Low Rent Renaissance

These large pieces involve sculpting mortar over burlap infused with industrial grout. The largest piece (below) is about 24" wide. All are designed to hang on a outdoor wall or in the garden.   Ra -- sun god. A merman Mushrooms -- burlap-crete stems, concrete tops. Per request for my wife's recent birthday.

Made with untreated burlap soaked in concrete fortifier, saturated with industrial grout, and layered many times with mortar. These steps insure a strong planter that will last forever. "Sculpting" mortar over a concrete base.  

Current formula for "sculpting mortar"  -- 10 parts sand 6 parts clay dust 2 parts Portland cement 3 parts builder's lime This mix is light and malleable and has held up well for me outside. I sometimes add a little joint compound or asphalt emulsion. I generally mix the dry ingredients in a cement mixer and store it in five gallon buckets. I'll mix a few cups at a time with water. I mix it very damp but clumpy. I'll dip my gloved hand in water and massage a palm full of the mix, which becomes wet and  malleable very quickly.  When I thought of adding clay to an earlier recipe  I searched for  "powered clay," and local shops  didn't know what I was talking about. I found clay dust online sold by the bag at The Ceramic Shop in Pennsylvania.  I get builder's lime at a supplier for concrete products. I cover the work with wet towels and plastic bags to reduce the little hairline cracks that can form as  mortar dries. I've been staining some of t...

] The papercrete "gazebo" structure that I made years ago was showing some deterioration, especially the areas where the papercrete was most exposed to weather. I used type S mortar to cover the weathered papercrete, and reworked most of the faces using my "sculpture" mortar mix. The papercrete "trees" on the back side of the structure had held up well, so I left them except to stain them with exterior wood stain, to bring them out a bit and help preserve them. 

This is a two sided effort that stands about 8 ft. tall, made from a treated 4x4 post covered with hardware cloth and chicken wire. I've been using a mortar recipe that includes sand, clay dust, portland cement, builder's lime, joint compound, and asphalt emulsion. I used exterior wood stain to color it. 

Burlapcrete planter, colored with exterior wood stain.   A work in progress. A two sided ferrocement totem pole. I've been experimenting with exterior wood stains on these pieces and have so far been happy with the result.