One 10 ounce bottle can color two 60 pound or 80 pound bags of concrete mix. QUIK-TIP: For a personal touch, add liquid cement color to your concrete mix before pouring it into the mold. Either type of concrete must cure for 48 hours before you can remove the mold to speed your productivity, you may want to build more than one mold. This special concrete mix has no large aggregates, allowing it to form easily into smaller areas. However, for any casting that’s less than 2 inch thick, use sand mix. The best all-around concrete to use for small casting projects like this is crack-resistant concrete, which contains small fibers to add strength to the finished product without the use of metal reinforcement. Coloring the concrete is an even easier option for a personal decorative effect (see QUIK-TIP, below). The process is so simple and the materials so inexpensive that you’ll feel free to experiment with different shapes and surface treatments. In this project, you’ll learn how to cast your own border sections with poured concrete and a reusable wood mold. You can buy factory-made edging in masonry and other materials, but few prefab products can match the stability and longevity of poured concrete, and none can have the personal touch of a custom casting. It makes great garden borders, turf edges, driveway and parking curbs, decorative tree surrounds, and barriers for loose ground covers - just to list its most popular applications. 3/4 inch exterior-grade plywood or melamine-covered particleboardĭecorative and durable edging can have any number of uses in an outdoor home.For stability, make sure the borders are at least 4 inches wide at the bottom. You can cast garden borders just like these or change the mold dimensions to suit your own design. In this excerpt from “Outdoor Home and Landscaping,” concrete landscaping is the focus project, with an emphasis on creating great garden borders. Endorsed by Quikrete, this book includes tips and expert advice that can help readers save hundreds or thousands of dollars in their DIY home projects. Guide to Concrete (Creative Publishing International, 2008) takes readers through some of the most popular home concrete and masonry projects. Renewable Energy News, Blog, & Articles.Sustainable Living - Blog, Articles, & Tips.Natural Health - Nutrition Articles & Tips. Tools and Equipment Articles, Stories & News.Homemade Cheese Recipes: Cheese Making Articles.Sustainable Farming & Agriculture Articles.Power Equipment Articles - Lawn and Garden Equipment.Raising Ducks and Geese: Articles & Ideas.Homesteading Poultry - Chicken, Turkey, Ducks Archives.We can help you get started on that with our guide on how to lay a patio. Of course, if your bed or patio isn't built yet, you'll also have to get this sorted too. With metal edging you'll need to do the same, but you can skip the concrete, as long as it's firmed in properly with soil. On the other hand, if you're looking to install a stone border, then there's a bit more work involved – namely digging a trench, and ideally, laying a concrete foundation. If, for instance, you're edging a ready-made flower bed something like a log-effect or rubber strip with pre-attached spikes, you can simply tap it into the ground using a wooden block and a mallet. Is edging your garden hard?Įdging your garden doesn't have to be hard! But it all depends on what type you're going for. 'However, concrete or natural stone edging is not only stylish and versatile, but also durable and will stand the test of time, making it worth the investment.'Īs we've mentioned, weathered steel is a good, hardy alternative for a different look. Plastic is a cheaper alternative and can sometimes look unsightly against a well-designed garden, and wood can rot or warp once weathered.' 'Edging comes in a number of materials, including plastic, wood and stone. Lee Dunderdale, Product Manager at Bradstone, gives his advice. If you're looking for durability, then stone or concrete is the best material to use for your garden edging.
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