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Garden Accoutrements

Concrete Statues that Won't Age

15 years ago

I'm hoping some of you can give me tips on getting my concrete to look aged.

I have a nine year old concrete frog, five year old concrete rabbit and a tall praying angel that look like they were just created, especially the bunny.--White as snow. I've covered them with buttermilk before and I've poured seaweed over them, but they never grew moss, lichen, algae or even gray-black gunk. They were also all purchased from different places.

I live in Texas where the statues get lots of sun, although the bunny and frog have been in the shade in recent years. We also have high heat. Could this be the reason nothing will grow on them?

I've now ordered this terrific reproduction Art Deco architectural concrete piece and I'd like it to look old too.

Should I give up and stain them all?

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Laura

Featured Answer

meadowphlox

15 years ago

Hi Redthistle--Everyone's advice here is great--I have one question though that might help pin down which method will work best. Is the surface really smooth and slick or are there little pores in it, making it a little rough? If it's really smooth it's going to be tough to get anything to stick unless it can sink in. Test an area with water--does the water run off or sink in? If it runs off you might need to etch or rough up the surface first. Rough surfaces are easy to age--buttermilk, beer, yogurt are all good mixed with a little horse manure or compost, then rubbed in and left to (age(. Smoother surfaces are best with diluted water based stain--they do make concrete stains, too. We had gotten a white cast stone gnome at Garden Accents but wanted it aged looking--they used watered down masonry stain and it looks amazing. Good luck!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:2321}}

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Comments (6)

schoolhouse_gw
15 years ago
My concrete statuary that has the "aged, greenish, black gunk" and weathered look sit in moist, shady areas. The ones in direct sun stay pretty much pristine except will eventually darken a little but take many years. The buttermilk or beer recipes never worked for me, unless I was too impatient.

I've never seen a piece of concrete stained, so can't comment on that. Have seen some painted ones that are hideous. If I paint, I use a wash of acrylic paint.

I never followed through with my experiment of burying some in the ground for a period of time, but I think this may work. After all, concrete is somewhat porous; and wouldn't it absorb the moisture and minerals surrounding it if buried? Then it may crumble to bits afterwards, too.
fernzilla
15 years ago
I have just the thing to solve your problem. I had a bird bath,that when new was light bright concrete. I wanted it to look like it was getting Moss covered. Just get some yellowish green(Chartreuse) acrylic paint and some Olive Green acrylic paint, so you can mix to get various shades of green. Dilute the paint with water until it is very liquid. I put mine into an old windex bottle. Then spray the item you want to age from about 2 feet away. the liquid will drip down the side. concrete being porous will soak up the stain. I went back and did several layers with various mixtures. You should start with a very dilute mixture so it light to start with, then add a little more paint to darker the areas you desire. Mine have stayed aged looking for 8 years now. You can also use a sea sponge to dab on the color in spots so it looks like moss starting to grow. You could also use some brownish shades if you want.
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schoolhouse_gw
15 years ago
Hi fernzilla, I received a message in my junk mail folder - it was someone from GW - you. ha. Thanks. I pretty much paint with diluted colors also. I think it works well for me,too. Never tried the spray bottle, but that's an idea. I've used rags, dry and wet to apply color straight from the tube of paint. I like the effect. Too bad we have to wait awhile for Spring and Summer to come back. Stay warm where ever you are.
schoolhouse_gw
15 years ago
It would be great if you could post you photos here, so everyone could enjoy. Are you able to do that?
Redthistle
Original Author
15 years ago
Gosh, I THOUGHT I'd posted and thanked everyone for their input here and I didn't. I am SO sorry. I didn't link this post to my e-mail, which was part of the problem. My fault!

Frankly, I've not done anything yet. I plan to tackle my statues in the spring and I may try a wash of acrylic paint as suggested.

While I don't have a digital camera, when I do it, I'll take photos and post them.

Thank you for your help!!!!

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