garden and patio. Cast concrete garden ornaments like stepping stones, shallow bowls and birdbaths can be easy and inexpensive to make. More complex concrete garden ornaments like statues are more challenging, but most people with basic do-it-yourself skills can make their own concrete garden ornaments.

Concrete garden ornaments are a way to add visual interest and decoration to your garden and patio. Cast concrete garden ornaments like stepping stones, shallow bowls and birdbaths can be easy and inexpensive to make. More complex concrete garden ornaments like statues are more challenging, but most people with basic do-it-yourself skills can make their own concrete garden ornaments.

Making concrete garden ornaments is basically a three-step process. The first step is making a sturdy mould to hold and shape the concrete while it forms. Once the mould is made, concrete is poured into it and allowed to set until it is hard. Finally, the mould is broken away from the concrete form.

Molds are often made from rubber or fibreglass and plaster. A casting mould for a simple concrete garden ornament can be made using nothing more than a box of wet sand.

Other optional steps in making concrete garden ornaments include adding a pigment to the concrete to colour it, or painting the finished concrete item to decorate it after the concrete has set and cured.

The items that you need to make concrete garden ornaments vary depending on the complexity of the finished product. In general, you need quick-setting concrete like Quick-crete, water and a container in which to mix the concrete. In addition, you need the supplies for making a mould in which to cast the concrete. That mould can be as simple as a wooden box filled with sand or as complex as a frame made of chicken wire and rubber or latex. It is also possible to buy pre-made moulds for casting concrete garden ornaments.

The easiest way of making concrete garden ornaments is with a pre-made mould, but sand-casting is nearly as easy. You simply fill a wooden frame with wet builder's sand, scoop out your desired shape, add details to it with a stick or pencil, then pour mixed concrete into the depression. Once your piece has hardened, you can take it out of the sand, brush it off and paint it if desired.