Concrete Casting: A Popular Hobby with Endless Possibilities

Dear users, dear authors,
Here is the thread on concrete casting requested over there.
Have fun with it.

Thanks, Josefa, for the concrete thread!

Regarding WollwunderPetra’s question:
I painted the leaf with acrylic paint and sealed it with clear varnish.
If the leaves (or other concrete sculptures) are going to stay outside even in winter, it’s better to make them using flexible tile adhesive designed for outdoor use. That’s even easier because you don’t need to mix in any sand!

I’m still just getting started. I began at the start of summer and so far have only made a few cake molds and pendants for the rose arch.

The fairy garden is great.

I’m curious to see if anyone else is into this hobby and will share their pictures with us. Thanks, Josefa, for starting this thread.

That looks really nice, too. Concrete is truly versatile. There are still sooo many great things I’d love to try out.

Hi everyone,

I also enjoy working with concrete. I really like your projects—especially the fairy house. For our garden, I’ve made roses (cast in silicone molds) and a column (as a base for a store-bought figurine).

Best regards, Silke

Wow... you all make such beautiful things out of concrete. I like everything you’ve shown, especially the colorfully painted leaf.

This is the first time I’ve heard about this technique here. Very interesting!

Monika, it’s really easy. I made a total of six leaves and gave three of them away. They’re great as bird baths and, when laid flat, as stepping stones in a garden bed. 

I love working with concrete.

Whether it’s something rugged like this fountain on our balcony,



or delicate jewelry...



Working with concrete is fun, and the result is often a surprise... at least for me!

Right now, I’m working on the fountain again, since nothing seems to want to grow in those little hollows... and I’ve made my first silicone molds of houses that I modeled and cast... waiting for the concrete to set is the worst part...


The many great pictures that have already been posted here show just how many possibilities this material offers...

Claudia, you’re right—the wait makes it exciting! Your fountain looks absolutely great! 

I’ve cast base plates for macramé plant hangers. Now I just have to knot them... But concrete casting has also become my latest passion. You can make such wonderfully great things with it...

Any updates?

I’m currently in the middle of making mushrooms



I’m still having trouble getting the bodies to match the caps. My bodies are too big, and the caps are too small.

I like the cracked look on top of my mushroom caps, but I’d also like to make a smooth one sometime.

Wow! I didn’t know about this! That reminds me that my husband needs to put a proper floor on our previously unused balcony. It’s now netted for my foster cats, and they want it to be nice. And so do I ;-)

The concrete won’t crack if you let it dry slowly in the shade. And as paradoxical as it sounds, you should occasionally moisten the concrete from the outside so that it dries evenly (especially with thick layers).

Here’s my little mushroom

You can also get a title for concrete casting this month.
Concrete Casting Specialist
How does that sound? Please write down your title suggestions.
Read more here.

Well, that sounds good! I just don’t know if I’ll still find time to cast concrete....

All September projects count.

Even beginners in concrete casting can win a title.

Sign up here if you want the title:
Final sprint and awards ceremony for the September projects

Here are a few pictures of my reworked fountain and the houses I’ve cast

I bought a new bag of concrete, but unfortunately it’s very coarse. The aggregate is way too big. I tried casting a teddy bear in concrete.


And here I’m trying to spruce up a metal staircase.




Everything is still wet and drying. Let’s see if it works out. Unfortunately, patience isn’t one of my strong suits.

I’m guessing you used screed concrete? Unfortunately, that’s too coarse. Plain concrete mixed with sand works best—that way, the teddy bear details really stand out. I’ve had my fair share of failures too, but that’s exactly what makes it so exciting: you never know how it’ll turn out in the end! 

@Nadeleule: Yes, you're right. My first bag was much finer. Next time I'll know better and won't let them load just anything into my car anymore.

@Fun-Design: What exactly are cast little houses? Did you make the molds yourself beforehand?

You can actually see the molds and houses quite well in the picture… First, I made the houses with the painted roofs out of air-drying modeling clay. However, I can’t decorate a plant pot with them because they aren’t waterproof. So I made molds of them from silicone and cornstarch—you can see those in the picture, too. But I’ll never do that again—it just smells absolutely disgusting! These molds also turned out rather imprecise, and I couldn’t use all of them. I then cast the better ones, and I think the result is quite OK. I’m still going to paint them and then decorate with them.

