Choosing Mold Types for Concrete Crafts: Best Materials

How to choose the right mold types for concrete craft and what the options are. The world of concrete crafts-making can be complicated, so it’s important to understand which projects require certain concrete mold materials. You see, there are tons of different items you can use as molds for concrete crafts. However, choosing the right material for your mold is going to make all the difference in whether or not your cement craft project is successful. There are several considerations when choosing a concrete mold for crafts. The best material for a concrete mold is going to be something that concrete won’t stick to. Concrete won’t stick to silicone, rubber, or plastic. There really isn’t an ideal material for choosing a mold for concrete crafts, because aside from size shape, there will be a few other factors to look at. If the concrete can’t slide out easily because of a pocket within the mold, then you may have an issue. The only way to get concrete out of this would be to cut it.Often concrete crafts can still be removed from a mold with an undercut, but you probably will have to cut or break the mold to remove your piece. This also puts your cement crafts piece at risk of getting broken. In addition, another important consideration is finding the proper size inner mold to fit proportionately to the outer mold. When you cast something tall and narrow, you are essentially putting more pressure on that inner mold. If your mold is wide and shallow, there isn’t much weight from the concrete placing pressure on the inner mold piece and so it releases easily.

benefits

• Rubber and silicone will easily release concrete

• Smooth surface (not usually shiny- more matte)

• Time saving since you don’t have to make anything or set anything up

drawbacks

• Not easy to modify

• Usually cost more than making your own mold or repurposing existing items