Country crafts made of cement. How to make a concrete sculpture? Large drinker leaf for birds and pets
Having country cottage area, you always want to equip it, and even somehow in a special way. However, garden decorative elements They are not cheap, and they do not differ in durability.
People with a developed imagination can do original crafts for a cement garden, which is distinguished not only by its high resistance to various kinds of influences (frost, hail, sun, water), but also by its availability (you can buy it at any hardware store for an affordable price).
For decoration and design addition, you can use flower pots, pots, figurines of fairy-tale characters or objects flora handmade from cement. This material is not whimsical, and most have little or no experience with it. Yet there are several important rules, which must be observed in order for cement mortar crafts to be of high quality and durable.
The technology for preparing the mixture itself is as follows. The main components are being prepared: cement, building sand, water and tile adhesive (for better ductility and reduced risk of microcracks). For 1 part of cement, 2 parts of sand are taken (for greater strength, you can take 1 part) and 1 part of glue. Lastly, water is added in small portions until the consistency of thick sour cream. It is convenient to work with such a mixture: it does not drain and at the same time it is quite plastic.
All cement products require prolonged drying. Freezing 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 form, the base is placed on a hill of sand or deepened into 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 is finalized before priming sandpaper and a file.
In addition to cement mortar, concrete is sometimes used, which is distinguished by the presence of large fractions (pebbles or gravel) and increased strength. Crafts made of concrete for summer cottages can be represented by large monolithic boulders, and it is also convenient to use this material to create the basis for various compositions (a fountain platform, a pedestal for sculpture, a terrace for flower pots And so on).
Another material similar in its application is gypsum. It is not as strong as cement, but more plastic and decorative. With it, you can 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 solidification. Very often it is recommended to add it to the cement mortar when creating sculptures.
If you have no experience using cement for decorative purposes, it is better to start with something simple that does not require modeling skills and getting the right 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 leg, its size should be proportional to the cap), a metal bar for attaching the cap to the leg. 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 bar, the future stem and cap of the mushroom are connected and the cavity inside the bottle is filled with a solution. For several days, the product should harden, after which you need to remove a piece of the ball and a plastic cylinder.
After a few more days, the product can be covered with paint and decorated with various elements. Mushrooms of different sizes look spectacular on the site 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 is enough just to make an openwork ball that seems so light and airy. For the base, use a balloon (the size of future figures depends on how much you inflate the balloon). Next in ready solution place any rope and then wrap it around the ball.
Do not wrap the base too tightly, you need to leave enough holes for further extraction of pieces of the burst ball. When the product dries, you can proceed to the decorative coating.
If you cover the balloons with cement mortar with the addition of a small amount of gypsum for faster hardening, you can get original garden lanterns or flower pots.
Using this technique, you can also make vases for dried flowers. In this case decorative coloring not only the outer, but also the inner side is exposed.
If you pour the solution into a small hole in rubber balls, you can get monolithic balls different sizes. Painted in different bright colors and randomly scattered around the garden, they will become a concise and stylish decoration.
Using plastic containers, you can make a planter for cacti crassula and Crassula Ovata. The container is wrapped in a plastic bag, and a bag of clay or sand is placed inside to keep the container in shape. Then it is covered with cement mortar. After complete drying auxiliary materials are removed, in the bottom with a drill are made drainage holes, the product is primed and covered with paint.
It is very easy to make a flowerpot using a plastic bucket or vase and another suitable container.
One container is inserted into another, a solution is poured into the space between them. The result is a solid product that can be additionally decorated by showing your imagination to the fullest.
Flowers planted in a flowerpot made of crossed palms of the hands look attractive. To create such a masterpiece, ordinary rubber gloves are used, which are evenly filled with a solution. For rigidity, a thick wire rod must be inserted into each finger. In order for the product to turn out to be of high quality, the formation of air bubbles should not be allowed.
When the gloves are filled, they are shaped into the desired shape and fixed. After a few days, the rubber is cut and removed. If you want to connect two palms, then the same solution is used for this. At the final stage, the surface is polished with sandpaper, primed and painted.
Complex figures with a frame
More fun to decorate your Vacation home sculptures of animals and mythical characters. Such creations involve the preliminary manufacture of a strong frame and the layer-by-layer application of cement mortar.
