The new LedgeCut33 from Eldorado Stone is a highly textural, yet contemporary, linear-style profile. Each stone is 3 in. high and comes in three different lengths: 24 in.. 18 in. and 12 in. The stone installs with a clean, dry-stack application.
* FOR MORE INFO CiRCLE #5Purchase your molds from reliable USA manufacturing sources: You need to start with good quality concrete molds in the style and sizes desired. You can review our other articles comparing plastic molds to rubber molds elsewhere or on our training website if you don't know the differences. Be sure that the mold masters of the molds you purchase were taken directly from actual stones, tiles, and pavers. I personally always try to purchase products made in the USA, and from companies that have been in business for a number of years. If there is a problem, you can then be assured that they will be around to help you. I also look for companies that provide on-going free support and guidance with my project. And by all means, compare prices for similar size and types of molds. Purchase from a company that offers its customers a website that is dedicated to customer service and offers instructions, finishing techniques, installations and offers other helpful information. Anyone canprint out some basic instructions--- they are available on Google! But what if you have a unique situation or custom project you are working on? That is when the support factor is important.Use a Mold Release to extend the life of your molds: You should always use a mold release of some kind. It aids in de-molding your stone as well as prolongs the molds useful life. Spray or wipe your mold release into your molds. If using an oil release, just wipe out any excess oil to lessen the chance of what are referred to as bug holes. If using a water-based mold release, follow the instructions, and then wipe a bit of vegetable oil into your molds.Let us know how your stone turns out. Photos would be great in any case... good or bad. If you don't like the way the stone turns out, which I doubt will be the case, a photo will give us an idea of what went wrong. I've just done some tiles in the various colors to use as new color charts, so the Yellow or Buff should give you what you want. If it's too yellow for you... use the Buff color as the base for the next batch. Buff is a little "tanner" than the yellow, but remember that the Brown "DUSTING" of the molds should tone the Yellow down quite a bit.Manufacturing Stone with other natural-looking colors: This technique can be used to attain just about any color or combination of colors you could want. If you'd like a gray base color with pinkish and gold tones like we illustrate on our websites with our Ledgestone, you would replace the do away with any base color, and just use the "dusting technique" described above with Yellow, Brown, Red, and Black concrete color.De-mold your stone and you should have pretty close to what you are looking for--- sandy-colored yellow stone with brown texturing and highlights. If there are areas that are too dark or brown, you can rub a bit with your fingers to disburse the color more evenly. After de-molding, set aside to cure and dry. Don't worry, the color will get quite a bit lighter as it dries, but do not force dry. Interrupting the curing will cause the concrete stone to lose some of its strength. Ideally, keep the stone covered in plastic for at least a week after de-molding to aid the hydration and curing process.Add concrete color "dusting" to get the color-blending of natural stone you want: Take a paper cup and punch a few tiny holes in the bottom of it. Fill it halfway with either Brown or Dark Chocolate Brown powdered concrete color (I'm assuming that you have some of our powdered concrete colors). Hold the cup over your oiled molds and tap the side of the cup lightly. This will cause the color to sprinkle down and give you a DUSTING effect. Apply the color into the molds randomly. You just want a very light coating, as described in our coloring techniques instructions. Turn your mold upside down, and tap the mold once or twice to dislodge any excess color that sticks to the oil. Now you are ready to pour.Daltile introduces its manufactured stone siding product. It is made of lightweight concrete and pumice aggregates that are cast in rubber molds to mirror the shape and look of a variety of natural stones and bricks. In addition, it can resemble antiqued brick, rough-cut limestone, river rocks, ancient stonework, weathered stone, dry stacked stone and shell stones.Good luck with your project, and please do get back to us with feedback as to how the coloring turned out for you. And we always like to see the results of our do-it-yourself training articles, so feel free to send photos of your projects.Molded directly from an old Civil War fence row, Shadow Ledgestone from Ply Gem Stone reveals the look of tailored stacked stone, but with the added detail of serrated I edges. Organized closely atop one another, it creates a bold facade resulting from the dynamic interplay of surface stone, crags and spaces.
* FOR MORE INFO CIRCLE #8
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