The panorama on the sunrise side: an awesome view of Malarayat

The quiet panorama on the sunrise side of the farm: an awesome view of Mount Malaráyat and the river below the gap.

23 September 2012

Home-Made Pavers


Something I owe from reading assorted gardening and design books is getting inspired to try out making for ourselves, home-made concrete pavers with imprinted leaf patterns from our own surroundings (above). With the help of our erstwhile construction team, it did not even take us half a day to figure out how to achieve some fairly handsome pieces.

We excitedly gathered assorted tropical leaves, all with defined shapes, textures, and patterns to make the final products more unique and interesting. We set out to make two dozen, and we made sure we did not repeat any leaf!


Foremost in our list were papáya (pawpaw), anáhaw (fan palm), rímas (breadfruit), even the unassuming kamóteng káhoy (cassava, sample on top photo, left side).

On the mold, we poured wet concrete then topped it with fine concrete powder, gently pressed the leaf, and just left it dry out in the sun. That simple!

By now, it's been some years and the pavers have achieved some aged patina (below) which gives it an even more finished look.



3 comments:

  1. That looks really cool, thanks so much for sharing. I wanted to get some concrete pavers of my own in my backyard renovation project. I think the whole set up turned out great and I'm excited about being out there this summer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those are awesome! They look HUGE! What's the size? I'm guessing 18" square by 2-1/2" thick? Please let me know, I've been looking all day at gardens for inspiration for a project and this is IT! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Those are awesome! They look HUGE! What's the size? I'm guessing 18" square by 2-1/2" thick? Please let me know, I've been looking all day at gardens for inspiration for a project and this is IT! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete