A concrete Christmas decoration: your very own DIY angel

Three concrete angels surrounded by candles and Christmas decorations stand in front of a white wall. — Something different: a concrete angel also looks good in amongst traditional Christmas decorations.

Difficulty

medium
Cost

17-25 £
Duration

4-5 h

Introduction

Are you on the lookout for Christmas decorations with that special something? Have you ever thought about using concrete? You can use it to create your very own Christmas angel in just a few simple steps. It catches the eye and adds a touch of the contemporary nestled between candles, firs and other Christmas decorations. We’ll show you what you need to do.

Have you heard about our 18-volt system yet? It offers a very wide variety of devices for many uses. The thing that makes the project below so special is that you can use the same rechargeable battery for every part of this project. Simply swap out the battery pack, insert it into a different device that is part of the 18-volt system and continue to the next step.

It should go without saying that your safety is paramount throughout every step of the project, so make sure you take the necessary precautions to protect yourself. You can find everything you need to know about the correct protective clothing you need when using each type of tool in our overview.

You need

Tools

Utilities

pocket rule
pencil
g-clamps
wire cutter
adhesive tape
paint roller or paintbrush
bucket
concrete trowel

Materials

MDF board: 300 x 400 x 19 mm
laminated wooden board: min. 300 x 400 mm
wire mesh: min. 300 x 400 mm
concrete powder
screws (3.5 x 3.5 mm)
acrylic or concrete paint

L: Length, W: Width, H: Height, D: Diameter

Let's go - step by step

Step 1 8

Drawing out the angel shape

The shape of an angel is being drawn out on an MDF board with a pencil.

You need: pencil, MDF board: 300 x 400 x 19 mm

To make a Christmas angel out of concrete, you will of course first need the corresponding shape. You can simply draw this out on an MDF board either using a template or freehand.

It’s up to you how you want your angel to look – our template is just for inspiration.

However, there a few things you need to pay attention to:

The board should be fairly strong.
Your angel needs to have a flat base. This is so it can stand up by itself later. Tip: use the bottom edge of the board as the base when you’re drawing out your angel.
You should leave some space above the angel’s head and mark out a ‘strip’ that is around 50 mm wide (see image). You’ll need this again later for the mould.

Step 2 8

Sawing out the shape

A straight strip is being sawn out from an MDF board using a jigsaw.

An angel shape is being sawn out from an MDF board using a jigsaw.

You need: Jigsaws, Jigsaw blade, bi-metal, T 101 BF, g-clamps, MDF board with drawing from step 1

Now, (carefully) take your jigsaw and first saw out the ‘strip’ at the top (image 1). Then, saw out the angel shape (image 2).

Watch out: you don’t have to cut the shape out all in one go. Divide it into four equal-sized areas and saw these out one after the other (see image 1 in step 3). This will make sawing easier and make the mould easier to remove at the end.

Step 3 8

Building the mould

A sawn out angel shape is being reassembled from four wooden pieces.

A hole is being drilled into an MDF board.

Wooden pieces of an angel shape are being screwed onto a wooden board.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Wood Drill Bit Set, suitable bit set, g-clamps, laminated wooden board: min. 300 x 400 mm, screws (3.5 x 3.5 mm)

You’ll need a second wooden board to build the mould for the concrete angel. It should be at least the same size as the MDF board from which you’ve sawn the angel. Make sure that this wooden board is laminated. This will prevent the concrete from drying on the board you’re working on later.

Now, reassemble the angel shape from your four individually sawn out pieces on the new board (image 1). Watch out: position the sawn out wooden strip beneath the base of the angel so that the shape is complete again.

Next, drill two holes in each of the individual pieces (image 2). Watch out here again: make sure to only drill through the wooden parts of the shape and not into the wooden board underneath.

Then, use the predrilled holes to attach the four pieces to the wooden board underneath with screws (image 3).

Step 4 8

Preparing the wire mesh

A wire mesh is being trimmed with a pair of wire cutters.

A wire mesh is being shaped using the outline of an angel.

You need: wire cutter, wire mesh: min. 300 x 400 mm, mould from step 3

A wire mesh should be set into the concrete so that your angel is more stable later on. You’ll need to prepare this next.

To do this, simply place a rectangular mesh on the mould and trim it down to roughly the shape of the angel (images 1 and 2). You can then place the mesh to one side again.

Step 5 8

Mixing the concrete

Concrete powder is being poured into a bucket. — In most cases, you can simply read the instructions on the packaging to find out how much water you need to mix the concrete.

You need: bucket, concrete trowel, concrete powder

It’s now time to mix the concrete. Grab a bucket and add approximately 3–4 scoops of concrete powder. Mix the powder with the corresponding amount of water (see the instructions on the packaging) until the concrete starts to form.

Step 6 8

Pouring the concrete into the mould

Concrete is being poured in a mould shaped like an angel.

A wire mesh shaped like an angel is being placed on a layer of concrete.

Concrete in a mould is being smoothed with a trowel.

You need: concrete trowel, mould from step 3, wire mesh from step 4, mixed concrete from step 5

Finished mixing? Then fill the mould with an initial layer of concrete (image 1). The bottom should be completely covered but the shape should not yet be completely filled.

Now, place the mesh from step 4 on this first layer of concrete while it’s still soft (image 2).

Once it’s in the right place, you can pour another layer of concrete on top so that the entire shape is filled. Smooth the concrete until you can’t see any more holes or gaps (image 3).

You now need to be patient and let the concrete set for about 24 hours.

Step 7 8

Removing the angel shape

The screws are being removed from a wooden mould using a drill.

Individual pieces of a mould are being removed.

Concrete in the shape of an angel is being taken out of its mould.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, suitable bit set

Once the concrete has set completely, you can remove the individual pieces of the angel. Start by removing the screws (image 1) and then carefully remove the concrete shape from the wooden board (images 2 and 3).

Step 8 8

Decorating the angel

Adhesive tape is being stuck to the wing of a concrete angel.

The wing of a concrete angel is being painted white.

You need: adhesive tape, paint roller or paintbrush, acrylic or concrete paint

To finish things off, you can decorate your angel to give it that sophisticated and Christmassy feel. We gave ours white wings, for example.

To do this, use adhesive tape to first mark out where you don’t want to paint. This will also stop the paint getting on the areas you don’t want it to. (Image 1).

You can then add a splash of your chosen colour to the wings (or other parts) using paint and a paintbrush (or roller). It’s best to use acrylic or concrete paint for this.

Once the paint has dried, all you need to do now is find the perfect place for your angel in your home.