Introduction: Concrete Toadstool

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Necessary Materials:

  • Concrete
  • Paper Bowls
  • Paper Cups
  • Plastic Wrap
  • A large pot or pan that is never going to be used for food again
  • A plastic container for water that will most likely never be used for anything else either
  • A stick
  • A tarp
  • Long rubber gloves
  • A water source
  • Something to scoop the concrete with (I use a leftover scoop from protein powder or half of a milk jug, depending on how much concrete I'm mixing)
  • A dust mask is probably a good idea

Toadstools take between 2 - 4 days to complete depending on concrete cure times

Step 1: Part 1: Casting Stems

Casting the stems first is important for creating concrete mushrooms that will be a solid whole when complete.

Gather Together:

  1. Paper cups
  2. Large mixing pot/bowl
  3. Plastic water container
  4. Gloves & Dust Mask
  5. Stick
  6. Concrete

  • Set up on top of the tarp outside or in a garage.
  • Set up one cup for every mushroom stem that you plan on creating. It's helpful to have a few extra cups out if you don't really know how much concrete you will be creating.
  • Scoop/pour the concrete powder into the large mixing bowl. Create a 'well' in the middle of the concrete and pour in the water
    • I've been using a 4:1 concrete to water ratio and then just adding more concrete or water until I get a 'chunky chili' consistency. Very scientific, I know.
  • Pour/scoop/plop the concrete mixture into the paper cups. The more full the cups, the taller the stem.
  • Place the cups somewhere level and protected from the elements to cure. I'm also not scientific about my curing times, but depending on the weather it's taken anywhere from 24 to 48 hours for the stems to set up to a usable state.

Step 2: Step 2: Making Caps

Once the stems are cured (or mostly cured, they can be a little moist as long as they're solid), cast some caps!

Gather:

  1. Cured stems
  2. Large mixing pot/bowl
  3. Plastic water bowl
  4. Paper Bowls
  5. Plastic Wrap
  6. Concrete
  7. Stick
  8. Gloves & Mask

  • Set up on a tarp again
  • Prep the bowls by doubling them up (this prevents the bowls from sagging due to the weight of the concrete)
  • Wrap the top bowl in plastic wrap (this will stop the paper from sticking to the concrete as it cures)
  • Make a set of wrapped bowls for every stem that you have
  • Cut the paper cup from the stems
  • Mix and pour the concrete into the paper bowls
  • Smoosh the cured stems into the caps
    • The further the stem is smooshed in, the shorter the mushroom will be
  • Set the mushrooms somewhere protected from the elements to cure

Step 3: Step 3: Ta-da! Toadstools!

After the concrete is mostly dried and cured, pull the caps out of the plastic wrapped bowls. If the plastic wrap texture is bothersome, usually it can be smoothed with your finger while the concrete is still damp.

The plastic wrap and bowls can be used over again to make even more toadstools. I have no idea how many mushrooms and 80lb bag of concrete will make, but it's a large number.

Fully dried mushrooms can be left plain concrete or painted (I've had success with craft paint and spray paint)