Make Painted Concrete Letters

This is ane of those projects that I actually wasn't sure how information technology was going to turn out. Merely since I either already had all of the supplies or they would price nether a few dollars, I figured it wouldn't be a huge loss if it didn't turn out. But it did turn out, and human am I happy with the upshot!

I honestly don't accept many trinkets around our domicile. Except for a few framed wedding photos around the house, near everything either has a purpose or is a potted plant. And so this project is a little different for me because it's something I did with absolutely no purpose in mind. And it looks not bad sitting on my shelves in our sleeping room! You can easily customize this projection using different messages, which you lot can buy in all different sizes. Read on for the full tutorial.

Supplies:

Concrete and water
Paper mache alphabetic character
Modest pocketknife or box cutters
A workspace that can become a piffling messy
Disposable mixing bowl and something to mix with
Assorted sandpaper
Acrylic craft paint and brush
Painter's tape

Instructions:

ane. First, find a newspaper mache letter. I got mine at my local craft store, but you lot tin also observe them online in different sizes and styles. They feel sturdy, only they are actually hollow inside. Use a small-scale pocketknife, a pair of scissors, or a box cutter to very advisedly cutting off i side of the alphabetic character. Pull out whatever cardboard from the inside.

Make Painted Concrete Letters - paper mache letter

Make Painted Concrete Letters - prepare the mache letter

ii. Mix enough concrete to fill your letter. The amount of concrete you mix volition depend on the size of your letter. I eyeballed it and and so fabricated more than than that, just to be safe. Since I was throwing away my mixing bowl when I was done, it didn't matter if I had leftover concrete in it.

Tip: Don't mix your concrete until your work area is ready and you are gear up to go. Once yous mix the concrete, it will set up upward very quickly, so you'll need to pour it very quickly!

3. Pour the concrete—this is where information technology tin go messy. I don't accept a dedicated workbench, so I threw downwardly a big drop textile and a few pieces of newspaper. Lay the letter on the ground with its hollow side facing upwards. Then, slowly pour the physical into the alphabetic character. Some might spill over the side. That'southward okay, just try to be as not bad as possible.

4. Immediately after you've filled the hollow letter with concrete wet, pick the letter up a few inches off of the ground and gently drop information technology back on the ground. This will aid the concrete get into the corners, and it besides helps pop air bubbles. You lot can take something like a spoon and tap all along the outside of the letter, likewise—this volition assistance the concrete settle.

5. I let my letter ready up overnight before peeling the cardboard mold off and using 220-grit sandpaper to polish some of the grittier areas. I wanted my letter to have gold-dipped event, and so I used painter'south tape to tape off the bottom half of the letter of the alphabet and painted it using gold acrylic paint.