How to Make Plaster and Cement Items with Molds

I enjoy making items from plaster and cement molds to decorate my patio or to give out as gifts. I have made stepping stones, dog and cat grave markers, statues, an outdoor bench, bird baths and more. It is very rewarding to make useful items at home, and in this article I would like to show you how I do it.

To get started you will need a mold, plaster of paris or cement, vegetable oil, large bucket and gloves. I have used simple round 9" cake pans as a mold for stepping stones or you can purchase a professional mold. These may be hard to find locally, but are readily available online. You can easily find them by searching with terms such as stepping stone mold, cement mold or plaster mold. To decide on whether to use plaster or cement you must first consider what kind of an item you are planning to make and if it will be located outdoors. As a general rule, use cement for outdoor items and plaster for indoor items. Plaster items don't seem to hold up to well outside if you get a lot of extreme weather. I like using plaster a little more because it will dry a lot faster and you can usually obtain more detail than with cement. The plaster and cement can be found at any hardware store. I wouldn't recommend buying the plaster at a craft store because it is usually 10 times more expensive than the hardware store. You should be able to buy a 25 lb. bag for about $10-$15.