Frugal Green Tips

Kidney pavers can be used for walkways and paths.
Low profile (about 2”) rubber base board used in interior applications, with rounded edge up, works but any other flexible material such as garden edging could work also.

Cut the edging in 7’ or longer lengths with the ends duct taped so they can be cut to release each paver.  This would give roughly a 3’ diameter paver.  Good size.

Make say three individual loops of 7’ foot lengths.
Place plastic sheathing on a flat surface and position the three loops one next to the other.  With the right hand grab loops 2 and 3 and with the left hand grab loops 1 and 2.  Notice that as you move your arms back and forth the three loops still follow each other’s form.  Very convenient since you could layout your whole walkway with more loops and the nice thing is that as you adjust a loop to your liking the one next to it will also follow form.

Good face down:
By making pavers over plastic with the good side at the bottom, color tiles can be positioned and then the ready mix concrete poured on top.  With this method the concrete will have a very smooth finish unless some sand is sprinkled over the plastic sheathing.
This process will make the pavers mirrored and flipped since the good side is the bottom.  Careful planning is a must if you are making a walkway from point A to point B this way.

Make three pavers and as two are removed, always leave one behind to form the next new paver.   This also allows for checking and direction adjusting.

Good face up:
The second way of doing it is to actually put down all your loops at the same time on site.  This will make it easier to visualize the path from point A to point B and adjusting to the liking is easy.  One might want to use some occasional stakes on the outside of the rubber loops for better control of form.  The pavers will be rather thick and there is an opportunity to apply some wire mesh at the bottom for reinforcing.   Apply 1/3 from the bottom.  Pour the concrete and smoothen with a trowel or long piece of wood.
At this point you can inset tiles, flat rocks, broom finish or give it the creative texture desired.   You could actually create a stamp and gently stamp each individual paver.

When making the pavers on the side, place the pavers over packed sand at installation.  When making them on site a little sand at the bottom will not hurt either.
Finally, after placing the pavers sprinkle sand in between the cracks and resort to the aid of a broom.  Hose down with a gentle mist and repeat the sand application.
Down the road another application of sand might be needed.

These pavers can be made with 1×2’s.
1×2’s tend to have more of a square edge opposed to 2×2’s or larger members.

Cut the wood making sure the inside dimensions of the cells are 12×12 and 6×12.

For larger pavers the depth should probably be increased another ¼” if not more and a wire mesh laid 1/3 from the bottom.  For this purpose and other similar jobs wire coat hangers would work and allow closets to purge.

Fasten 2 wood screws through the long 1×2’s and into each end of the short members to avoid twisting.  These screws will prove handy when screwed and unscrewed for repetitive productions.

Place the form over plastic sheathing on top of a flat surface when the good side is to be the bottom.  The end result will be a very smooth surface but if desired, creasing the plastic a bit prior to pouring the ready mix concrete will give a texture to the pavers.
Tiles face down work well as an accent.

Interestingly, not so delicate leaves with nice pronounced veins can be used for imprint.
Place leaves on top of the plastic with veins looking up and then gently pour concrete over them to make the pavers.  When dry the leaves will peal and leftovers will weather.
Magnolia, fig and persimmon among some of the plants all around us have leaves with strong veins. Rhubarb leaves being so large could be used in bigger pavers.

When the good side of the pavers is up and after smoothening, one could embed pebbles, river rocks, tiles or even some marbles with a gentle pounding of the trowel’s handle.
Embed the marbles sufficiently into the pavers not to be hazardous when walking. Marbles can provide wonderful sparkles of light and color.
The clear colored marbles will capture the light the best because their clear glass will make it appear as if the light comes from way down deep within the pavers.

These catchers of light work very well at night and delineate path even if the light source is not directly there. When used at the edges of a pathway the marbles can be embedded down to a hair above their equator to catch the most light and anchor to the concrete.

Of course safety and location should always be in mind when placing these marbles.