Interesting flower vases can be made using buckets from building mixtures. At the first stage, a container of suitable size is wrapped plaster mesh and covered with a thick layer of cement. At the second stage, until complete solidification, a decorative adjustment is carried out, making an imitation of an old stump with natural wrinkles on the bark.
close artificial reservoirs a monolithic figure of a hippo will look appropriate. The place for it must be determined immediately and carefully aligned, since in the future the figure will be stationary.
As a frame, two elongated plastic basins are suitable, which must be fastened with wire. another option is also possible: a thick cement mortar is covered over a pile of broken bricks or gravel.
The figure itself does not contain complex elements and 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 or containers; 2) covering the workpiece with a plaster mesh; 3) applying the mixture in several layers; 4) the formation of small details (facial features, special texture, folds of clothing, etc.); 5) priming and painting the finished work.
Flower vases in the form of swans will become an elegant decoration of the garden. Body frame - old plastic basin, neck - twisted wire. The head, wings and plumage imitation will have to be made from 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-sized objects. You can decorate your garden with boulders of different sizes.
For their manufacture, any unnecessary and lightweight material(trimmings polyurethane foam, plastic bottles, styrofoam).
The resulting base is wrapped in a plaster mesh and covered with a thick cement mortar. The more bumps 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, clothing, household utensils.
Step-by-step instructions for making: 3 master classes
In order to analyze in more detail the nuances of the creativity presented in the article, consider best master classes with a step-by-step explanation of the work being done.
1. Spectacular flowerpots made of cement and fabric
To make garden pots out of cement and cloth, either pure cement or Portland cement is used. In this case, the mixture with water should turn out to be quite liquid. You will also need a bucket or other container for the frame, a piece of polyethylene and a piece of fabric.
The material must be sufficiently dense and absorb liquids well, i.e. synthetics will not work here. It is better to use cotton fabric.
- Cut off a piece right size. If you need smooth edges, then round off;
- Abundantly wet the matter in the solution;
- We fix polyethylene on the prepared bucket;
- Lay out and smooth the fabric soaked in the solution on top;
- After 2 days, the cement will set and the bucket can be removed;
- The product is slightly moistened with water and left to dry completely for another 5 days.
Even large-sized plants can be planted in a finished flowerpot.
Experiment with the shape and color of flowerpots and create your own unique compositions.
2. Funny cat for the garden
To begin with, we prepare a frame from a cut plastic bottle and wooden slats that are held together with wire.
The solution is prepared from cement and sand in a ratio of 1: 1, additionally (directly into the hand) gypsum is added during work. Gradually applying the solution, create all the details of the sculpture.
The finished figure is polished wet hand and left to dry for 4 days. Finishing touch- painting with water-based emulsion or enamel.
3. Large drinker leaf for birds and pets
An equally successful and versatile garden decoration will be a sheet of cement. A plastic film is laid on a mound of sand, and then - large sheet(the mound will allow you to get a figure with a recess, and not a flat one). If there are small holes in the sheet, then they should be closed with small leaves so that the cement mortar does not leak.
For several days, the workpiece is covered with a film until it dries. Then the sheet is removed, primed and painted.
If desired, a fabulous fountain can be made from several similar blanks.
Original and cute DIY garden crafts made of cement will help decorate adjoining territory And garden plot. With their help, you can create an original version of landscape design yourself without any special material costs. It is not difficult at all, very exciting and useful. After all, cement crafts can be not only decorative.
The basics of making garden figures from cement
Cement is an inexpensive, plastic and durable material. Therefore, anyone who wants to decorate their site with interesting figures or compositions from them will be able to learn how to work with it.
The main task for a novice sculptor: to learn how to mix cement correctly. To prepare a cement mortar, you will need the following components:
- cement grade not lower than M400;
- sand (large, clean, river);
- water.
Cement powder will need about 2-3 times less than sand. Sand must be sifted to remove small debris and accidentally fallen objects from it. Water is poured into a mixture of dry ingredients little by little, gently stirring. The finished cement-sand mixture should be thick enough. Usually it is brought to the consistency of sour cream. Mix the cement with a spatula or spatula in any suitable container. You can use a bowl, bowl, small container. It is necessary to work with cement only in gloves.
