Concrete & Cement Safe Handling Guidelines

The most important piece of information about handling and working with concrete and cement products I will give you is this: it's vitally important that you pay STRONG ATTENTION to safety and health matters — yours and anyone else's who may be assisting you. I'm not trying to alarm you, but these ingredients are caustic in nature!

Learn from other crafters' mistakes and don't repeat them. Take the time to read the labels. Heed the manufacturers warnings about safe handling methods. Familiarize yourself with the chemical properties.

Protection is the Key:  What You'll Need

The following issues are the precautions you need to take EVERY time before you start mixing up anything containing concrete or cement. I am repeating myself, but I cannot stress it enough ... please adhere to the safety guidelines listed here.

The nature of a concrete garden art project is going to be messy. Wear protective clothing, whether you're mixing up a recipe or finishing off your garden art object. A lot of dust can penetrate your clothing when you're mixing. You can drop globs of the wet mixture on yourself. It's also recommended to launder your work clothes right after you're done … it's easier to try and remove moist concrete than it is if it's dried on your clothing.

I'm telling you … do not even think of handling the dry or wet ingredients unless you are wearing waterproof gloves! No ifs ands or buts! The caustic nature of concrete and cement is not skin-friendly. Working bare handed will result in you suffering "burned" skin or worse, broken and bleeding skin. Wear heavy-duty rubber dish gloves (or similar) when you're mixing your dry ingredients and the wet mixture. Only use the thinner, latex-type disposable gloves for when you are doing more intricate finishing of your object.

And remember this: handling a concrete object that has cured enough to unmold but is still damp can cause skin burns. Yes … I told you this stuff can be nasty! Wear your rubber gloves at all times!

Warning: The dust from any concrete / cement mixture is very caustic and definitely can damage your lungs if you breathe it in. Think about this … when you mix dry cement with water, it starts to harden almost immediately.

This is due to a chemical reaction. So, if you breathe in cement dust, it will naturally mix with the moisture in your lungs and that "hardening chemical reaction" will start to take place. Awful thought. Wear a mask ... please!

Now, once you've got everything mixed and have added the water, then you can take off your mask. It's perfectly OK to work without it during the casting of your object.

You should always wear safety goggles when measuring, pouring, or mixing cement or concrete. It's of the utmost importance to protect your eyes from the caustic nature of the ingredients.

Though most people do not wear their goggles when applying the wet mixture to their mold, most will put them back on when finishing a project, as when you are wire brushing or aggressively scraping the surface. Even a tiny speck of this stuff getting in your eye can STING!

A final bit of advice I must not forgot to mention … if you are making your project in an enclosed area, please make sure you've got good ventilation. And you'll want to take off your shoes before entering your home. There's no sense in tracking in cement dust. Of course, all the other "rules" discussed above still apply.

And one last thing I must mention. There are environmental issues that pertain to working with concrete and cement products. Mother Nature needs to be protected too! Please dispose of left-over 'tufa mixtures properly.

Alright, I Hope I've Made My Point!
Be Careful!   Follow These Safety Guidelines.
Now … Go Have Fun With Your Project  :-)

Click on the following links for some great project ideas and tutorials:

• Concrete Leaf Casting: Instructions for Successful Projects
• Concrete Leaf Casting: Super Tips from the Pro's
• How to Make a Hollow Concrete Garden Sphere
• Concrete Stains & Colorant Guides