How To Make Your Own Concrete Orbs
Concrete orbs are a beautiful way to decorate your front or back yard. I actually made some of my own, so I wanted to share with you all how you can do it too! These concrete orbs are super fun and easy to make, and you can do anything with them--from growing moss, to creating colorful statement pieces with paint. Ready to learn how to make your own concrete orbs?? Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients:
2 Buckets - 1 for water, and one to place your orb on so you can easily build it up.
Small Cup - This is going to hold the slurry you’ll be making to start.
Large Container - You’ll be using this to make your cement mixture.
Gloves - Cement can dry pretty fast on your hands, and isn’t fun to get off, so safety first!
Large Paint Brush - You’ll be using this to paint on the base of your orb, and to smooth out the surface when it’s finished.
Roll of Mesh Tape - This will go around your orb’s ball base, to give your cement mixture a texture to cling onto.
Water - Chances are you won’t need much, so I would say 2 cups of it to be safe.
Cement - They are cement orbs, after all! ;)
Sand - This will be used to make your cement mixture more lightweight, but still keep it durable.
Polymer - We use polymer for these orbs because it makes the cement and sand mixture nice and sticky so it stays on the orb as we work around it.
A ball - This is what you’ll be building your orb around. It can be a child’s ball, or even an exercise ball. Choose a ball in the size you want!
Steps:
1. Pour 3 parts sand to 1 part cement into your large container. Mix well, then set aside.
2. Prep your ball by wrapping strips of mesh tape around it. This works even better if you cut the strips at an angle, since this helps them stick better to the rounded surface. (Bonus Tip: If you can, over-inflate the ball a little bit to make it more solid and stable.)
3. Make a slurry of polymer and cement. Just enough to cover the surface of your prepped ball.
4. Use your large paint brush to brush the slurry onto your ball. Make sure you get decent coverage so you have a good base for the cement and sand mixture you’ll be adding on top of it.
5. Add some polymer to your sand/cement mixture and combine it. Then add just a smidge of water to make it the right consistency.
6. Put your gloves on and use your hands to press your mixture evenly all over the surface of your ball. It helps to use a bucket as a pedestal to give you some freedom to move around it.
7. You can use another little bit of slurry and your paint brush to smooth the surface, or you can leave it natural.
8. Now, just let it dry and you’re done!
I hope this little DIY project has inspired you to create some beautiful pieces for your yards and even your home! Let me know if you have any questions, or if you have tips of your own for making awesome concrete orbs!
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