Guest
#aquarium #aquascape #DIY I show you how I built a solid concrete aquarium stand for my 12l () nano tank. Stand dimensions: 60 x 22 x 36 cm. The thickness of the concrete is . Here are some tips if you want to do something similar: 1. The material you make your form out of effects the final finish of your concrete. Use formply (melamine) for a smooth finish, or plywood for a wood grain/rougher finish. I used melamine on the outside and wood ply on the inside because that's what I had laying around in my shed. 2. Caulk the the inside edges of your form to create nice rounded edges. Apply the caulk and then use something like a credit card to remove the excess caulk to create a nice curve. 3. The freshly poured wet cement has a lot of bubbles trapped in it. You need to vibrate the cement to allow the trapped air to escape. If you don't your concrete will be full of very big bubbles called 'bug' holes. The easiest way to do this is to hit the sides of your form with a hammer or mallet. When you do this you see the trapped air bubbling at the surface. Keep going until you don't see any more bubbles. 3. You want your cement to dry slowly to minimise the risk of it cracking and to increase its strength. Keep it wet the first few days by spraying it with water. Keeping the form on for a little longer also helps with this. 4. Beware that wet cement is very heavy and the sides of your form might bow. Make sure to use thick wood and add appropriate supports to prevent this. 5. Add internal metal reinforcing, such as rebar. This is very important, it greatly increases the strength of the concrete. 6. When sanding concrete use a mask, or make sure to wet sand. Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): License code: IWJVBZIRPVOO3FRM
