These are very well made and durable. I did 7 batches in them and they look like the day i bought them. I would say keep them out of sunlight as UV would likely damage them eventually.
Using a 66lb/30kg bag of quickcrete with the max recommended water ratio works great. It fills 1 set of molds perfectly, and it’s liquid enough to minimize bubbles. I vibrated the molds with an oscillating tool after filling to remove the bubbles completely. I broke the first stone i tried to remove after 12 hrs. I waited 24hrs for the remainder of the stones and had no issues. The stones do remain somewhat fragile for 48 hrs total.
Bees wax seemed to be the best mold release agent. I applied with a hair dryer and paintbrush, then washed the molds after use, then reheated the bees wax. I only had one mold which was difficult to release using this method, but i suspect I didn’t clean the corners well enough.
I dyed my stones different colours to match my house using a combo of Charcoal and Red concrete dyes. I suspect you could also use any water based clothing dye as well although I never tried that. I found the pure red concrete dye seemed to cause many more bubbles even after vibrating.
All in all they turned out great, and I’m very happy with the result.
They cut fairly easily using a masonry blade on an angle grinder.
With only 1 set of molds this was fairly time consuming, but very cheap for what you get in the end.
The picture is just a rough layout, not a final install with cut stones.
Enjoy!
| Manufacturer | Betonex |
|---|---|
| Brand | SvitMolds |
| Model number | 4336446273 |
| Colour | Multi-color |
| Shape | Square |
| Material Type | Plastic |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 4336446273 |