From the finished cement-sand mortar, you can make a wide variety of garden figures wireframe or molding. The manufacturing method, as a rule, is determined by the shape, size and other properties of the future sculpture. Garden figures from a cement-sand mixture can be both voluminous - fruits, mushrooms, animals, and flat - tree leaves, flowers. Masters who are starting to create cement crafts with their own hands for the first time can start with simple small figures. Over time, it will be possible to complicate the task.
Back to index
Figures made of cement on a frame
When creating a figurine, you should maximize the resemblance to natural stone.
The frame for crafts can be made from a plaster wire mesh, arranging the necessary figure from it - a boulder, a cylinder, a cone. A “filler” is placed inside the frame: rags, plastic bags, old newspapers.
Cement paste is applied to the finished frame with a spatula. It must be evenly distributed over the entire surface of the product. The finished craft is covered with plastic wrap and kept indoors until the cement hardens and dries completely. After that, it can be taken to open air and place in the garden. Due to the light "filler" the figure will not big weight.
In the manufacture of decorative cement boulders, you should try to give them the maximum resemblance to natural stone. Therefore, the applied solution is not leveled on the frame. With the help of a spatula, a wooden stick and other improvised items, various pits, ledges and other irregularities are made on the future boulder.
Back to index
Forming cement figures
In order to make molded figures, you will need a formwork (mould), inside which a “dough” of concrete or cement will be poured. After hardening, the formwork is removed. It can be made from plastic containers, wood, rubber. Balls are made by pouring a solution into an ordinary plastic toy baby ball through a small hole. Before pouring cement into the prepared form, it must be smeared with warm paraffin or wax. To do this, you can use an ordinary candle, slightly warmed over the fire.
Back to index
Simple cement garden crafts
The simplest in execution are the figures of beetles, turtles, ladybugs, hedgehogs and other small animals. The basis of such figures is a hemisphere.
For its manufacture, half of the ball, smeared with wax, is filled with cement mortar. Cement needs to be compacted a little and turn the filled form onto the board.
After about 2 - 3 hours, when the cement hardens a little, the mold is removed. Using various decorative elements - fine gravel, haberdashery accessories and the like, you can get the desired figure.
The finished craft is covered with polyethylene until dry. After that, a decorative and protective coating is applied.
Back to index
How to make a mushroom yourself?
To make a mushroom, you will need a plastic bottle and a metal bowl, which will serve as a mold for the hat and stem of the mushroom. The main thing at the same time is to observe the necessary proportions so that the design is stable and looks good.
At the bottle, you need to cut off the neck, then fill it with a solution and leave it to solidify. Line the inside of the bowl cling film smoothing it out gently. The mold is then filled with cement mortar. The cement must be dried so that it can be cut with a knife so that you can make a recess for the leg (about 7-8 cm). After some time, the hat is removed from the mold, the edge is ground with a knife or file. Now it can be decorated from above: “plant” a fly or a worm on it, make small pimples if it is a fly agaric.
A large mushroom on a thick stem can be turned into a fabulous old boletus. The face of an old man can be made by pouring cement into a plastic New Year's mask of Santa Claus, after sealing all the holes with tape. After removing the mask, you can correct your face with a knife, stick eyes from beads or buttons. Then the mask is attached to the stem of the mushroom. Until the cement has hardened, the old man can make arms, legs, give a basket, a staff or just a flower in his hands.
Back to index
Intricate cement sculptures
Having gained experience, you can begin to create more complex sculptures. It is better to make such sculptures from several elements. It will be easier and more convenient. A monolithic cement sculpture will be too heavy. It will be difficult to move it, and its strength will decrease. It is better to make large parts of the sculpture on a frame from old vessels or containers, covering them with concrete.
The frame for long and thin elements - limbs, necks, etc. - is best made from old plastic pipes or fittings (wire, mesh).
Giraffe flowerbed.
A pot for a small flower bed in the form of a giraffe will look original. For work you will need:
- suitable reservoir;
- wire;
- wooden bars and slats;
- piece plastic pipe;
- small accessories;
- Decoration Materials.
A large plastic bottle with a cropped top or a small oval basin that needs to be braided with wire or covered with a fine mesh can become a reservoir for a flower bed so that the cement does not slip.
The prepared container is installed on a frame made of wooden bars. Mix the finished cement with a plasticizer (alabaster or gypsum) in small portions before applying the mixture to the frame. Plasticizers reduce the setting time of cement.
The frame of the figure is gradually covered with cement paste, and the desired shape is given. Legs-bars are made with a slight thickening from the bottom, these will be hooves.
