There are numerous ways to beautify the garden area, and you can set creative accents with DIY concrete garden decorations. The versatile building material allows you to contrastingly refresh green garden spaces by creating unique and contemporary creations yourself. Prepare for spring and use the winter time to make imaginative decorations with your own hands. The following examples and instructions will certainly help you get some inspiration.
The earlier you start your garden or patio projects in the winter, the sooner you can enjoy the charm and comfort of outdoor spaces when the weather is nice or in the spring. For this purpose you could use theDesign of garden decorationsConsider do-it-yourself concrete. This gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of interesting shapes and practical accessories that you can position in style.
If you're feeling particularly creative, you can add mortar to any items to create a unique look for the garden. All of this is pretty easy and all you need to do is get some cement and follow the instructions loosely. Additionally, you have the freedom to change the way each of these DIY projects looks. Simply let yourself be inspired by the suggestions described below!
Create stepping stones for garden paths using rubber mats
This can be a really beautiful project for your lawn. Larger anddecorative stepping stones suitable for making yourselfFor this purpose, they can be easily cast in a mold using rubber floor mats. You can also use two or more different rubber mats with different sizes. Then simply make a shape for each mat and use a steel mesh to reinforce each stepping stone so you and your guests can step on them quietly and enjoy the beautiful patterns. You can also reuse the mats for other projects to create similar DIY concrete garden decorations cheaply and sustainably.
Instructions
- First, use old wooden boards to make the shapes. You will also need a base plate and four poles. The bars should be wide enough to hold at least 5cm of concrete plus the rubber mat.
- Cut the bars and screw them together to make a frame. The frame should be slightly larger than the rubber mat.
- Then attach the frame to the base plate and the shape is ready.
- Then, as you pour the concrete, fill a layer into the mold and place the steel mesh inside before spreading another layer of concrete on top.
- Now take your rubber mat and tap the top down with a rubber mallet, but not too deeply.
- Then let the whole thing cure for two days before taking the mold apart and removing the rubber mat.
- To get a nicer finish, you can use a rotating wire brush to get rid of sharp edges.
- You can use WD-40, silicone spray, or cooking oil on the rubber mat to prevent the concrete from sticking.
You will need about 13 liters of ready-made concrete for the smaller mat and 18 liters for the larger one if you want to make your stepping stones 5cm thick. Also remember that the production can be quite dusty and use eye protection and a dust mask. If you don't knock the rubber mat too deeply into the concrete, it wouldn't be a problem to carefully pull it off. However, the back of the mat must always be visible and must not lie under the concrete.
Decorative and robust flower pots as DIY garden decorations made of concrete and gold
This is another great idea that can make your garden area look modern and a bit industrial at the same time. Of course, you can also add some glamor by using gold foil and you can top it off with plants like succulents.
Materials
- Fast setting cement
- Plastic outer shape, such as yogurt containers
- Inner shape, also made of plastic, although plastic cups are well suited for this
- Gold foil
- Painter's tape
- Mixing container and mixing rod
- Paint brush
- Pencil
- Marker
- Electric grinder and fine grit grinding wheels
- Dust mask
- Safety glasses
- Piece of wood or something heavy to weigh down the inner containers (optional)
- Hole punch (optional)
Step-by-step instructions for making concrete pots
- Before pouring the concrete, hold the inner cup in the outer container, with the bottom of the cup about 1 inch above the bottom of the container.
- Then mark the side of the plastic cup where it lines up with the top of the outer container. This will help you push the cup into the concrete to the correct depth.
- First, mix the concrete according to the instructions on the package and pour a layer of it into the bottom of the larger container, about half the height of what you want your pot to be.
- Then press the inner shell down to the depth marked above. Scoop out concrete or add more if you want it larger or smaller.
- Now either tape the cup in place or place something heavy on top of it to weigh it down.
- Gently shake the concrete to release air bubbles and level the surface.
- Allow the concrete to cure overnight and then pull out your inner container.
