Creating natural looks for artificial rock formations by backyard pools

4. 

   Adding colour

Once the rock has dried, the stain colours may appear lighter compared to when the surface was wet. At this point, adding more color is advisable, and layering is considered a best practice when staining cast concrete rock. It is much easier to introduce additional colour than trying to lighten the already applied colour. This technique ensures a more controlled and desirable outcome in the staining process.

After achieving the desired colour, builders often discover that adding an antique finish is an excellent way to enhance the rock’s appearance, giving them a weathered, natural look that makes them stand out even more. This antique finish is particularly effective in highlighting the natural cracks and crevasses or areas of heavy texture in cast concrete rocks. With its coffee-like hue, the antique finish gives the concrete rocks an aged appearance, eliminating any hint of it being artificial or concrete-like.

To achieve this look, builders should ensure the rocks are damp and proceed to apply the base colour. Next, they should sponge away any excess stain. Once that is done, the rocks should be dampened again before adding the antique finish. This process can be repeated using the sponge. Concentrating the antique finish in the cracks while sponging away the excess from the surrounding areas is essential for achieving pronounced, deep dark cracks. Builders must be attentive during this process and sponge away any dripping, as leaving such marks can compromise the overall result.

Since this is a darker grey, it is important for builders to have a clean damp sponge in hand to be able to remove any excess antique colour from the rock to avoid compromising the accent colour. Further, builders should also be sure the accent colour is dry to avoid having the antique finish mix with the accent colour and inadvertently creating a third colour. Therefore, it is a good idea to finish and allow the initial application to dry for one day before applying heavier layers.

Accent stain colours provide visual interest to the rocks in the water feature. Although natural stones can have intense colour variations, it is best for artificial rock used around pools to have less variations throughout the water feature as clients will find the finished product to be more appealing. Too much stain concentration may draw the eye’s attention to its intensity, potentially creating an eye-sore for the client.

Builders can employ a white-wash technique if they find the need to lighten a heavily stained area or blend the colour to better match the surrounding deck colour. This method proves to be an effective way to soften the rock’s colour by re-wetting it and applying a few drops of a much lighter colour. By blending the lighter colour, builders can effectively lighten the overall colour of the artificial rock to achieve the desired visual effect.