How to Use DiamondCRETE
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Updated and copyright  03/10/07

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 Three Quick and Easy Steps to a Garden Stone

DiamondCRETE Tips for Best Results

The materials presented here are a compilation of information collected from many sources including the chemists at the DiamondCRETE factory, many professionals using the product and our own experiences.  Your own experience may vary based on the conditions present as you make your stone.  We are interested in hearing about your successes with DiamondCRETE.  E-mail us if you have questions or have tips that are helpful.  Print this page and keep it handy when working with DiamondCRETE.

DiamondCRETE is the purest form of concrete and aggregate. Never mix with other cements. However, you may blend different colors of DiamondCRETE to achieve new colors or to marbleize. DiamondCRETE has air bubbles injected into mix that minimize cracking due to expansion and contraction.

MOLD PREPARATION
Petroleum jelly works great for a release. It also holds contact paper to bottom of the mold. Some other mold releases work but may take a little experience for best results. This would include WD40 or Pam.

MIXING YOUR BATCH
Before you even start thinking about anything else, DRY MIX your box of DiamondCRETE.  Just like the note on cereal boxes, "some settling may have occurred in transit", the finer particles of cement will come to the top of the box, the coarser grains of sand will filter to the bottom.  MIX the DRY cement around in the plastic bag so you will get the proper mix of sand and cement.

DiamondCRETE may be poured as thin as 1" thick for smaller stepping stones, pour about 1½ to 2" thick for larger stones such as 16" squares and 3" thick for benches. To find how much DiamondCRETE you need for a particular mold, count the number of cups of water that fill the mold to the desired depth. The number of cups of water will equal the number of cups of DiamondCRETE for the stone. See below for approximate measurements for some of the more popular stepping stone molds.

The trick to mixing the best cement for your stepping stones is to get the proper mix of water and concrete. Add the DiamondCRETE to the water (not the other way around). The slurry mix should have the consistency of pancake batter when ready to pour. Two ounces of water to a cup of DiamondCRETE is the general rule. BUT always hold back a little water and add it if you need it at the end. If you use a "fluffy" cup of DiamondCRETE rather than a "packed" cup, you won’t need quite 2 oz of water per cup.

You know you have used too much water if:

• The mix pours out like soup.
• Water comes to the back of your stone when setting
• It takes a lot longer to set up.
• When you pop the stone from the mold, it may crumble or break apart.
• After being outdoors for a time, it may crumble or crack.

For best results when mixing DiamondCRETE, use a power drill with a mixing blade (such as used for mixing paint) for 2 to 5 minutes. However, rubber gloves and your fingers do produce good results. Be sure your mold is on a level surface to ensure even thickness of the stone. While not a huge problem for stones to be placed in the garden, an uneven stone is quite noticeable when placed on a wrought iron table!

DIAMONDCRETE SET UP AND MOLD REMOVAL
Right after pouring, GENTLY tap the mold to help release any air bubbles from around your glass pieces. Tap only for about 20 seconds, and be sure you tap gently. Tapping longer or with too much force may result in your glass lifting and DiamondCRETE seeping under. Never move the mold after pouring DiamondCRETE into it. If moved during setup time, your stone may crack!

Setup time may vary depending on temperature of the room, the water, the relative humidity and the precise amount of water added to the mix. You can remove your DiamondCRETE stone in about 1 hour. Benches require 2 to 4 hours. Always, grout any air holes that appear on the surface of the stone to prevent water from settling in the holes and to improve the final appearance. To get a color match scrape a bit off the back of stone or mix a teaspoon of DiamondCRETE in a paper cup with a small amount of water. Dab into the hole and gently rub with a cloth (or your finger) to blend into the rest of the stone. If your glass pieces have lifted slightly, use a sharp stick or Pro-Edge (or X-acto) knife to cut excess away (and don't tap so hard next time).

THE CURE
Always allow stones to set up 28 days with pencils under stone to prop up for air flow on all sides. Cure in a controlled environment. Your basement will work, as will a lower shelf on your workbench. Do not cure outside, in an unheated garage in winter or where there will be major temperature variations. Never let a stone freeze before curing! Do not wet stones as they cure. DiamondCRETE needs no reinforcement even on benches! When cured, DiamondCRETE will achieve well over 6000 lbs. per square inch compressive strength.

After curing, seal your stone for best appearance and longest life. The DiamondCRETE people have come up with DIAMONDSeal for finishing off their stones.  Use one coat for a satin finish, two coats for a glossy look.  Never seal a stone before the 28 day cure time is up. Seal all sides of your stone, including the bottom. If you part with your stone before the 28 day cure is up, be sure to let the new owner know that the stone still needs to cure and be sealed as noted above. For best results, apply the sealant annually.

CARE AND MAINTENANCE
A stone should never be taken from a warm environment to a cold one or the other way around. You run the chance of cracking pieces of glass in your stone due to the unequal expansion and contraction of the concrete and glass. DiamondCRETE has entrapped air which minimizes any problems of this nature, but extremes can cause you headaches. A white "frost" may appear on garden stones after they have cured. This frost is called efflorescence. It is more apparent on colored stones. Efflorescence is salt and minerals that shows up during the curing process or after exposure to rain. Vinegar or a weak solution of muriatic acid and water will remove this white frost.

For molds not listed above, use a measuring cup to fill the mold with water.  However many cups of water it took to fill the mold, that will be the number of cups of DiamondCRETE needed.  Take the number of cups, multiply by two, and that will be the number of ounces of water required to mix.

HOW MUCH DIAMONDCRETE COMES IN A BOX?
There are roughly 13 cups in a 10 lb box and roughly 33 cups in a 25 lb box and 80 cups in a 60 lb box.

MEASURING HINTS
Use the measuring cups that you use in baking.  The ones that are one cup at the brim.  Scoop the DiamondCRETE from the box, tap the side of the cup once or twice and level top of cup with knife.  If you've ever measured flour for a cake, you get the idea.  Measure the water carefully, using a glass measuring cup with the ounces clearly marked.

Careful measurement IS important when making up your DiamondCRETE mix.     Also, the factory recommends using DISTILLED WATER for mixing.  There are no minerals (such as found in hard water) that might affect the "wetting" properties of the cement.  A gallon will be more enough to do three 16x16" square stones ... the extra 20 cents per stone will be worth it!

Sunshine Glassworks Ltd.
Sunshine Square, 111 Industrial Pkwy, Buffalo, NY 14227
1-800-828-7159 or 1-716-668-2918 or fax to 1-716-668-2932
All contents and illustrations are © 1997 thru 2007 by Sunshine Glassworks Ltd.