- Turn the container over and press the bottom to loosen the pot.
- After the containers have completely cured (at least 24 hours), you can sand the top edges smooth.
Decorate the flower pots with gold
- Start by taping off your designs with painter's tape. Make different designs as you like by simply attaching pieces of tape in a triangle shape.
- Then try a few variations to score points. You can punch circle stencils out of painter's tape with a hole punch and stick them on pretty randomly.
- You can also mark the pot with a pencil with an x where you want the dots.
- Now paint the glue on the inside of the stencils and let the glue dry for the recommended time.
- Next, place pieces of the gold foil over the adhesive and gently smooth them out with your fingers.
- Allow the glue to dry, then carefully peel off any excess gold leaf that isn't sticking to the pots or tape. You can try to fill any gaps with another layer of glue and foil.
- Next, carefully peel off the tape.
- Finally, fill your DIY concrete flower pots with the plants you want. Since they have no drainage, you can plant the plants in plastic containers.
Make concrete pumpkins for Halloween
Depending on the size and number of pumpkins, this creative project can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours. However, it might take a little longer if you make the concrete mix yourself. Here are the materials you will need to make such a DIY concrete garden decoration:
- concrete mix
- tights
- Scissors
- Rubber bands or string
- Bucket
- Thick rope
- Hot glue or other strong adhesive.
Instructions
- First prepare your concrete mix in the bucket according to the instructions. Depending on the number and size of the pumpkins, you should get the quantities you need.
- Then you need to make a knot at the bottom of your tights and cut about 30cm above the knot or more if you plan to make a larger pumpkin.
- Then fill your tights with the concrete mix. While doing this, make sure to massage the mixture in every time you add a few spoonfuls. This will help the pumpkin take shape better.
- Then tie the pantyhose with either string or an elastic band to tighten the sections. To do this, cut it in a pizza cutting pattern.
- Allow the pumpkins to dry for at least 24 hours and don't take off the tights sooner. The figures should dry out as much as possible because they are heavier. If you remove your rubber bands too soon and they are too deep in the pumpkins, they can tear pieces out of the pumpkin.
- After drying, use a piece of rope about 15cm long and glue it to the pumpkin with hot glue gun or glue after taking off the tights to make the stem. If necessary, brush off any remaining concrete.
- Next, use scissors to trim the stem to the desired length.
Do-it-yourself heart-shaped garden decoration
A concrete heart seems cold at first glance, but with the right colors you can transform it into a cheerful and pretty decoration for your garden area or home. Additionally, you can use different colors and silicone or plastic heart shapes to really brighten up your garden and make it more inviting. For this project you will need:
- Fine-grained cement mixture
- Water
- Platte
- Spoon
- Painter's tape
- Oil (vegetable, rapeseed and other cooking oils are sufficient)
- Paint brush
- Acrylic paints
- Wooden sticks such as skewers or thin craft sticks
- Plastic or silicone molds
Instructions
- First, pour water into the cement mixture in a disposable plastic bowl and stir it with the spoon until it is free of lumps and has the right consistency. Follow the instructions on the packaging to get the correct ratio of cement powder to water.
- Then coat the inside of the plastic or silicone mold with oil using your fingers. However, you could also use a brush or a cotton swab. Coating the interior surfaces of the mold with oil prevents the finished and dried cement from sticking even less to the material. This will make it easier for you to remove it later.
- Now use the spoon to fill the heart shapes with cement mix. When doing this, make sure to leave at least 2cm of space from the top to prevent anything spilling over the edge.
- Again, use the spoon to smooth or level the surface and remove bubbles by lightly tapping the sides of the mold.
- Now create a simple structure with the painter's tape so that the wooden stick can stand upright in the middle of the shape. Then stick the wooden sticks into the soil between flowers.
- Allow the material to dry according to instructions and then remove the concrete hearts from the molds.
- Finally, paint the creations as you wish using acrylic paints of your choice.
