I am wanting to make my own concrete landscaping blocks out of quickcrete....does anyone have suggestions on .

Question

what to make the molds out of ? What if I used a heavy duty wax coated cardboard? Would that work?

Answer 1

I doubt cardboard would hold up very long. I would make a wood form. Coat the wood with oil, vaseline, or a form release product for easy removal.

Answer 2

HI!
I have some experience with landscaping blocks. They are built with a curve or straight depending on what your needs are. They are also sloped with a slot in them to keep the dirt behind them from pushing them over.
You could buy one block and then make as many forms as you want out of plywood. Building this out of plywood will take some time but you can do it. I don't think any type of cardboard will work!
This will take forever to do if you need very many of them.
Have you compared the price of the precast blocks to the ones you would make out of Quickcrete. Quickcrete is not cheap and you will need a lot of it.
I would expect that if you add your time into it you will find that you won't save much, if anything at all.
Mixing your own concrete ( sand, gravel, concrete mix ) would be cheaper than Quickcrete if you need a lot of them. Hope that helps!!!

Answer 3

I would guess no, the concrete will be too abrasive. I know they make molds, try to find some on line. This does however sound like a very expensive way to make blocks. Quickcrete is very expensive in a per yard basis, and it will be alot of work. If your looking for a bargain, watch for job sites that have extras and offer the worker $.50 a piece for them. It will save them the work of having to remove them.

Answer 4

Cardboard is not heavy enough to support the weight of the cement. What you use depends on what kind of look you are going for. If you want pavers then you can purchase molds from Lowe's or other garden centers. If you want blocks then you can make molds out of lumber. Also, if you like the organic look then you can get a large container, fill it with compacted damp sand, dig out a shape or sink a rock or whatever into the sand and make your own mold. The sand is fun and there is no limit to what the imagination can come up with when using sand. The sand creates a nice texture as well.

Good Luck

Answer 5

Unless you have a lot of time and extra concrete on your hands, it would be better to buy. To make concrete into anything you have to realize that when it is first molded it will expand and bend the forms or expand up, leaving a not so flat surface or edge. Then over time, concrete will shrink some. You will also find that it will take quite some time (a week or so) for the concrete to dry sufficiently to be able to move them.

Answer 6

A few years ago, I bought plastic molds at the hardware store. I've used them to make a walk halfway around my house, and intend to make a patio in back next summer. These things are about 2 feet square, and are divided to make 'stones' of several shapes and sizes. Surely they are still available. I have 6 of the molds (all the same, so they'll match), and found that the best way to use them was to lay them out on a table in the back yard, in the shade, and pack sand around the outsides to controll oozing. Mix the concrete, stuff it in and smooth it out. When the tops no longer have puddles, carefully life the mold, then smooth again with the trowel. Gently, now. Leave them there for a couple of days before moving, and another week or so before walking on them. I've seen them on TV make square molds out of 1x2 wooden slats, and i think they put tar paper under them. Didn't pay much attention.

Answer 7

I know for sure that Home Depot has molds for the very thing you are trying to do. Another option is to use your boxes but fill them half way and up the sides with sand to get the shape you want and when your concrete is dry you can pop it out of the sand fairly easy and have a ready made finish on the outside that will help grasp the soil or gravel or whatever you are plan to set your blocks on/in ? ....another way is to make simple wood boxes, held together with rope or even really tight bungee cords and release from the wood when dry.

Answer 8

wanting concrete landscaping blocks quickcretesuggestions

Answer 9

I found it is totally a waste of time
depending on size
use modeling clay $$ paint with varnish $$
OR use plywood $$ screw other woods to the plywood $$
again paint with varnish $$ or fiberglass $$$
stepping stone Plastic forms are available the hardware...

Answer 10

A friend of mine used an old waste basket. He cut off the bottom 2-3 inches, filled that with quikcrete mix, let it harden and Viola',.