Feeders, waterers and other garden accessories for animals made of polymer plaster

Is your garden a real oasis of calm? A favourite place for afternoon relaxation and weekend get-togethers with loved ones? Surely you look after it as well as you can - tending to the flowers, cultivating the vegetable garden, pruning the hedge? And have you made sure that your garden is pet-friendly too? With just a few pet-friendly garden accessories, your oasis can also be a friendly place for your dog or wild birds. We, of course, encourage you to make your pet garden accessories from polymer plaster. How do you do it?

Why are polymer plaster garden pet accessories a good idea?

Depending on our needs, we can hide our pet garden accessories indoors for the winter or leave them out all year round. For the most part, they will serve our smaller brothers and sisters all year round, so they must be resistant to damp, frost and strong sunlight. They also need to be permanently fixed so that they do not damage anything during strong winds and harm anyone.

Polymeric gypsum is a material that perfectly matches the above requirements. Highly durable, resistant to fire, UV rays and, thanks to impregnation, also to water, it makes it possible to make a durable and stylish pet accessories for the garden. Apart from the most important functionality, which will benefit our dogs, cats or wild birds, they will also be an original garden decoration. So how do you make a feeder or waterer out of polymer plaster?

Garden animal accessories made of polymer plaster step by step

To make animal garden accessories from polymer plaster, we will need:

• gypsum - there are three types to choose from: two-component polymer gypsum A-STONE recommended for making figurines and other architectural elements to decorate the garden, such as garden animal accessories; HandiCast plaster is another product that will work well for preparing garden figurines and accessories and SnowCast polymer gypsum (Lastryko)which is used if the object in question is terrazzo or marble
• silicone mould
• water
• a bowl, bucket or other receptacle for mixing the ingredients into the mixture
• pigments for polymer gypsum
• weight
• impregnate
• stirrer
• work place - preferably a bench or table should be covered with cardboard or painter's foil

In the case of water bowls, we can easily find a ready-made silicone mould, but this may not be possible in the case of an animal garden accessory such as a feeder. In this case, we will have to prepare such a mould ourselves before we start making the casting. We will then need a template (the feeder) and moulding silicone or silicone available in DIY shops and potato starch. Find out, how to make a silicone mould for castingif you cannot find a suitable mould in any shop.

With the mould ready to use and the rest of the necessary components to make the casting, we proceed to prepare the compound. First, we will need to calculate the amounts of gypsum and water needed to prepare it. To this end, the following should be used polymer gypsum calculator - here are also detailed instructions on how to get the correct results in the calculations.

Measured amounts of water, gypsum and dyes, if used, are added to the bowl or bucket, remembering the correct order - always add gypsum to water. Mix thoroughly until a homogeneous mass is formed, applying rules to avoid aeration of the casting compound (read: How to avoid unsightly holes in a plaster cast?). Pour this mixture into the silicone mould and leave to set. After this time, gently remove the cast from the mould and leave for 24 hours to fully dry - during this time the cast will harden throughout.

Waterproofing garden accessories for animals

Any polymer gypsum object that comes into contact with water must be impregnated beforehand. Feeders, containers or food bowls should also be protected against water. To do this, choose one of the waterproofing products - you can choose between a product that shines and one that leaves a matt surface. Remember that waterproofing should be carried out no earlier than the second day after making the garden animal accessoriesand their surface must be dry and degreased.

Polymer plaster is a material that allows us to make casts of both ornaments, including garden ornaments, and utilitarian objects. In the case of animal accessories for the garden, polymer gypsum fits into both functions, giving us durable and stylish feeders, waterers or bowls that can be made in a similar style to other items for the garden. Importantly, polymer gypsum is an eco-friendly material, which is very important from the point of view of caring not only for domestic pets and wild birds, but also for the environment more generally. Visit our shop - you'll find high-quality gypsum, dyes and impregnants that will make making garden pet accessories from polymer gypsum a real pleasure.