The neck can be made from a plastic pipe, place a short mane on it. Then a head with horns is molded on a wire frame. All small parts are attached to a wet cement surface. This way they will hold up better.
The surface of the finished figure is gently smoothed with a damp hand to eliminate minor defects. Then the sculpture is covered with polyethylene and dried for at least 4 days. On the first day, the giraffe needs to be moistened with water from time to time. The dried figure must be sanded with an emery cloth. Now you can start coloring. A layer of varnish must be applied over the paint.
After drying decorative coating you need to install a figure in the garden, fill the bottle-reservoir with soil and plant the plants. It is better to hibernate a giraffe indoors so that it does not crack.
Good day to all. April outside. Many gardeners are already preparing for summer season. They not only plant plants in their garden, but also love to decorate it. Recently, it has become especially fashionable to decorate your garden with crafts from waste material- plastic bottles, tires and so on. I also decided to decorate my garden with handmade crafts. And I made a forest clearing with mushrooms and hemp.
To make it I needed:
- A semi-circular plastic plate and a small plastic ball.
- Cement, sand, water.
- Disposable cups (volume 0.5 l. and 0.1 l.).
- Knife.
- Form for filling ( old sheet IR for the oven).
- Brushes.
- Oil paints.
- Green plastic bottle.
- 5 liter plastic bottle.
- Primer for painting.
- Masking tape.
- Scissors.
- Matches, a candle.
- Sandpaper.
- Glue.
- Optional (flowers, butterfly, ladybug).
First, I took a plastic plate with a round bottom, for insurance I greased it from the inside with a drop sunflower oil so that the mushroom cap comes out well. I diluted the cement solution and poured it into a plate. As you probably already understood, this is the future mushroom cap.
A little later, when the cement had already set, but had not yet completely hardened, I took a 0.5-liter disposable glass, cut off the bottom from it and put it on top of the cap, bottom down and also filled it with cement solution. The mushroom is ready.
I left the mushroom to dry for a couple of days in a warm place. Then without difficulty I took it out of the mold, I also removed the glass from the leg. I also made two small mushrooms. I poured the hats into a small plastic ball, which I first cut in half, and the shape for the legs was disposable cups with a volume of 0.1 liters. When the mushrooms were completely dry, I sanded all the uneven edges with sandpaper.
Mushrooms are ready, it's time to make a stump. For this I took a 5 liter plastic bottle, cut off her lower part of the desired height.
I glued the workpiece on the outside with masking tape, so that the cement adheres better. The blank for the stump is ready.
Since I wanted to make a clearing, I needed a form to fill it. I thought for a long time what to make it from, and then the idea came to my mind to use an old baking sheet in the oven. I took a leaf, filled it with cement mortar and installed a stump blank and mushrooms inside. All this was left to dry for a couple of days.
Once everything was solid and held together well, I started shaping the hemp. Once again, she kneaded a solution of cement, sand and water, slightly wetted the stump blank with water and began to apply cement to it. I smoothed out all the bumps with a damp brush. Inside the stump, I also applied cement to the sides of the bottle and to the bottom. When I liked the shape of the stump, I left it to dry until completely dry. Here's what happened.
Then I sanded everything again until smooth. The remaining dust was swept away with a soft brush. I applied a primer for painting. When the primer was dry, I painted everything oil paint. Stump turned out Brown, mushroom caps were painted dark brown on top and light brown on the bottom, grass was painted green.
She gave the paint time to dry and then took up the additional decor of the forest clearing. I took a green plastic bottle, cut off a strip from it and with the help of scissors gave it the shape of grass. I deliberately cut off an uneven strip, since the grass should be of different heights.
When I take my forest clearing into the garden, I will put a pot inside the stump and plant flowers in it. It will look very nice. I hope you enjoy my garden craft.
Goodbye, see you again.
Natural wood is more susceptible to destruction than other materials. Plastic products better tolerate moisture, but wear out quickly. Therefore, if the house adjoining area needs a viable decor, do-it-yourself cement garden figures are the best option.
Features of working with a solution
Considering that future crafts will have to winter in the open, wear-resistant materials will be required. For example, cement brand M400. With plasticizers and special additives in the composition, it increases the anti-corrosion properties of mixtures. As a result, they can be used in both hot and cold weather.
