In recent years, people are increasingly coming to the country not to delve into the beds. To ennoble their personal plots, they often use the services of landscape designers, on whose advice they spend considerable money on the acquisition of park sculptures. After reading this article, you will learn how to make sculptures from concrete with your own hands.
A bit of history
Since time immemorial, people have tried to create a special atmosphere in their areas using all kinds of figures and sculptures. Our distant ancestors believed that stone sculptures not only affect the surrounding vegetation, but also change the fate of the owners. So, the family of little gnomes brings a good harvest and good luck. The sculptures of animals give their owners health and longevity, and marble human figures save from loneliness. The characters of various fairy tales promise their owners an interesting life filled with amazing events.
Main features and advantages of the material used
Many owners will probably always find a certain amount of concrete, cement or putty that can be used to create a park decor. The main advantage of a mixture prepared on the basis of sand, cement and water is its plasticity. Therefore, it is very easy and simple to work with such material. In addition, concrete sculptures are resistant to atmospheric precipitation, so they can be safely left in the open. Also, they do not require special care. The owners will occasionally need to restore the coverage of the figure.
Another significant advantage of such products can be considered their weight. Even relatively small concrete sculptures for the garden have a rather impressive mass, so it is unlikely that anyone will steal them.
What will be required to create park figures?
Before making such a decor, it is necessary to determine what functions the future product will perform, since the choice of materials largely depends on this. To produce a concrete sculpture, you will need components such as:
- aluminum wire for the frame;
- concrete or a mixture of water, one part sand and three parts cement; to increase the plasticity of the solution, you can add PVA to it, and to increase the moisture resistance - liquid nails;
- putty knife;
- polyethylene film;
- spray bottle with water.
In addition, it is necessary to stock up in advance with a plastic basin of a suitable size.
Making concrete sculptures in different ways
Today, there are several methods for creating park figures. The most popular of them are:
- Frame technology, according to which the base is first formed from the wire, subsequently coated with a solution. For the manufacture of thicker elements, a building mesh or the same wire is wound on the desired part of the existing frame. In addition, the basis can be any suitable and unnecessary item in the household. It can be an old bucket, a baking dish or a box.
- Molding technology, in which the solution is poured into a pre-prepared form. You can buy it or make it yourself from improvised materials, such as a rubber ball or a glass container. After the concrete has hardened, it must be removed from the finished figure.
- A coating technology in which a solution is applied to the surface of any suitable framework made of brittle material. After solidification, the base inside the product will need to be destroyed. It should be understood that such sculptures made of concrete will have a relatively low weight.
All of the above methods can be applied not only individually, but also combined with each other.
Concrete sculptures and the general style of the site
In order not to turn your garden into something tasteless, you need to use a few simple tips from experts. Before finally deciding on the choice of such a decor, you need to draw a detailed plan of your own site and graphically try on various options for the figures. Each sculpture needs to create a certain background, emphasizing its style and beauty. So, it is advisable to place small products in an open area near artificial ponds, garden paths, flower beds, front gardens or fences. Tall large figures are recommended to be installed next to fountains or neatly trimmed shrubs.
Garden sculpture should be in harmony with the general style of the garden and emphasize the direction of its image. For a romantic area planted with delicate flowers, monophonic graceful human figures or magical sophisticated plant compositions are optimally suited. The village garden can be decorated with colorful folk elements or pet figures.
Useful Tips
To make quality and durable concrete garden sculptures, It is important to choose the right brand of cement. The better the properties of the consumable, the higher the performance of the finished product. During the work, do not neglect safety measures. It is advisable to work in a special protective mask to prevent the ingress of cement dust into the respiratory tract. Processing the finished figure can be done using a special saw with diamond wheels.