General
Directions: Safety glasses and
gloves are recommended when working with concrete.
One 60-pound bag of concrete
mix makes approximately 4-5 stepping stones.
Never lift or carry a full mold by
the edges. Always use a support board (½ or ¾ inch plywood about 16 inches by 24
inches or similar) when filling or moving full molds.
Use approximately 9 dry
level cups (2.6 liters) of concrete mix for one round stone.
Approximately 18-20
oz. (568 ml) water per stone.
1. Oil mold lightly
with concrete form oil or light machine oil before using. Use oil sparingly;
there should be only a slight film on the molds and no pooling. Wipe out excess
oil with a paper towel if needed. Clean your molds with mild soap and water
after each use.
2. Place dry concrete
mix in a bucket or wheelbarrow and add water a little at a time mixing
thoroughly. Your mix should be very thick (similar to brownie mix). If color is
desired, add powdered colorant after the concrete and water are mixed. Add
liquid colorant before adding your water to your mix.
3. Place a support
board between two chairs or sawhorses. Set your mold on your board and fill
about a third full. Vigorously tap the bottom of the board with a mallet or
hammer to remove any air bubbles trapped in the concrete. (Using a palm sander
with the sandpaper removed also works well to vibrate the bubbles out of the wet
concrete.) Tap until no new bubbles appear on the surface. Repeat filling and
tapping until the mold is just about full. Leave at least 1/8 inch space at the
top.
4. Using the support
board to move your mold, slide the mold off someplace out of the direct sun and
wind for drying. When the back can no longer be etched (scratched) easily with
your thumbnail or a toothpick, it is ready to come out of the mold (usually
about 24 to 36 hours).
5. To release the
stepping stone from the mold, place the support board on top of the stone. Turn
the board over while holding the stone in place. Push down gently on the mold
until the stone is released onto the support board. Slide the stone back off of
the support board and let dry for several more days before using.
What material are
your molds made of?
Our standard molds
are made of durable High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), which we have found to be
the best choice to offer the consumer for both price and value. We expect you to
get 18 to 24 uses under normal conditions.
The commercial grade
molds are made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and are good for dozens and
dozens of pours.
What is the
thickness of the molds and how many times can I expect to reuse the
molds?
The polystyrene is
048 or approximately 1/8th inch thick. The molds should be able to be reused
with proper care and cleaning. We expect you to get about 12 uses. Some
people get a lot more, some don't.
These products are
designed for the home handy man and are not designed for commercial use. We are
trying to fill the retail consumer request for molds that can be used over a few
times and are affordable to the average consumer.
The Garden Gator,
Vine Man, Edgers, larger stones (like the fat cat, rooster, slate, kokopeli) and
Wood Plank molds are considered commercial grade molds. The commercial molds are
designed to be used dozens and dozens of times.
Do you have smooth
molds (molds without designs) in round and octagonal shapes?
We do offer a plain
12" round mold and a plain 14" slate mold of irregular shape.
Do you make/sell
yard ornament molds?
At this time, we only
manufacture the stepping stones, Garden Gator, VineMan, and decorative
patios.
Do you ship to Canada? What are the extra
charges?
We ship to Canada
fairly regularly. The only extra charges are those necessary for shipping fees.
Currently, to ship 4 molds to Canada will run about $35.00 US (price subject to
change without notice). We do require U.S. dollars for payment. There are no
duty fees or tariffs on our end, but your postal carrier may have their own
fees.
I would like to
know more about the colorants. What tints are available? How many 60# bags of
concrete can I tint with an 8 oz. jar?
Eight ounces of powdered concrete colorant will tint approximately 30 round stones. We recommend about 1/2 teaspoon
color per stone mixture for a nice pastel finish. So you can use up to 3
teaspoons per 60# bag of ready mix.
If you want more exotic colors, your local tile store should carry a wide variety of grout coloring.
This will also work with concrete (just be sure you ask for outdoor colorant so
it will not fade in the sunlight).
The color ratios are
designed for average color depth, but they are not designed for real dark
colors. If you add more colorant than 1 teaspoon per stone, we recommend adding
more cement to your concrete mix to help offset the counter-reactions of the
colorant in curing and strength. (Using too much colorant per cement ratio will
cause the drying times to vary and the results may be streaked, leach a white
substance (lime), cause cracking or actual breakage).
If you want really
dark colors, please see our antiquing instructions below.
