The base of a statue is the final piece of the statue, and one of the most important. The base supports the statue and keeps it standing upright. Because all of the weight from the statue needs to be supported by the statue base, the base needs to be larger than the statue itself. The base is made of cement, actually poured concrete, and can be reinforced with steel rebar for supreme durability. The base is built with a wooden form, which contains the concrete when it is poured. When dry, the form is removed and the base is ready for the statue to be mounted.
Determine the size needed for the statue’s base by comparing it to the size of the statue and designing the base to be somewhat wider and longer than the bottom of the statue. A typical base would be square or rectangular.
Transfer the measurements from the size of the proposed base to the shelving boards and mark the correct measurements with the pencil.
Cut the shelving boards with the handsaw at the marked measurements.
Nail together the square or rectangle. Hammer two nails at each corner of the frame. Drive the nails half an inch inside the edge of the outside corner and make sure the nails go straight into the adjacent board’s end. The result is your concrete form.
Cut the plastic sheeting with the scissors so it can rest inside the form, like a bag. This plastic sheeting is placed between the wood form and concrete to ensure a smooth finish on the concrete. Make sure it rests flat and smooth on all sides of the form. Be sure to rest the form on a firm, flat surface.
Mix your concrete and pour it into the form. Smooth the top surface of the concrete with a straight board. Allow ample time for setting. When the concrete is set and dry, pry or lift the frame off of the base and pull the plastic sheeting away from, and out from under, the concrete.
Things You'll Need:
Things You Will Need
Warnings:
- If the plastic sheeting is not smooth and flat on all sides, there will be textures from the sheeting on the outside walls of the base.