For garden decor, it is desirable to use a mortar that is resistant to heat and frost.
The basis of most crafts is a cement-sand mortar. The strength of this composition depends on compliance with the proportions:
- One bucket of cement is 10-12 liters of water.
- To improve the properties of cement, 100-120 ml of detergent should be added to the water.
- At first, no more than 50% of the sand is put into the water and all the cement is poured. After that, you need to wait for all the ingredients to be thoroughly mixed in the concrete mixer. Upon completion of work, pour out the remaining sand and start the concrete unit for another 5-7 minutes.
- Too thick mixture can be diluted with 1-2 liters of water. Then on the surface of the solution you need to draw any figure. If the picture does not blur, you can start organizing the decor.
- Gypsum-cement mixture includes one part of gypsum and 5 parts of cement. To increase the density of the composition by at least 30%, you need to add a tablespoon of PVA glue to it.
Volumetric statues and figurines of fairy-tale characters for the garden will definitely need a foundation. Compared with wooden structures, the minimum shelf life here is 35 years. For periodic renewal of hard surfaces, polyurethane paints will be needed. Unlike most formulations on oil based they are better breathable, do not wear out and do not fade in the sun.
Video: "How to make a concrete sculpture with your own hands"
From this video you will learn how to make a garden figure and concrete.
Classification of landscape gardening sculptures
Landscape designers distinguish the following types of sculptures:
- Classic and neoclassical from wear-resistant materials. Examples include stone lions and bronze maidens.
- Abstract compositions from polyurethane foam, wire or metal. If you connect your imagination, it is really possible to make a pond with swans or a fountain from these materials in the country.
- Sculptural additions that perform not only aesthetic, but also practical functions.
- Small plastic from light lumber. The result is small but beautiful little mermaids, fairies, goblin and other characters that complete the overall picture of creation.
Based on the area of the site and the style of the garden, experts can recommend a stele. This refers to a stone slab with artistic relief. Other types of garden sculptures include human statues, inscribed monuments and pyramid-shaped obelisks.
Ideas for newbies
The main advantage of concrete crafts is the ability independent work at home. The only thing a beginner needs to do is prepare a solution, pour it into a barrel and, after a while, get a ready-made figurine. You can also use 3 liter bottles, old buckets, plastic containers and even used boots as molds.
decorative sculptures easy to make from concrete with your own hands, without special skills Cement-sand mortar Ideal base for garden vases, fountains, elegant statues, caves and candle holders. Unusual balls and bird "canteens" are obtained from concrete. The standard set of tools for every second such sculpture includes:
- polyethylene film and foam;
- aluminum wire and chain-link mesh;
- water sprayers and spatulas;
- coloring compositions for outdoor work;
- circular saws with diamond discs for the processing of finished products.
drinker leaf
For crafts, you will need a flat sheet of plywood on which you can set the form. The second step is to prepare a solution of a uniform consistency and introduce pre-cut pieces of pipes into the ground by about 35 cm. A product of larger diameter is installed at the installation site of the drinker. The remaining piece of pipe is left for further work.
You can make original figures from cement mortar, it all depends on your imagination
In short, the craft algorithm looks like this:
- we cover flat surface plastic wrap so as not to stain the wood;
- we spread the sand in shape, cover it with a film, and put a large sheet of rhubarb on top;
- pour the finished form with cement;
- waiting for the cement to finally harden;
- in a week, the finished statue can be sanded and painted.
It is important to place the deferred piece of pipe in the cement at the stage of pouring the solution. So it will turn out to make a drinker on a leg.
hemispheres
Of the materials you will need cement, sand and water in a ratio of 1: 3. As a basis, you will have to take a rubber ball of any size. The main thing is that you can make a hole in it for a small blade. After that, we fill the elastic ball with a cement-sand mixture, we expect the concrete to harden completely within 2-3 days, and at the end of the work we eliminate the defects. Decorative hemispheres can be leveled with putty, covered with moss or, for example, decorated with stained glass mosaics.
If you need balls large sizes, it is advisable to use balls with a diameter of at least 100-120 cm. Construction tape, electrical tape and chain-link mesh are useful from the materials.
