Rubber Door MatRubber MatsMats PressedConcrete PaversConcrete MoldsConcrete CastingStamped ConcreteDiy PaversConcrete EggsForwardRubber Door Mats pressed into a concrete mold and later removed, to make stepping stones. There are lots of other smart concrete project ideas on this page. Mark the concrete forming tube 2 inches from one end and carefully saw a ring from the tube. Check the shape of the ring to make sure it forms a circle -- not an oval. Repeat for each stepping-stone you plan to make. Good to KnowAn easy way to mark the tube is to stand a factory end on a flat surface. Rest a permanent marker on a piece (or pieces) of scrap wood cut long enough to raise the marker tip 2 inches above the work surface. Then guide the marker around the tube to create an even line. Tear off 4-inch-long pieces of duct tape and use them to tape the outside of the tube ring to the blank corrugated sign. Overlap the tape pieces to make sure the concrete won’t leak out. Tape additional rings to the sign as space allows.
(You can clean and reuse the sign when you’re finished.) Wearing eye and breathing protection plus rubber gloves, gradually add water to about 30 pounds of concrete mix (for two stepping-stones at a time) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When squeezed, a handful of wet concrete should hold its shape but not crumble when pinched. Good to KnowAdding extra water to the mixture may make it easier to pour it into the mold but will weaken the finished project. Pour concrete into one of the rings until the mixture extends just above the edge of the ring. Gently shake or bounce the concrete mold as you fill it to force out any air bubbles. Press the design side of the rubber mat firmly into the top of the form and hold it there. Leave the mat in place for 24 hours before peeling it free; then allow the concrete to cure another 24 hours. Remove the duct tape from the corrugated sign and pull the stepping-stone away. Use a utility knife to score the ring from edge to edge and peel off the form.
Allow the stone to cure an additional 48 hours before using. Good to KnowConcrete will not stick to the corrugated sign or rubber mat, allowing you to use them to make more stepping-stones. When you’re finished, scrub the mat clean and use it around the house. Experiment with Different Textures For an alternative to the wavy-line texture of the mat shown in the previous section, select one with squares of alternating lines (#320875). Many objects can be used to create textures, as long as they don’t stick to the concrete. For example, cut lengths of 1/2-inch nylon twisted rope long enough to span the mold ring. Place them side by side on the moist concrete and press them into the surface by hand. Allow them to remain until the concrete cures for one day and then remove. For a bolder design, select a doormat with a cut-out design (#340340 used here). As with the other mats, allow it to remain pressed into the concrete for 24 hours. Not all the surface needs to be covered with a design.
Here, just a corner of a doormat with a bold design (#297882) was pressed into the concrete. If you discover a fun, interesting texture for making these stepping stones, share it with other DIYers.Concrete EasyConcrete PerfectStamped ConcreteConcrete MoldPavement TilesConcrete PavementConcrete SteppingLaying ConcreteStepping StonesForwardStamped Concrete - perfect project for a driveway, porch, front walk, or even concrete flooring. It's like laying down rubber floor mats into wet concrete. We did ours in an afternoon. ~~ Houston Foodlovers Book ClubConcrete I'LlConcrete ProjectsDiy Concrete CastingWood Grain ConcreteDiy Concrete TilesConcrete BookendsConcrete IdeasMold ShapecreteGrain ShapecreteForwardMake rubber mold with wood grain, then cast concrete. (I'll never do it, but it looks so cool!)Bathroom Black Floor TilesRubber Floor BathroomBlock BathroomKitchen Floor TilesKitchen SinksKitchen DiningBathroom IdeasRubber Tile FlooringAuramodel FlooringForwardRubber Tiles A |Horsematting-direct.co.uk Can we use this in the bathrooms and on the stairs?
Kitchen AccentKitchen FloorKitchen RugDiy Kitchen MatKitchen FabricKitchen IdeasRug BackerCraftiness Must Do SDiy Crafts HobbiesForwardIt's fabric, spray adhesive, a rubber rug backer. I folded over and hot glued the edges. I then applied two good coats of water-based satin poly. The result is a water-proof/ spill-proof kitchen accent rug that keeps my tile floor protected.Concrete is no longer just for heavy duty construction projects. These DIY textured concrete bookends are a cool way to add an industrial element to your decor. The best part is that you can customize them by pouring the concrete mixture into any shape or size mold and create texture with netting, lace or just about anything you can find around the house! Note: The concrete needs at least 48 hours to cure and dry completely, so make sure you have a few days to complete this project. To build your own DIY textured concrete bookends, follow the step-by-step instructions below. Wash and dry each container. Cut each in half along the fold.