Finally, after placing the pavers sprinkle sand in between the cracks and resort to the aid of a broom.  Hose down with a gentle mist and repeat the sand application.
Down the road another application of sand might be needed.

The following is a great, complete and helpful site for marbles.
www.rainbowturtle.com
and through the kindness of Mathews Library the following video explains how to make pavers in a slightly different way.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-xrMPA_Sjk&feature=related

Concrete is defined as a plastic material because it can take the form we give it.
Depending on the task, free plastic molds are all around us and awaiting our imagination.

At times it is worth buying an item, say a plastic bird bath, simply because of its form which in the long run could save lots of money while creating something original.

While a plastic bird bath might have the base and bowl easily used as a mold,
the pedestal could provide some small old world fluted columns but
these would prove difficult to extract.

Other interesting molds are the plastic granite boulders sold at
home improvement centers like Home depot.
They cost about $ 60.00 each but the cost of a real boulder would be more.
This boulder mold, which is very hard, could produce multiples
and planning would be needed for
the process of extraction, handling and faux.

The plastic of these granite boulders is very hard
but one could saw the mold in half
and produce 2 half rocks
either using them singly or by joining them
like joining two half spheres into one single concrete ball.

When using the same plastic mold over and over it might be wise to wash it with dish soap and a brush or clean it with paint thinner, a small Chinese bristle brush and a paper towel. This will remove the leftover of the oily release agent as well as remove any concrete debris left behind which might end up on your next composition.
Apply the mold release agent spartanly for a smoother concrete finish.
A heavy spray of the oil will inhibit the concrete to reach all edges of the mold and will cause more of a texture if desired.

Depending on the composition and the forms used, say vinyl or wood garden edging to make pavers, the use of a form release agent would not be required.

In the following one of a series video, a very nice gentleman explains how to make garden concrete spheres.

When using a plastic mold there are a few easy steps to take:

1. Lubricate and brush evenly the mold with a mold release agent such as a spray of butter or vegetable oil found at the grocery store.

2. Mix the concrete.

3. Add some concrete color at mixing, add a color or concrete stain later or leave the concrete its natural gray.

4. Pour the ready mix concrete into the molds and vibrate a bit to compact the concrete and release air bubbles. Tapping with the trowel in the process in a trembling manner is
also a good practice.
5. Let the filled molds sit for at least 24 hours.
For bigger compositions a couple of days wait won’t hurt.

6. Flip the molds and place the composition over something smaller. This will allow finger space at removal and also protect the edges by not placing them directly on rough hard surfaces. Gently remove the molds and handle the newly made concrete with care for the next few days since corner edges are fragile at this time.

7. A concrete sealer can protect weathering while leaving a mat or glossy finish.

Through a process called hydration, the cement and water harden and bind the aggregates into a rock like mass. This hardening process continues for years meaning that the concrete gets stronger as it gets older.

• One gallon can or bigger for mixing.
A one gallon plastic paint can with the metal rim removed with a utility knife works very well.
Be extremely careful when cutting the rim off.
• Small trowel.
• A comfortably shaped detergent plastic jug is a good source of water.
• A water spray bottle is also very nice.
For finishing:
• Chinese bristle brushes of different sizes are fantastic. Prices for these exact brushes differ greatly from store to store but they should be relatively inexpensive. They will last until the bristles eventually will shorten to the handle.
• A small plastic dish should you have to mix some cement for touch ups.
Concrete Fix All works well in these surgical situations being finer than the cement from the concrete mix which will sift with some sand. Always test.
• Sponge.
• Very fine sand paper can be helpful at times and on others, a simple grocery plastic bag can be a wonderful buffing tool.

For plugging some small unwanted holes made by air bubbles, I will put a very small amount of Concrete Fix all on the dish, 3 drops or so of water from the sponge, stir and apply with my fingers. I will then feather it with a wet finger, the sponge or the bristle brush. They can be smoothened by buffing with a plastic bag as they dry if desired. Practice mixing the cement paste to the right consistency.