Amanda, your posted concrete photos are incredible! Looking forward to this Saturday to be part of your Concrete/hypertufa workshop! What do we need to bring????? Joanmary

Thanks Mike! Yes, I didn't have reinforcement and plus I covered 3/4 with the first layer. I didn't know how much to cover, so I went with the mix as much as I could. Today I started all over again. First I covered the ball with lots of adhesive drywall mesh, and applied the first layer. I used admix with the water. I put some more mesh and I put another layer. I covered again 3/4 of the ball. I know, I shouldn't have rushed before I got an answer here.....Well, I hope it's going to be OK this time, with so much reinforcement. The other ball made 2 days ago was still strong with no cracks, so I decided to go ahead with the second layer. I didn't turn it over to cover the entire ball. I put another layer on top of the existing one, after I brushed it with admix and covered with fiber glass mat strips. This time I used for both balls 1 part Portland cement, 1 part sand, 1 part peat, 1 part perlite and admix. That mix with paint was so easy to work with, didn't harden it while working, no need to rush, soft and smooth. Now, that you told me that the paint is in place of bonding agent, and my failure was not because of the mix, I will try it again. Thanks again! Mariana

I think what you're looking for if you want to make concrete leaves Billie_ann is correct. You have to go to the FAQ in the garden accoutrements forum. If you want to make copies of a leaf, then you want to go to the tutorial on mold making as mentioned by Rain1950. Hope that makes it clearer. Casting leaves is great fun but be careful. It's also addictive.

I have no idea what the ratio of vinyl resin, sand and Portland cement is in Quikrete's "Vinyl Concrete Patcher". I would assume it's a propriortary recipe. "something that is somewhat smooth AND somewhat light". If you use peat moss, sift it to remove large particles. This will give you a smooth mix. To lighten the mix use 1 1/2 parts sifted peat moss and 1/2 part sand with 1 part portland cement. What are you trying to make? That can make a difference in the recipe you use. Have you looked at the FAQ on this forum? "I was considering using the Quikrete" Which Quikrete product? They make quite a few. "Quikrete mortar mix (cement/sand/vinyl)" Their mortar mix doesn't have vinyl resin in it. It's usually a mix of portland cement, sand and lime. Regarding the bonding agent and concrete vinyl patcher, the manufacturer states "Mix only with water. Do not use with Concrete Acrylic Fortifier, Concrete Bonding Adhesive or other bonding agents." You are correct that you can remove the leaf in 24 hours but you only have to leave them in the water bath for 3 to 5 days days. What you are trying to make has a bearing on what recipe you use. Many people only use mortar mix for leaf castings, no added ingredients. You can use almost any recipe for stepping stones BUT heavy traffic area should be made from concrete. Most of us use portland cement in our recipes and add our own ingredients like peat moss or sifted peat moss or vermiculite or perlite or sand or coir. Then you know what's in the mix and can customize to your project. If you can give us more details on what you are making maybe we can help with your recipe. You mention 2 different products mortar mix and vinyl patcher so I'm not sure which product your talking about either. Hope this helps a little and questions are welcome.