Common Materials Used to Make Garden Statues
Article by W Tsang
A garden statue is one of the many garden ornaments that can be used to beautify the garden. It can serve as a focal point of the garden and it may also be placed along the sides. As early as the ancient times, garden statues were already used to ornament a garden. In the ancient Egyptian civilization, gardens of temples were decorated with statues of the gods. Sacred groves are common places to see statues in ancient Greece.
Garden statues and garden ornaments can be made from a diverse selection of materials. The purpose for which the garden statue or ornament will be used will help determine which kind of material to use. Other factors to consider in determining what materials will make up a garden statue are the cost and the effect or mood you want to create in your garden design.
Stone is a long established material used in manufacturing garden statuaries. It is durable and can retain details better. Sandstone made of sand fragments in an environment with clay or silt is easy to work on. Statues made with sandstone may easily corrode and lose its details compared to other stone-made statuaries. Granite is a hard stone with a texture similar to crystalline. It has a wide variety of colors, may have a rough or smooth and glass-like finish. Cast stone is quite difficult to recognize at first glance when placed with real stones. Probably because cast stone is actually made from crushed and ground naturally-occurring stones that are rebonded. Rebonding is done in a mold with the use of cement mortar or resin binder. A garden statue made of cast stone looks like carved limestone, sandstone, granite or marble. A patina develops on the surface in a matter of time. Concrete-made garden statues may not be as durable and may not excellently show details like stone or cast stone made statues. Yet they are cheaper and can be dyed to look like other stones.Steel and iron are also used to make garden statues for their strength and durability. Such statues may be allowed to rust or be painted to last even longer.Copper, which is malleable, is suitably used in making various statuaries for the garden. Copper-made statues are known to be corrosion-resistant and to have a beautifully developed patina. The acidity of water and air in the garden determines the color of the patina. The most common is verdigris, which is greenish in color. Bronze results when tin and copper are mixed together. Garden statues depicting human forms are traditionally made with bronze. A freshly made bronze statue has a golden color and over time will develop a patina on the surface. Bronze is also a durable material.Lead, although soft, is a durable and heavy material. Statues made with lead are molded with excellent details and have been made since the times of the Romans. The developed patina range from lead-gray to silver-gray in color. Glass is also utilized in making garden ornaments and statues. Glass makes the garden more interesting by the sparkle, shine and reflection produced by the glassy material. Glass statues are however fragile so they need to be placed carefully and securely. About the Author
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