How to Make Fake Stone for Less

Member

By jamaclassics
User-Submitted Video

Real or Fake?

If you'd love the look of beautiful stacked stone on your concrete block foundation but can't afford the costly materials, make your own "stone" from Portland cement. By using sponges and stains to tint them, you can achieve the look of stone for roughly twenty-five dollars a square foot, or about half the cost of real stone or veneer.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Trowels for shaping
Wheelbarrow for mixing
Portlant Cement, concrete and fortifiers
Metal lathe, anchors
Concrete bonding adhesive
Sponges, tints & stains
Some Artistic ability
Substantial time

Step 1

Send your search engine after the materials and acquire them. Attach the metal lathe to your block foundation walls using anchors. Apply a scratch coat of concrete mixed with Portland Cement. Follow this with a coat of concrete bonding adhesive. Fortify the concrete and cement mixture with ash, mica or a commercial fortifier to a workable consistency so that you can form fake rock up to two inches in thickness. You can tint each batch of concrete before you begin working with it, or leave it natural and tint the stones individually as you apply and work them. Tint them harmonious colors to complement the house's color scheme.
Step 2

Study real stone if needed. Using a flat nosed trowel, shape the stones one by one on the prepared surface. A small stool saves strain on your legs as you get closer to the ground. Making the stones irregular and varying the lengths and depths will make them appear very real. Leave spaces between the stones to create shadows. Daub the stones with a dry paint brush to create texture similar to natural rock.
Step 3

Stain the rocks with varying tones of dark and light using a brush for each tint and textured craft sponges. They should look mottled in areas like natural rock does. To further the illusion, you can add a real flat rock or two at corners, or if you are doing porch sides, cap them with real flat stones set in mortar.
Step 4

Use a patina kit to add lichen or moss accents in subdued hues here and there if desired, but use some restraint. Too much takes away from the look instead of improving it. The best results come from studying real stacked stone closely and duplicating their characteristics.