Lori,
You should be smiling all over the place. The bench is awesome!!!! I love the top, with the combination of textures. Was there a special mixture that was placed on the top while the leaves were in place, to create the aggregate area?
Fantastic and thank you for sharing pictures.
Happy casting,
dena

Does anyone know why I can't see Lori's pictures? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Serene

I'd be guessing that the hosting site limits the number of views per referer. paste these urls into your browser:
http://image59.webshots.com/59/1/70/98/2423170980048380562qywlNN_ph.jpg

http://image62.webshots.com/62/7/64/34/2999764340048380562pSMdJC_ph.jpg

Lori,

Thanks for sending me the link. I love the bench. You did a wonderful job. How did you do the top with the diffrent textures? I love the rock fountail too! Congrats.

Serene

abasolutely love it.

Gotta tell how ya did it. what did you use for the legs??

TELL,TELL,TELL

Please

Lori, that's a wonderful bench. The simple lines and leaf imprints make it very elegant. Please give details of how you made it!

Deb

Well I can't see either, even with the pasting thing. Darn it sounds so great.I will try again ,
Cindy

Love it, love it, love it!!!!!!!!!! Rhonda

The weirdest thing is happening. Now when the page loads the pictures are there for a second and then poof...there gone.

I can't see them either. Boo Hoo.

Use the cut and paste method under Nathan's thread and see if it works for you, did for me.

Absolutely marvelous....I just sent a picture of it to my DD.

I managed to see it and it is marvelous. Wonderful textures and a real nice color.A really lovely bench.Share the how to's please.
Cindy

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. We had a lot of fun making it. I'm sorry I don't have time right now to post the details on making it, but I will try to later today.
I wonder why some of you can't see the pictures. They are there for me. Maybe I made them too big. Here is a link to the webshots community pages, you should be able to see them from there.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/101142794/2423170980048380562qywlNN
http://community.webshots.com/photo/101142794/2999764340048380562pSMdJC

Just cut and paste the links. Let me know if that works for you.

wow, that is great! ill be looking forward to the instructions PLEASE!

Lori, Great to see your work again. We get to play the guessing game.....did you take leaf castings and insert them into your mold then use a gravelly concrete mix??? Love the legs!
The fountain in your pic, did you drill the stones? I drill small stones for my jewelry and that takes forever. I can't imagine drilling ones that big. Billie

Ok, this might take a bit of explaining, I'll try not to run on too long.
First I made leaf castings and instead of building them up with sand underneath, I wanted them flat. I used portland and sand, because that gives such nice detail and no bubbles. I'm not sure if that is the best mix, I'm not really a tufa/concrete expert. :)
We built a rectangular frame for the top out of plywood and 2x4's. Use screws to hold it together, so that it can be unscrewed and taken apart. For the sides we sprayed the front of leaves with adhesive spray, and stuck them to the insides of the 2x4's. I wanted the leaf pattern to be on all sides of the bench. The adhesive works great, and keeps the leaves from falling into the mix, or getting concrete underneath the leaf.
Then we filled the form with regular concrete mix and colorant. We put reinforcement in the middle, and filled the box to the top. After the concrete set up a little, I added the leaves to the top. I was afraid they might sink, but they didn't. The were very thin to begin with, so they didn't weigh much. Then I took pebbles and gently pushed them into the concrete. I was afraid to try to rinse the pebbles off with water before the concrete set, so I was careful not to get too much concrete on them. I didn't know if it would come off once it had set. Actually, I knew it wouldn't come off once it had set.
I am pretty sure you could just the top the way I did my fossilized stepping stones , by pouring mix onto the leaves on the bottom, and flipping it over. But I had those nice flat leaves, and had to think up some way to use them!
As for the legs, I used the same spray adhesive technique and attached them to the inside of a concrete tube form. I think we put small tubes in the center before we poured the concrete, to take up space, so they wouldn't be so heavy.
I like natural finishes, but I have seen so many creative paint jobs on leaves in here, I bet you guys could probably come up with something really beautiful.
Billie, the rocks are hard to drill, but worth the effort. We used a hammer drill, with a masonary bit, (my hubby borrowed it from work). You have to run water on it to cool it, and it usually breaks a bit of the rock off as it breaks through, but that is hidden. I had them in my garden as stacked rock totems, which was o.k., but wasn't really thrilling me. Then on day, the light bulb went on in my head, and I thought, "Hey, what about a fountain, to go with that bench".
My poor Hubby, he puts up with so much. And he really helps me out with my crazy projects. If he didn't, that bench would probably still be sitting where I poured it. Just the top probably weighs about 200 lbs.! A word to the wise, if anyone tries the bench project, pour it close to where you are going to put it, because you wont be moving it too often!

