Cement Leaves

Leaves fall and we rake them away, sweep them off the porch, work to get rid of them every fall. Some people collect a few leaves and use them in centerpieces for the holidays or for floral arrangements. But, eventually, the leaves will dry and crack and become trash. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could preserve some of those leaves forever? There are certain ways to preserve live plants and flowers but some of those can take weeks. If you just love the look of leaves, but you don’t want to spend a fortune and wait weeks to have some of them, set them in cement. When you make cement leaves you create beautiful accent pieces for a porch, a birdbath, or another area of your home.

Choose the leaves you want to cast in cement. Leaves of any size, color, or shape will work fine, but they must not be brittle. Make cement leaves which all look alike or ones which are all different. First, fill a large plastic bin with several inches of dry sand. Spray the sand with water to dampen it. This will allow you to easily make a mound of sand in the bin. Make one of these mounds for each leaf you want to cast in cement. Each mound should be slightly larger than the leaf.

Lay a leaf face-down on one of the mounds. Portland cement – the most common type of cement – will be used to cast the leaves. Mix one part of the cement with one part of sand. Stir these together well then begin slowly stirring in water until you reach a mixture which has the consistency of thick mud.

Use rubber gloves, scoop up some of the cement, and spread it over the leaf. Gently pat the cement to remove any air bubbles. Continue doing this until the cement is about an inch and a half thick in the center and an inch thick around the edges. Do the same to all the leaves.

Allow the cement to set for 24 hours then lift the leaf from the sand. Peel away the leaf and brush off any sand. It might require a wire brush or some sandpaper to smooth the edges of the cement casting. You’ll be able to clearly see the veins and other details of the leaves.

If you intend to paint the cement leaves wait for about a week before doing so. Set the finished leaves on a porch, in a basket, lay them around on a shelf, or otherwise display them. They’re beautiful and will last for a very long time.


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