How To Make Faux Rocks

Step 7 Finish the Rock

After an overnight cure, the mortar was set enough that I could fill in any missed spots, or more commonly, places where the wire was showing through. To fill in these areas, I mixed some fresh polymer tile set, colored with cement colorant in a buff tone. This went on very easily, and towards the end, I added quite a bit of water to the mix, and using an old brush, covered the entire rock with the colored and diluted tile set. This dried very quickly, and I could stop here! To further experiment, I may try to add various weathering techniques,using acrylic paints to make "washes" of color, spattering with various colored paint, and so on. After curing for a few days, and finishing my experiments, I will seal it with a good exterior concrete sealer. This will help to protect the rock from the weather and prolong it's life.

Comments

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A good way to add interesting texture to faux rocks is to use a spray can product for repairing the texture on drywall. It is easily available in the home repair store and spatters many sized white spots that have a little depth to them. It adheres well and dries really hard. This is a good Instructable on making faux rocks. I made a series to emulate a Japanese garden for a fundraiser at the Botanical Gardens here in town. I used a similar method however mine were nowhere near as sturdy as these would be.