This is beautiful. Thanks for the details; I bet you have started a lot of people making a leaf bench!
Laura

Wow!!!! I love the texture and color.

Wow, that is great!
bonnie

Thank you so much for porviding the information about the leaf bench. I really like the contrast and mix of textures. Are you planning to do any other coloring or any sealant?
I am not suggesting that you should, I am just curious.
Dena

Lori, your bench is wonderful. Am I correct that the leaves that you sprayed with adhesive were leaves and not castings? And that the only place you used the flat castings were on the top (and bottom?.

Wow.... I love your bench. Thanks for the details..I've saved your instructions..very nice..those would sell very easily..Deb

Dena, I think I will leave the color the same, but I think sealing it is probably a very good idea.
Bailey, yes you are correct. The adhesive was sprayed on real leaves, which were then stuck to the sides of the form. The leaves on the top were thin leaves that I had previously cast. There was nothing in the bottom of the form. I only mentioned that in case someone wanted to cast without using the premade leaves. You could just put you leaves in the bottom of the form, and pour the concrete on top of them. Then when you took it out of the form, the bottom of the form would be the top of the bench. Am I making sense here, or am I making it more confusing? :)

Hello Flowrpowr!

I've just discovered your leaf cast bench (that you posted about last June)while doing a search for how to make a concrete bench. Your bench is one of the most beautiful ones I have seen & was hoping that you could explain a few points in more detail.
1) How did you make your thin cast leaves? Are these free form, or did you make a silicone mold first? Are there instructions on the forum that I can use for this method? It's the details on the edges of the leaves that have me stumped as they seem to be so fine.
2) Were the leaves you used in the legs also cast? Or were these real leaves that you sprayed and attached to the inside of the tube. I can't imagine curving cast leaves... but you never know!
3) What plant leaves did you use? What are the imensions of your top and the height & diameter of the legs?
4) What type of concrete did you use for the bulk & how much colorant?

I have done some concrete work around the yard & have made a tufa container so I am somewhat familiar w/ the concept.

I know I have asked a lot of questions here! This is something that I would reallllly like to attempt. The depth & texture you were able to achive is wonderful! Did you ever seal it (& if so, w/ what), and how has it weathered over the past year?

This is such a wonderful forum and I tend to lurk more than post. So many talanted people willing to share their adventures & knowledge in gardening! I have read all the FAQ's & a lot of posts to try & educate myself on leaf casting. I've learned a lot... but not how to make the flat ones that you used for the top of the bench. I look forward to hearing from you or some other experienced soul!
Thank you!

Hello tufa forum. It's been a long time since I have visited this forum, and what do I see when I stop by, the old thread on the bench bumped up again! Good thing I stopped in.
Syllabus, I am going to have to print off your questions and go over them with my hubby. It's been so long since we made it, I'm not sure I remember all of the details. Once I figure out the answers to your questions, I'll post again. Sorry, I know that's not very helpful. I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

Syllabus, sorry I took so long to get back to you. I don't know where time goes sometimes. I kept thinking I would show my hubby your e-mail, but he doesn't get in until late at night, and I keep forgetting to ask him. So I will try to answer your questions myself.

1. The leaves are cast from actual leaves, no molds. We used a portland and sand mix to get the fine texture. I think we just put the leaves on a sheet of plastic and put the mix on them. I guess that's why the edges look so fine. The aren't cast on a bed of sand because we wanted them perfectly flat.

