How To Create Artificial Rocks For The Garden - Over And Over Again
by
WaterfallNow
$1000
4 Weeks
Advanced
GFRC rock panels are a growing trend for many rock features contractors. More home owners are looking for less costly alternatives to natural rock which can weigh an incredible amount and cost a fortune. This alternative enables home owners to have a custom-built rock on their property that can have the addition of water coming out from multiple angles as well as custom lighting installed in the rock itself.
The first step requires mold making materials containing silicone or rubber. Different textures respond better to different materials. Locating a natural rock face is key. If you are fortunate to live in an area with plenty of natural rock cliff walls, then you should have little problem making a mold. Clean the surface area (blasting), apply wax, and apply the mold making material. Once dry, peel it off.
Step 2 is generally the making of the first rock. With your mold in place, you can now proceed to making the rock panel. There are different methods but in general you want to apply the fiberglassing materials and mixtures to the rock and then let it dry. There are several steps to that process. Once cured, peel the mold off of the rock. It will help to use the first rock as the basin to support future rock production.
And that is the basic idea on how to create these artificial rocks. Certain mixtures will cause less light to reflect off of the surface. GFRC/concrete is one case. The downside is the weight involved (may exceed 300lbs).
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 3 comments
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I LOVE ROCKS! And DIRT! And PLANTS! I think I just like getting dirty and scratched up! This is such a unique way of getting this done. With rocks being so heavy, it is tiresome and expensive to get them moved in. And once in place, it is not easy to change your mind! (I wish I had dozens of bolders...there are plenty of them around Atlanta!)
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Great article. Its amazing how real they look!
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