Smith Nathan - Color concrete garden projects: make your own planters, furniture, and fire pits using creative techniques and vibrant finishes

Making your own colored concrete projects brings a new level of richness to your garden.

COLOR CONCRETE GARDEN PROJECTS

Make your own planters, furniture, and fire pits using creative techniques and vibrant finishes

NATHAN SMITH &
MICHAEL SNYDER

Photographs by
CHARLES COLEMAN

TIMBER PRESS
Portland, Oregon

Copyright 2015 by Nathan Smith. All rights reserved.

Published in 2015 by Timber Press, Inc.

Photos copyright Charles Coleman except those on by Jeremy French.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Timber Press. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. Mention of trademark, proprietary product, or vendor does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the publisher or authors and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products or vendors.

The Haseltine Building

133 S.W. Second Avenue, Suite 450

Portland, Oregon 97204-3527

timberpress.com

Cover design by Patrick Barber

eISBN: 9781604697322

A catalog record for this book is also available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Smith, Nathan, 1981

Color concrete garden projects : make your own planters, furniture, and fire pits using creative techniques and vibrant finishes / Nathan Smith and Michael Snyder; photographs by Charles Coleman.

pages cm

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-60469-539-7

1. Garden ornaments and furniture--Design and construction. 2. Concrete construction--Formwork. I. Snyder, Michael, 1976- II. Title.

SB473.5.S624 2015

721'.0445--dc23 2014048495

TO ALL THOSE WHO ENJOY AND SHARE IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS AND WHO LIVE TO PUSH THEMSELVES FURTHER AND GROW BETTER THAN THEY WERE THE DAY BEFORE

The projects in this book are an invitation to make personal creative endeavors a way of life.

For as long as we can remember, weve enjoyed making things. Somewhere along the way, making and creating became a part of who we are, and we now feel as though we were made for this sort of workwe find it impossible to get away from. Not only is it a part of who we are, but it continually informs who we are becoming. This is the capacity, benefit, and wonder of creative undertakings. Many people do not see themselves as creative, but we hope this book will encourage everyone to try their hand at making. And working with concrete is a wonderful way to do it. The effort and insight put forth here will, we hope, persuade others to find their creative selves and make creating a part of their daily lives.

At our company, Set in Stone, we are passionate about making beautiful, useful objects and helping others develop richer lives doing the same. We believe that opportunities to apply creativity are invitations to grow as individuals and live deeper, more satisfying lives. By the end of this book not only will you have a variety of beautifully colored concrete pieces for your garden, but you will also have the technical knowledge and confidence to modify and adapt these ideas for your own original projects.

Enjoy!

Nathan and Michael

Creating with our hands gives us richer, more enjoyable lives.

Concrete is a simple, beautiful, and very accessible medium with which to explore ones creativity. The process of creation is just thata process. It is human nature to influence and improve our environment, and the process generally begins with an idea that fills a need, whether that need is functional or aesthetic.

The heart of creative action is problem-solving, and we believe that everyone can do it, although it takes practice. This is exactly what these projects are aboutexploring your own methods of problem-solving and making things you love. Everyone can creatively affect their world, and working with colored concrete is a wonderful way to do it.

Once you have determined what it is you want to make, you have to figure out how to make it. There is usually more than one way to go about a project, so take some time at the beginning and weigh the options. Planning is the part most people want to skipthey are eager to jump in, get dirty, and begin making, which is understandable. But spending some time planning can save a lot of pain and frustration in the future. The more time you invest in thinking about the projectwhere to begin and how to pull it all togetherthe more original, successful, and enjoyable the project will be. There is always an element of fear hereeveryone is afraid of failing. Dont be! The truth is that you are going to fail in some way, but this is something to be embraced and viewed as a learning experience. There is freedom in recognizing you will failyoull be inspired to push yourself. With every finished project you will probably have a list of things you would do differently next time. Expect this from the beginning and the journey will be more rewarding. As you work on the projects in this book, your successes and failures will become concrete markers that will remind you of how far youve come and of all the lessons learned and frustrations endured.

Sketching out ideas for the pendants project.

Playing with the colors for the pendants.

Working in concrete is an engaging and challenging undertaking. A great aspect of decorative concrete is that it is easy to get started with, but challenging enough to warrant interest for years. The intricacies of the craft separate what we do from an everyday sidewalk. We work within much tighter parameters, which means the odds of failure are much greater. These are the times that test your creative fortitude, but you can continue to assess and respond proactively. In the shop we often talk about making lemonade out of lemons. Some of our most distinctive pieces and techniques are the result of working with concrete that did not behave as expected.

Or maybe we just did something stupid. The bench is a good example. We rushed the demolding process (removing the form) and cracked one of the benchs legs because the concrete was still too green. So we embraced our now one-legged bench, gave it a prosthetic, and moved on. Some people like the bench better this way. All this is just to say, keep your options open and look for unexpected opportunities.