How to Make Concrete Letters for Garden Decor

Pick up cardboard papier mache letters for your word. Craft stores carry them, and online shops have the larger sizes. You also need a bag of concrete mix, a bucket for mixing, a strong stirring tool, a craft knife and newspaper to protect the floor. Coupling nuts and a glue gun are optional if you want to stake the letters into the ground later.

Use a craft knife to cut around the edge of one flat face of each letter, then peel that face away. What is left is an open tray shaped like the letter. Decide now which side will be the front. The side that faces down inside the mold comes out smoother, so many makers cut off the back and use the bottom as the face.

If you want to stand the concrete letters up in the lawn, hot glue a threaded coupling nut to the inside edge of each mold. The nut sets into the concrete. Later you can screw a bolt or threaded rod into it and push it into the ground like a stake. Travis did not end up using his, but it keeps your display options open.

Lay the open molds flat on newspaper. Put on gloves, pour the dry mix into a bucket and add water a little at a time, following the bag directions. Mix with a sturdy trowel or small shovel. A wooden paint stick is not strong enough, and the delay let Travis's first batch start setting before he poured.

Spoon the wet concrete into each letter mold with a trowel. Push it into every corner and along the thin strokes. Fill each mold right to the top edge. Work quickly so the whole batch goes in before it starts to stiffen in the bucket. Move from letter to letter rather than perfecting one at a time.

Press the concrete down firmly with the trowel, then gently tap or jiggle each mold to bring air bubbles to the surface. Smooth the top as flat as you can. Whatever you see now is how the finished letter looks if this side faces up, so take your time here. Scrape off any extra from the edges.

Let the concrete cure for at least 48 hours. Waiting a full week is even better, because the cardboard dries out and lets go more easily. Then peel the cardboard sides away, working slowly around each letter. If you are careful, the molds can survive for a second pour. These letters came out about an inch thick and solid.

Travis's first set came out rough because the mix had started to set. He mixed a second batch the right way, poured it straight away and got a much smoother finish. Once cured, he tore the worn cardboard off rather than saving it. For an even finer face, try a sand mix or countertop mix with smaller stones.

Choose where your letters will live. Here they are pressed into red landscape rock like stepping stones, spelling SISU along the front yard. You can also lean them against a wall or stake them into grass with the coupling nuts. Nestle each letter in so it sits level and does not rock when bumped.