Discard the tops and keep the bottoms. Measure and mark two inches up on the backs of the pie containers. These lines denote the bottoms of the bookends. Be sure to mark all the way around the edges of pie mold. Lay the door mat out and assess what parts of the pattern you want to use for your texture. Be sure to pick a section that will have a symmetrical opposite. This step will vary with different door mat designs, so find one that fits your taste! Measure and mark the pie container outline with white chalk for each. Carefully and slowly, cut out the shapes with hand pruners. The doormat will be thick so you may have to squeeze the pruner handles with both hands at certain points. Start by cutting out pieces that are slightly larger than your chalk marks indicate and then cut them smaller, refining their shapes as you go. Remember you can always subtract but you can’t add back again once the cuts are made. Hold them up to your pie molds and make sure they will fit.
Sand down the texture on door mat making it as smooth as possible. Most doormats will be textured to remove dirt from people’s feet but for our purposes we want it to be very smooth so that it peels away from the concrete easily once it’s dry. Fold a piece of thin, sturdy cardboard in half. We used cardboard from a box of trash bags. Measure, mark and cut a two-inch-wide section. Cut angles in your cardboard section so that it fits perfectly in your pie container at your pre-labeled two-inch mark. Repeat this step for the other mold. These will create the barriers for the concrete at the bottom of the molds so that the bookends can sit flat. Put the cardboard barriers into the molds and secure them with duct tape. Be sure to seal as many of the gaps with duct tape as possible. Use all-purpose caulk or sealant to fill in the gaps where the concrete mixture could slip through. Allow the caulk to dry completely. We hit ours with a hair dryer to speed up the drying process.
Find something heavy and bulky to put in the non-concrete side to reinforce it so the concrete doesn’t spill over. We used pieces of brick, but heavy garden rocks will work too. Brush the door mat pieces and the insides of the molds generously with vegetable oil. Some people prefer to use cooking spray, but since we had so much detail in our door mat we wanted to make sure all the small crevices were well lubricated so the concrete didn’t stick. Safety warning: When mixing concrete, always wear gloves, a particle mask and goggles to avoid concrete poisoning. Position the Quikrete bag over your five-gallon bucket, make a small incision with the utility knife, and pour half of the bag into the bucket. Be careful, this will happen very fast! Using your old strainer or colander, sift through the concrete to get as many of the stones out as possible. The finer the grit of your concrete, the smoother the finished product will be and the less the chance there will be for breakage.
Discard the larger gravel. Form a depression in the middle of the dry concrete with the shovel. For half a 60 lb. bag of mix, Quikrete recommends using five to six cups of water. Start by pouring ⅔ of the recommended amount of water (less than four cups) into the depression. Mix the concrete with a shovel until the concrete becomes a uniform, workable consistency. Continue to add water in small amounts and work until the mix is the proper consistency. Take care not to add too much water because the more you add, the weaker the concrete becomes. Properly mixed concrete should look like thick oatmeal and hold its shape when squeezed with a gloved hand. Fill the molds ⅔ full with handfuls of concrete mix. Thoroughly and quickly jiggle the molds, almost as if vibrating. This will help settle the concrete and ensure that it fills all the crevices of the pie container while preventing bubbles from forming. Working quickly, smear concrete onto the door mat cutouts, pressing firmly and filling all the small crevices and holes.
Keep adding concrete until the cutout is completely covered with a thick, even layer and none of the design shows through. Place the concrete side of the mat cutout onto the mold, and press firmly. Repeat the jiggling process for several full minutes so that the two parts fuse together as seamlessly as possible. Use your masonry trowel to remove any overflow concrete and to create clean edges. Place both filled molds in a shallow cardboard box. Wrap the box in plastic painter’s sheeting, and seal it with a zip tie. Store the box indoors and away from sun for a minimum of 48 hours. This step is imperative because it will allow the concrete to cure slowly and properly. Drying too quickly means cracking and nobody wants that! After removing your molds from the storage box, slowly and carefully peel away the door mat from the concrete. This may be difficult in areas, so be gentle and patient! If you pull too hard, the small detail pieces could break off and your pattern will be harder to see.
Be sure to wear the particle mask when sanding. Sand down any rough edges with the sanding block. The point is not to make it look perfect, but sand it so that it’s smooth then rinse with water so that all dust is gone. If you want a slick, semi-gloss finish to your project you can use a sealer, but we like the rough, textured look. Cut out your self-adhesive felt pad to custom fit the bottom, peel and stick it on. This will protect your bookcase or whatever you sit the piece on from getting scratched. These bookends can add an interesting textural element to your decor. If you use a pie container with ridges and scalloped edges like we did, you can flip them around for a completely different look. Whatever floats your boat! Take a look at more DIY projects here on The Home Depot blog. Follow our Easy DIY Projects board on Pinterest for more inspiration, and browse The Home Depot’s wide selection of door mats online to find the pattern for your textured bookend.