When last we left our hero, the mold was ready to go with knock-outs for the sink and faucet drop-ins. One more bit of prep: to ensure that the concrete releases from the mold when it's cured, you should coat the interior mold surfaces with a releasing agent. You can buy these at masonry outfits for a bunch of money, or...
Safeway brand Pam cooking spray. $1.29.
I used Buddy Rhodes products. I mixed one bag of concrete with black concrete pigment, although I used too much water for the pigment so couldn't get all the pigment into the concrete mix without the mix being too soupy. Hence, it's seeming to come out rather gray so far. We'll see after it's fully cured.
I started to mix with our Makita drill and a paint mixer, but quickly found it more efficient (if tiring) to just use my hands. Use PPE if trying this at home, kids!
Fill up the mold about 1/3 of the way, then add structural support. I used ladder wire, which should be more than enough for this small span.
Fill 'er up the rest of the way, and smooth it out.
Trowel it glassy, and let cure for 3 days. I've been misting it and periodically re-trowelling over the last 48 hrs, periodically vibrating it to bring bubbles up and avoid lots of pitting in the finished product. By the time we're back from Santa Monica Christmas, it should be ready for Part IV: The Big Reveal (and sealing, and polishing, and...).
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