Lili Krakowski on sat 14 aug 04
Several months ago I asked about making concrete "bricks" using a =
plastic mold (from the building/garden supply people) and how to tint =
them so they would look "brickish".
My inquiry was met by a torrent of wonderful advice --all of which I =
followed!--kinda.
What I did was mix iron oxide and some ochre with water, into a slurry, =
that I then dribbled on top of my "bricks" before troweling. This =
worked extremely well. Two cautions: If you want consistency, measure =
out the slurry, as some bricks are redder than oithers. AND sieve the =
mix. In my case there were some lumps which go into the surface, and =
now have disolved in rain, leaving some little holes. No disaster, as =
what I wanted was the look of old reclaimed bricks. Got it!=20
And, as I ran out of one bag of iron oxide, I took out another, another =
time another supplier--different result, albeit raw!
The mold itself was a disappointment. After about twelve uses, it =
started to bend too much when lifted, "damaging" the bricks in the =
middle area. As I did this alone, I expect that a two handed lift of =
the mold, helped deforrn it, but if I had had an extra pair of hands, it =
could have been lifted all four sides at once, and that might have been =
better. If there is a next time I'd buy a different brand mold to see if =
there is a difference. Some molds cost more than others: does it affect =
wear.
For those blissfully ignorant: these molds come in a variety of =
patterns. Some are for "random flagstone", others for diverse brick =
patterns. They are designed to take one full bag of cement. With a 66 =
lb bag you get off perfectly, with an 80 l bs you have some leftover. =
Which is good if the ground underneath is not perfectly level.=20
FYI: I mixed 1394 lbs of concrete all from bags all in a wheelbarrow =
one bag at a time. So there.
Thanks again to all.=20
Lili
Earl Krueger on sat 14 aug 04
So, Lili, the question is "Would you do it again?"
The reason I ask is that I am contemplating using
the random flagstone pattern to put a walk around
the end of my garage to the backyard studio.
Thanks.
Earl K...
Bothell, WA, USA
Who once hammered in 1384 nails overhead putting
up a pine tongue and groove ceiling on the front porch.
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