2.The leaves on the legs were cast with regular quickcrete 5000 poured into a round concrete tube with the leaves attached to the inside of the tube. You spray the top of the leaf with adhesive, and then stick them on. It's best to use a heavily textured leaf, because you loose a lot of detail with the chunky quickrete.

3. The leaves we used were grape, hosta, burdock, and I don't really remember what else. I know the hosta leaves worked well. The dimensions are: the top: 44" x 18" x 3". The height of the legs I didn't measure, it's raining outside, and I don't want to run back out there! :) My hubby says he thinks we used 10" or 12" molds for the legs, with a smaller tube inside to take up some of the space, (so they wouldn't be so heavy).

4. I don't really remember how much concrete colorant we used. I think we mainly colored the original leaves, but not the bench, but I can't swear to that.

5. The cast leaves were very thin, I would probably make them a little thicker. We made the frame out of 2'x4's and set the cast leaves into the wet cement. Then we sprinkled small rock around the leaves.

If I did it again, first and most important, decide where you want it, and make your bench as close to that location as possible. This puppy was heavy, I don't remeber exactly how we got it to that location, but I remember it wasn't easy!
I think I would probably skip the little rocks on top, to be honest, they hurt your tush when you sit on it! :( But it would look kind of neat with little marbles or those flat marbles you can buy at craft stores stuck in it here and there.
I also think you could put the leaves on the bottom of the seat mold and just pour concrete over it. They would match the legs better, but you would loose the detail.
We never did seal it, I know bad me. It did develope a couple of small cracks in the thincast leaves. That really surprised me, but maybe it's because I didn't put sealer on it.
Hope that answers the majority of your questions. Let me know if you have anymore.
One last thing, you have to make sure that everything is as level as possible, you don't want a bench that is thinner at one end, and you don't want your legs to be uneven, or your bench will wobble.

Flowrpowr: Thank you so very much for remembering me & taking the time to reply w/ such detail! The process is very clear & you have answered everything that I wanted to know. Earlier I had printed out the pic of your beautiful bench & showed it to my DH. He thinks that this is a project that he would enjoy helping w/. Later this fall (when it cools down a bit) we will tackle it. But for now I can go ahead & experiment w/ casting some leaves.

I'll be sure to post pics when the project is finished!

Thanks again!

i remember seeing this bench last year and telling my friends about it, i loved it then as i still do now. so nice to see it again!

I'm sorry to have to ask someone how to get the pictures? I tried different things and still can't seem to find the picutres. Where do you put the info (paste) after you copie it?

donna504
after you have copied the address go to the top of your computer screen to the right of your back button is your address bar it will have the address of this web site clear that address and then paste(ctrl+v) and the copied add should appear in the address bar then click the go(>) button to the right of the address bar that should do it
Always nosnod

Donna,
Right click on the image you want to see,
Then left click on "view image"

Then when you hit your "back" button, it should be in the post.
Tom

I tried the paste & copy, still no picture.........

Hello flowrpowr, I am sure you it has been so long since you made this it may be hard to remember. I have 2 questions you may be able to answer.
First LOVE your work!! I would love to make somethig like this.
Was this just Portland cement and sand combo for the basic bench? Do you think it could have some peat in ii or would strength be compromised. (Anyone else can answer as well)
Howe many bags of cement did it take? Thanks in advance

Justadncr, sorry I didn't see your question sooner. I don't visit here very often, but every once in a while I stop by and see what's new.

The mix for the bench was quickcrete 5000. I wanted to make sure that it was a good strong mix. The leaves are made out of a portland and sand mix, and they are set into the wet cement mix.

My hubby doesn't remember exactly how many bags it took. We would guess maybe 3-4 on the the top, but that is just a guess. Maybe the concrete bag would be able to tell you how much area is covered.

Hope that helps. I don't know why I can't seem to post the pictures so that everyone can see them. Here is a link to my webshots album. The first picture is the front view, and if you click the next picture, it's a view of the top.

I wonder, did anyone else ever make a bench. I would love to see how they turned out. I think a painted bench would be beautiful. Maybe I'll try it sometime.

Here is a link that might be useful: bench link