Do-it-yourself garden figures made of cement: how to make concrete crafts for a summer residence

Features of working with concrete

At one time, concrete was used exclusively for the construction of houses, airfields and roads. Today it is also used in the decoration of adjacent territories. This is facilitated by the fine-grained structure and the optimal hygroscopic moisture content 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 gray mixture is used, it is important to make the solution correctly:

1. Mix sand, crushed stone, gravel and cement until completely homogeneous.
2. Dilute the mixture with water. It is important to remember that after adding the liquid, it will decrease slightly in volume.
3. It is better to mix all the components with a perforator or drill, and if you need to make large garden figures from concrete, then with a concrete block.
4. The amount of materials depends on the brand of cement. For example, when using M-300, 1 kg of sand and approximately 2 kg of crushed stone go to 3,8 kg of cement. If there is M-200 cement at hand, the amount of crushed stone and sand must be increased by 0,9 kg.

Video “DIY garden crafts”

In this video, you will learn how to make some interesting DIY garden decorations.

Necessary equipment for concrete crafts

Shovels, scales, watering cans, hammers, buckets and dyes will come in handy in the work. The latter are needed to color the mixture in red, blue, purple or, for example, green. Ready-made fiberglass molds for crafts will help you quickly and better recreate the images of legendary characters.

To implement the frame technology with your own hands, you will need a metal mesh, foam or cardboard. If you need to fasten individual elements of the sculpture, it is better to use wire with a diameter of at least 8-10 mm.

Workshops

Concrete will make unusual vases and stands for living plants. To this end, experts recommend taking old shirts, sheets and towels as a basis. First you need to soak them in a solution of cement. After 10-15 minutes – hang on stands and wait for complete hardening. The optimum air temperature for solidifying figures is 30–35 °C above zero.

After 2 weeks, it will be possible to plant tulips and hyacinths in ready-made flowerpots. If the owners plan to decorate the territory near a fountain or a pond with such an unusual craft, it is better to use the seeds of a wild rose.

For a frame that imitates the body of animals, 5-liter plastic bottles are suitable. The wire will serve as a mustache, and well-crafted foam plastic 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 the maximum similarity of crafts with a fabulous insect, the surface of the products will have to be treated with fragments of ceramic tiles.

Cement flowerpot

As a basis, you can take a volumetric round bowl, on the bottom of which you should install a tube with a hole. It is better to put the ball on top. Cement, sand and gravel are mixed in a ratio of 2:3:3. The finished solution is poured into a bowl, and until it has frozen, the product is decorated with pebbles or colored glass.

After 2-3 days, the ball can be removed. The finished flowerpot should be removed from the bowl after about a week.

Openwork ball for candles

This craft can actually be done in four ways:

1. Treat the inner surface of the plastic mold with concrete mixture. For a rainbow pattern, you will need colored material. Candles can be placed in one of the hemispheres prepared in this way, and shells in the other.
2. Take advantage of the balloon. It must be put in a smaller plastic bucket and smeared with cement mortar. After 5-6 days, the air base is blown off, and an artificial product with illumination is installed in the hole of the finished craft.
3. Coat a large rubber ball with cement.
4. Wrap any other round object with a reinforced mesh and treat it with a cement mixture in 2-3 layers. At the end, the product can be painted with a silver composition.

Gnomes and birds made of cement

For the first craft, you will need metal rods, old tights and thin cables. To begin with, cement must be poured into a stocking. To prevent the material from tearing, insert reinforcement into it. Pretty legs and noses are obtained from twisted ropes. A ten-centimeter piece of fabric will be needed to simulate a fabulous beard. Once the cement has dried, the finished gnomes can be polished with plaster mortar.

The algorithm for crafting concrete birds, especially swans, looks like this:

1. We insert a rod bent in the form of a two into the neck of a five-liter eggplant.
2. We fix the “neck” in the bottle with fragments of stones and broken tiles.
3. We expand the plastic container imitating the sides of birds with sand.
4. We knead the solution for processing the bottom of the product and the swan neck.
5. We attach wings made of metal mesh to the frame. For better fixation of the head and neck, we use gauze bandages.

Completely crafts harden on the seventh day.