Antiquing and
Darkening:
Mix = 1/4 teaspoon
colorant with 1/2 cup water.
To Darken: Paint on
surface of stone using a foam paintbrush. Let dry. Repeat as necessary until
desired darkness is achieved.
To Antique: As soon
as you paint on the dye (see above), wipe it off with a wet cloth or rag.
Continue applying new dye and wiping it off until the desired antiquing effect
is achieved.
I only want to
make 1 or 2 stones, what do I do with the left over concrete?
First, do not mix up
the entire bag of ready mix if you are not prepared to use it all.
One 60 lb bag of
ready mix will pour:
5 Round Stones: 9 dry
cups per stone 2 - 14" Irregular 14" Stones: 1/2 bag per stone 3 -16" Wood
Planks: 1/3rd bag per stone
We do recommend
mixing a little more than you think you will need especially if you are going to
add colorant. The variations involved when coloring concrete have taught us that
having a small amount left over (to throw away) is better than trying to match
the color to make up the shortage.
Have an old cake pan
or pie pan (pizza boxes work great too) ready to put the leftovers in and
customize your own stone using small rocks, your child's handprint, or just
write you favorite saying in it with a stick. Just remember to oil your mold
before each use.
What is Mold
Release?
Mold release is a
lubricant that primarily helps keep the concrete from sticking to the mold after
it is dried (cured). It also helps prevent air bubbles on the surface of the
finished product if the proper solution is used (heavy oils retain air and may
cause more bubbles).
How will my stones
turn out if I don't use Mold Release? Can I use a substitute like vegetable oil
instead of Mold Release?
Although some
manufactures even suggest using vegetable oils (such as Crisco), we have found
that diesel oil works even better and does not cause adverse reactions with the
concrete. The mold release is designed to help release the cured concrete from
the mold and to help eliminate air bubbles and pockets. Thicker oils (such as
mineral oil, baby oil, or some vegetable oils) may actually cause air to be
trapped in the concrete more than usual. They may also leave an oily residue on
the surface making painting or antiquing later virtually impossible.
Sometimes I lose
some of the design detail when the mold is released. What causes this? I think
it breaks off. Would leaving it in the mold longer help?
By leaving the wet
concrete in the mold for thirty hours or more, the curing process will help
eliminate the loss of the smaller detail parts. If you can leave it in the mold
even longer, the better it will come out. If you can scratch the back surface
with your thumbnail or a wooden toothpick, it is not ready to be removed from
the mold. Also, maybe you are not getting the mold release all over to help
ensure non-sticking.
If I use standard
Quikrete, there is gravel in the mix which would settle in the bottom of my mold
where the pattern is. Am I missing something about how to pour and get the
imprint of the mold without gravel in the bottom?
Our instructions
specify that you pour the wet mix in until the mold is about 1/3rd full, bounce
the molds to remove all the air bubbles, and repeat this filling and tapping
process until nearly full.
The tapping or
vibrating process moves the larger pieces of gravel and rocks towards the center
of the mold and the fines (small rocks and sand) move down into the design. If
enough tapping is done, there will be no rock pockets showing in your stones.
(The big boys ---heavy construction-use vibrators to "flow" the concrete mix
into tight spaces and eliminate rock pockets along the edges of their
forms-check out your foundation wall or basement wall.) Our molds work using the
same principle.
Can I add bits of
colored glass or stones in the designs to get a different more colorful
finish?
Only if you glue them
down first. The tapping process to remove air bubbles also moves the rocks up
into the concrete, so your glass or stones would disappear along with the
concrete gravel. Use some sticky shelf or contact paper (two-sided tape also
works), cut it out to fit the molds designs where you want the stones or glass,
and then stick the glass or stone to the paper. After your stone has been
removed from the mold and dried, then peel off the sticky paper to expose your
colored glass. You may have to wash it off gently to remove any concrete residue
from the extra pieces.
Concrete 101:
Concrete is made of sand, gravel, and cement. Cement is the glue that holds
the sand and gravel together. The gravel (or aggregate) is what provides the
strength in concrete. Almost all local concrete contains Portland Cement (a
specific brand of cement).
Morter mix is just sand and cement. No gravel = no strength. It is generally
used just to "glue" things together like bricks and stone.
If you want to make wall hangings or fence art, morter mix is great.
If you want to actually walk on your stones, please use concrete mix.
