Using Molds To Make Concrete Pavers
A lot of people have joined the do it yourself home improvement movement. This has led to a huge surge in technological innovations to aid homeowners with their projects. One area that has seen a growth in interest is how to make concrete pavers. With the ever increasing cost of pre-manufactured products; molds to make concrete pavers are gaining popularity with homeowners who are looking to add flare to their landscape without breaking the budget.
Making concrete pavers is not really a complicated process and with the many styles of concrete paver mold and paver patterns available on the market, many do it yourselfers are trying to do it. You even have a choice as to whether you buy molds or make the mold itself as well. We’ll take a look at both.
Constructing Your Own Concrete Paver Mold
When choosing to make your own concrete paver mold keep these important points in mind:
• You will need to construct several molds from wood strips.
• You will be somewhat limited with the variety of shapes you can make since you will be cutting lengths of wood to make a mold.
• You will have the advantage of being able to construct molds in dimensions that are specific to your space. If you need a custom shape or size, you will be able to construct a mold to fit.
• Constructing your own concrete paver mold is less expensive that purchasing already made molds.
Buying Manufactured Molds to Make Concrete Pavers
Buying already made molds is a great way to save you a lot of time when making concrete pavers. The molds are durable and can be used over and over. Some facts about purchasing pre-made molds are:
• They are available in all kinds of shapes and sizes. You have a large selection to choose from when designing your paver lay out.
• Molds are available in sheets of multiple molds connected together. This allows you to pour multiple pavers at one time. This is a great time saver when installing pavers if you will need a large quantity of the same size paver for your project.
• You will need to lubricate the inside of the mold with vegetable oil or manufactured lubricant. It is important to apply the lubricant evenly to prevent rough sides.
Things to Consider for Both Types of Mold (Self Made or Pre-Made)
• When you get your molds, make a few trial runs to determine how many pavers a bag of concrete will make. You will only want to make up enough concrete to fill what molds you have. Any leftover concrete will be wasted because it will set up in your mixer if you do not pour it out.
• You can use concrete color or dyes to get the color and look you want in your paver.
• You will either have to tap to remove all air bubbles in the concrete once it is poured in the mold or utilize a vibrating table for this.
Molds to make concrete pavers give the average homeowner the availability to make custom pavers at a fraction of the cost.