To make a hemisphere, you need a rubber ball and some building materials Formation of complex wireframe analogues
Large animal figures and angel statues require pre-training frame. It can be made from strong wire. At the next stage, it is important for a novice master:
- fill inner part frame with plastic bottles, old buckets, basins or foam, as this will halve the consumption of the cement mixture;
- stick around the frame with cement and wait until the first layer of the “wrap” has set;
- prepare a solution of a liquid consistency for the secondary processing of stone surfaces;
- timely remove irregularities with a spatula;
- wrap the upper part of the craft with polyethylene, and when it is completely dry, cover the rest of its parts with a solution.
Boulder for Japanese rock garden
It is important to achieve an asymmetric arrangement of the figures. different forms and sizes. It is better to prefer multi-colored stones to objects of the same type, and to refuse parallel lines altogether.
Multi-colored stones, different sizes and shapes - a feature Japanese garden stones To balance energy, the total number of horizontal stones must exceed the number of vertical ones. Moreover, the latter can be the central elements of the composition. For the correct distribution of attention, it is better to place the largest boulder in the background.
Concrete or cement mortar can be used not only as a building material, but also as an excellent material for the implementation of creative ideas - the manufacture of landscape gardening sculptures.
What is required for manufacturing?
In order to decorate your local area, garden or landscape design concrete sculptures do not require special education, special equipment and special skills. It will take - desire, spatial thinking, the ability to work with concrete and a sense of beauty. You may need the ability to work with a welding machine.
Depending on the adopted technology of sculptures, the following materials and tools will be required:
- Container for mixing mortar or concrete mixer;
- Trench tool: shovels, spatula, trowel;
- Steel or aluminum wire;
- Pliers and wire cutters;
- Portland cement M400 (white or gray), sand, water, plasticizer for concrete (for example, detergent Fairy or PVA glue);
- Polyethylene film;
- Plastic building mesh;
- Paint and primer for outdoor work "on concrete";
- Forms for pouring (an option for making sculptures using pouring into molds).
Variants and technologies
Before you start mixing the material, you should decide on the type of sculpture manufacturing technology. It depends on the shape and size of the product. Simple sculptures such as: mushrooms, koloboks, figures in the form of spheres or hemispheres can be made using the technology of pouring into molds, complex "realistic" sculptures in the form of animals, flowers, trees, birds, caricatures of people and other similar products are made using a more complex - frame technology. figurines regarding small size can be molded from concrete by hand by analogy with plasticine.
Frame technology
This is one of the most complex technologies, which provides for the manufacture of the frame of the future sculpture from steel or aluminum wire. There are no standard recipes here, except for recommendations to use any suitable unnecessary things as a basis: boxes, wood, rags, etc.
The frame can be made from aluminum wire by knitting, from steel wire by welding, or by a combined method - welding the base of the sculpture and knitting its individual elements.
If the sculpture is planned as hollow (the preferred option), the frame is very carefully and carefully fitted construction grid. In the manufacture of a hollow figure, not only expensive concrete components are saved, but there is no need to order lifting devices to move it and install it in a permanent place.
The mortar is applied to the frame in layers, with a spatula and a trowel. Each new layer is applied after the beginning of the setting of the previous layer. After the last layer has been applied, and the concrete has set, but not yet dried, the defects in the sculpture (sagging, streaks, burrs, etc.) should be corrected. This can be done with a spatula, knife or coarse sandpaper.
Mold pouring technology
The technology involves the purchase or manufacture of special forms by analogy with construction formwork. For example, to fill a mushroom cap, you can use a bowl, bowl or half of a ball lined with plastic wrap, and for a leg - plastic bottle, which, after the concrete has set, is cut and removed.
When making a mold, ensure that there are no large cracks through which the solution can flow. Also, in order to save concrete, you can put a plastic bottle inside the mold, or fill the space with unnecessary rags.
Technology for the preparation of concrete mortar for pouring sculpture
- The sand is sifted and mixed with cement in a ratio of 3:1. When choosing between white and gray Portland cement, it should be borne in mind that paints applied to white cement will look brighter, richer and more natural. At the same time, white cement is much more expensive than the usual "gray" binder;
- In the resulting homogeneous mixture is added in small portions pure water and a plasticizer in the proportion of 200 ml of liquid per 50 kg bag of cement. Mixing is carried out until a homogeneous mass. Consistency control "thick sour cream". If the concrete is too thick, add water and mix again.
After obtaining the consistency of thick sour cream, the solution is ready for application to the frame or shell form.
