Tips for Creating Faux Rocks and Boulders

Rocks or boulders are a natural product. They are beautiful in their own right. Often sold by the pound-they can be quite expensive. When you wish to add them to landscaping or ponds: they can be heavy to move around.

Now you too can be a rock maker with just a few supplies. Bagged cement and cement color is needed. You will also need a form to build your boulder on. Start small for a trial size. You can move up to bigger rocks and boulders after you get the hang of it.

Rock forms can be a simple plastic bottle cut in half to handmade wood and wire ones. You can use a Styrofoam cooler or just about anything you can build layers of cement on or in, like a cereal bowl. Cardboard tubes work great for pilers. Just peel the tube away and bust out your piler. Don't be afraid to experiment.

Mix the bagged cement per instructions on the bag and add color. Mix in a bucket. Cover your form with the cement mix. You can add chicken wire to give it hills and valleys resembling true rocks. Cover the form in thin layers, building up as you go along.

Use a plastic tub to make a huge rock. It's rather large yet lightweight. You can pick it up with one hand and carry it to different places in the yard. Forms can be sprayed with a cement release or cooking spray to help ease the rock off the form. You can also cover your form in plastic wrap then spray it to ensure release.

After all the layers are applied, spray it with a water squirt bottle to keep it moist so it doesn't crack. Cover it in more plastic and set aside to cure. The curing process is most important. Don't rush the cure, a good week and you can unmask your creation. You can spray the rock daily durning cure time to help it along.

Get ready to make a zillion boulders for fun and for friends. Be sure to clean all your cement supplies outdoors and not in the house sinks. Cement can do some real damage in drains. Wear gloves and breathing protection.

Boulders can be left natural.You can paint then after they cure or add a few drops of color to the cement mix. You can custom design the size to fit over an ugly pipe in the ground or create a nestled effect with the rocks near a mailbox. You can make flat rocks for pond shelves and boulders for pond edges. You can even make a pet rock!