Flower beds with images of faces

Sculptural concrete produces original figurines with wavy hair, deep-set eyes and expressive eyebrows. But since only experienced craftsmen can do this task, 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 curly hoya or campanula will settle.

Cement-treated heads, after complete drying, are covered with gray paint. Then apply a lighter tone. In the future, garden paths and areas near artificial fountains can be decorated with such products.

DIY figures and sculptures

From almost any unnecessary doll and baby doll, you can make an original figurine for giving. To do this, the toys are placed on stands made of concrete. Fastening is carried out by means of hot glue. Wings can be cut out of ordinary foam, and colored glasses will become the eyes of forest maidens. It is better to sew a dress for a fairy-tale heroine from linen or mohair. These fabrics quickly absorb liquid, so that the desired shape will be obtained in just a few days.

At the end of the main work, the template should be covered with a cement-gypsum mixture and painted. In the same way, various figurines and sculptures are obtained from toy ducks, lions, mermaids and carriages with horses.

Flower bed in the form of a cat

For a large craft, you will need a 20-liter eggplant from under the water. You can use wire as a mustache. At the first stage, it is important to pierce the bottle with a steel cord. This is necessary for better processing of the base with a 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 ratio of 1: 1. To prevent it from drying out ahead of time, you need to work with gloves. In order to avoid cracks on the head, legs and tail during the drying period, it is important to spray these elements of the product with cold water every 3-4 hours. For coloring finished crafts, water-based compositions are more suitable. They tolerate mechanical loads well, are not afraid of moisture and ultraviolet radiation.

Fairy tale and cartoon characters

If broken toys are lying around in the nursery, do not rush to take them to a landfill. With proper processing of rubber and plastic products with a cement mixture, it will be possible to fashion Cinderella, Vasilisa the Wise, Winnie the Pooh, Cossacks and even the legendary Captain Vrungel from them. If you are interested in modern heroes, we advise you to make 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 come in handy in the work.

Such figures look great in children’s arbors and in the garden, surrounded by evergreen giants and fragrant beds.

Leaf-shaped pet drinker

Here, the main thing is to follow a clear sequence of actions:

1. Cut off a large leaf. To prevent water from flowing out of the drinker, plants without a tail are preferred.
2. Mix the cement-sand mortar in a ratio of 1:3.
3. Place a burdock leaf on a sandy surface. It is important to get a small hill the size of a plant. Before that, it must be covered with plastic wrap.
4. Coat the sheet with a thick solution.
5. Decorate the concrete surface with colored glass. If there are none, hammer a couple of dozen bottles of drinks with a hammer.
6. After 7-10 days, remove the dried leaf.

Candle stands

For home creativity, you will need cookie jars, M-300 cement, three-dimensional forms to create the desired texture, glasses, glue and sandpaper. The first step is to free the jars from the contents, wash and dry. Considering the optimal length of the candles, cut off the excess parts with scissors.

Inside the products you need to place patterned napkins. For their best fastening, construction glue is useful. Next, mix the solution. The mixture should be viscous and homogeneous. And since the highlight of any composition is not only diverse, but also multi-colored elements, use a coloring pigment.

After the mixture is in jars, candle cups are immersed in concrete. After 3-4 days it will dry, after which it will be possible to remove the cardboard, napkins and molds. Sandpaper will deal with unevenness.

Other interesting ideas for concrete crafts

Due to the excellent physical and chemical properties of the material, it is possible to establish a mushroom plantation, a flower bed and even a stone garden with its help. In the latter case, it is better to take polyurethane foam as a basis, from which it will be possible to mold a square or circle. After that, you need to prepare a cement-sand mixture with the calculation of 3 kg of sand per 1 kg of cement. Next, we improve the form. In order for the artificial stone to have more similarities with natural, it should fit in a plastic bag. So you will be able to create original prints.

After the final drying, we proceed to grinding and decorating products. To this end, experts recommend water compositions of red, yellow, brown and green. P80 sanding paper will add more realism to finished crafts.

How to effectively use crafts in the exterior

Concrete figures may differ in shape and purpose. Small items 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 equip a recreation and sleep area. Blooming flowerpots will always find a place on the porch and on the steps of street stairs.

This is the best way to improve stone-lined areas where it is unrealistic to plant even the most unpretentious plants.