Concrete Molds
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When driving around town, its easy to notice homes that use those very elegant pedestals to decorate their porches, patios or other parts of the exterior of their homes. The variety of designs that can be had in this kind of pedestal is really amazing and they can be functional too if they are crafted to hold up a patio overhang or perform some other support function.
When you see these columns from a distance, its easy to assume that they are made of marble of some other expensive stone and that they are far too expensive for such mortals as you and I. Well, that is the message they are supposed to send to you because that homeowner wants his or her home to look elegant and stylish. But the truth is that even the most artistic looking pedestal can be made to look beautiful using a concrete mix. And they can be made fairly inexpensively with nothing more than a standard set of molds and a small amount of knowledge about how to mix up the cement.
Perhaps the hardest job will be to decide on the style and design of your pedestal and then you will seek out a mold to make that pedestal with. These two steps should work as one because you don’t want to find the perfect pedestal design for your home only to find that a mold has not been made commercially available for it. There are a lot of businesses and hardware stores that can show you a vast array of pedestal molds that will be perfect for using concrete to create your masterpiece. In fact, keep your eye on eBay and other resale web sites because in a lot of cases, once a person finishes making their pedestals, they often are ready to sell their used molds for a song.
If making concrete pedestals is going to become a new business for you, learning to make your own molds will be part of your business plan. But even then, buying some commercial molds and making a few columns with them will help you get an understanding for the process so you will be more educated when you are ready to start your own pedestal or outdoor statuary business.
Before pouring the concrete into the mold, you must prepare the surface of the plastic so it will release the pedestal when its done. Like putting Pam in a frying pan, you can buy mold treatment sprays to coat your mold with or just use vegetable oil and wipe the entire interior surface of the mold.
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From there it is just a process of mixing the concrete and filling the mold to the top. Take your time about this process and be sure you undertake the job somewhere that can be used to store the mold for a few days because you don’t want to move it around a lot once it is poured. But after just a couple of days of drying, you will be very pleased with the delightful and elegant pedestals that were the result of your creative work. You will want to make many pedestals once you get it in your system to create them. And above all, you did it yourself, inexpensively and the outcome was just as beautiful as any outdoor pedestal you can purchase commercially.
