The materials used when casting concrete are so many and so varied, it is difficult to list each and every item. There are some things that are quite commonly used and can be useful for pretty much any concrete (or mortar) casting project. This video gives a few examples of commonly found items that you should have on hand when casting concrete.

Silicone is very handy to have around when doing concrete castings. It can seal or marry edges of a mold, smooth out rough or uneven surfaces of a mold, or make the whole mold with it. These are just a few ways to use silicone casting concrete. Be sure to use 100% silicone and not acrylic caulking. They are not the same thing and do not work the same way with a concrete project.

A few pieces of wood can be used for a number of reasons when thinking of doing a concrete casting project. You could make a mold from the wood, use a flat piece of wood as a work surface, or even use it as a texture for the concrete casting. So don't throw away those wood scraps, keep them for your concrete projects.

High-density, rigid foam insulation is another handy item to have when casting concrete. It usually is colored, like pink or blue, and is not white. White styrofoam is not high-density like rigid foam insulation and does not perform the same when used with concrete projects. Rigid foam can be used for a lot of different things like spacers for steel reinforcement, as a smooth surface for concrete, or even used as a concrete mold itself.

Tuck tape and a roll of poly plastic sheeting are very good to have. One of the best uses for either of these is to make smooth surfaces for pouring concrete. Concrete poured against plastic surfaces often has a very smooth, shiny finish compared to concrete poured against another type of surface. Plastic sheeting comes in very handy for clean up as well.

MFD board is often used for casting concrete to make a really smooth, flat finished surface. As long as the cut edges of the board are not exposed to water, a piece of MDF board could be used for multiple castings. Cut edges of MDF board could be coated in silicone to assist with repelling the water and try to keep it from absorbing into the board.

These common items are pretty easy to find and are just a few things that you will want to have around if you do any kind of concrete castings, concrete as a hobby or DIY concrete projects around the house.

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