The part about the molds sounds like a lot of work. But I’m sure they’ll look beautiful once painted, especially if you’re decorating a whole row of houses, for example.

I’m also interested in the silicone molds, but first I’d like to gain more experience with the simpler projects.

I’ve just ordered liquid latex for making molds because I really found working with silicone gross. I don’t have any experience with it yet, though. It’s also not quite as cheap as silicone, but it’s supposed to produce more precise molds. I’m really curious about the smell...

How’s it going?

Unfortunately, I don’t have much free time right now, so I was only able to pour and shape concrete on one day.

Here are the results



A little gnome



And two planters for fall decor

Are you taking a winter break from concrete casting?

Hi Josefa!
Since casting concrete is a pretty dusty and messy activity, I actually take a break from it during the winter. Once it gets warmer and drier again, I’ll get back to it out in the garden.

Have you already planned a project for the summer, or are you still short on ideas?

I’m thinking of making a new fairy house, mushrooms, and chubby gnomes for the garden. I’m also planning a garden sign and maybe some new doorstops. I’m sure I’ll come up with plenty of other ideas by then...

That sounds great.

I’m also taking a winter break. Concrete casting is really more of an activity for nice days when I can do it in the garden.
Since I have three orders for my gnomes, I’m going to take advantage of the first nice days right away. Until then, the bag of concrete is sitting in the garage, waiting for me.

I don’t take a winter break, but then it’s usually smaller things.

In winter, I always mix and pour on the balcony and then let it cure in the apartment.
By the way, I’ve now also made molds from liquid latex. Since these molds are now very soft and flexible, I cast the molded houses in a bed of sand for stability. The result turned out really great; the details show up very well. Making the molds with latex does take longer, but it’s much more pleasant than using hardware-store silicone.

Other than that, I made jewelry and a few other little things, most of which I then gave away for Christmas. The single crocheted tree with the fox was allowed to stay with me; I cast the “trunk” into a concrete base and then covered it with moss.

Oh, that turned out really nice. The little trees with the houses make for a lovely decoration.

I’ll keep the idea for the birds in mind—great idea!

Thank you. The little forests were also really well received by the recipients...  
A tip from me: If you want to recreate the birdseed roofs, you should actually fill them with store-bought tit dumplings... if it’s not cold enough outside, the homemade fatty feed comes off...

Wow, Claudia, those are some really beautiful things you’ve made!

Thank you very much

Is anyone currently working on a concrete project?

Normally, I’d include the concrete-casting specialist in the August awards, but there doesn’t seem to be much going on with concrete casting at the moment?
If anyone would like to be recognized for this, please make a corresponding post.

I haven’t poured anything at all this year. I really should make some stepping stones for my flower beds, but since I’m currently working nearly 50% more at my job, I don’t have time for concrete pouring. Other tasks take priority.

If we get some nice days this fall, I might still get started; otherwise, I’ll wait until the new year.

If you’d like, just post it in the relevant thread for the final stretch / award ceremony as soon as you’ve finished something. :-)

Any updates?

I’ve been busy again, using up my leftover cement, gravel, and sand from last year.
I ran out of sand toward the end, so I mixed in my leftover decorative granules—it actually worked, and I think the result turned out pretty nice.

The bowls are meant to serve as watering stations for insects; I’ve sown grass seeds in the first and smallest one—let’s see if they take root.
For the other two, I picked up some marsh plants today; I’ll probably finish decorating them tomorrow and show them here again.

I’m not quite sure yet what I’ll do with the red one—since the decorative sand is definitely not non-toxic, I don’t think the bowl is suitable as a watering dish...


.

I’ve now finished both of my bowls.




Under the square one is an empty plastic ice cream container.

I shaped the round one over a balloon, then applied a layer of coarser gravel to the outside at the end.



I really like both of them...

It turned out great :-)

Have you been busy casting concrete?

I just admired your creations.... 
That fairy house is absolutely amazing—it would look sooooo good in my garden.😍
And the other things are really beautiful, too. 
I saw “kneadable concrete” at the hardware store. But you don’t use that, do you? And is it really like modeling clay???? 
So far, I’ve only made decorations out of papier-mâché and wood; concrete would be another option. 
Now the day really needs at least 12 more hours 😂

When will you resume concrete casting in 2022?

Have you given up on concrete casting?