# ageing concrete with yogurt ??



## tick tock (9 May 2009)

has anybody used yogurt or milk to take the new look of concrete window sills...if you have please tell me your exprience and results..


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## Sue Ellen (9 May 2009)

*Re: yogurt on concrete*

Haven't heard of this before, why would you need to take the new look off them and not just let the weather do the job for you?


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## lightswitch (9 May 2009)

*Re: yogurt on concrete*

Not on concrete but I did know someone who used natural yogurt of cheap terracotta pots to make them look antique, it worked nicely on them.  LS.


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## tick tock (9 May 2009)

*Re: yogurt on concrete*

my house is stone faced and the sills just dont look right..too bright and concretey..i was told by a friend that painting them with yogurt would encourage lichens and moss to grow.but he hadnt tried this himself.


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## WaterSprite (9 May 2009)

*Re: yogurt on concrete*

Haven't done it myself but my Mum says it works!


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## iggy (9 May 2009)

*Re: yogurt on concrete*

Thought this was a Heston Blumenthal recipe thread....mmmmmm.


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## tick tock (9 May 2009)

no ...he would have served custard with his concrete and gravel on the side...


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## mick1960 (9 May 2009)

I eat yogurt, and I look really old, so it does work
But joking aside it does work ,must be a live yogert though.


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## tick tock (9 May 2009)

thank you for that.....i will do it...think i will make my own recessionary yogurt..much cheaper


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## baldyman27 (9 May 2009)

I never heard of this before, sounds good. I do a lot of work with concrete (not precast) and to age footpaths, etc., I use a mixture of sugar and water applied to the wet concrete which I then remove with a power washer the following day. It acts as a retardant so the concrete below cures as normal but the very top skin of 'fat' doesnt. When its washed off it exposes the aggregate in the concrete to give an aged look.


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## Smashbox (9 May 2009)

I've used it on stone in a rockery and also old wooden sleepers I have in the garden, its a well known tip in the gardening age to encourage moss and algae to grow.

It works.


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## bren1916 (11 May 2009)

...and people eat this stuff ??


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## amh (11 May 2009)

yeah it does work in the garden. I've used it too. Worked well on the bricks I used to build a border with. Lots of moss etc growing on it. It probably will work on the sills though do you want moss etc growing on them?


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## pops (11 May 2009)

It will work better if you scrape some lichen off a stone or surface nearby - stick it in a blender with the yoghurt, then pour it over the surface you need to cover.   Keep the cats away or they'll lick it off!


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## mick1960 (11 May 2009)

The image of opening the curtains in the morning to be greeted by all the neighbourhood's cat licking the window sill ,will be with me for some time


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## Smashbox (11 May 2009)

pops said:


> It will work better if you scrape some lichen off a stone or surface nearby - stick it in a blender with the yoghurt, then pour it over the surface you need to cover. Keep the cats away or they'll lick it off!


 
I don't think I could scrape something off a rock and then put it in my blender...


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## tick tock (11 May 2009)

ha ha...i love that image of the cats...i painted the yogurt on just one sill (wife insisted only one)on sunday. it dried in half an hour.the sill looks like it has a skin.the dog was on the sniff but couldnt reach it.i presume it will go mouldy first?????
looking forward to the results...does moss grow facing south????


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## tick tock (19 May 2009)

nothing has happened yet...how long does it take?? its been a whole nine days now...


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## galwaytt (19 May 2009)

I've seen someone in the US 'age' concrete by using an oxy torch - causes the conc to 'spall'.....


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## tick tock (19 May 2009)

i prefer the look of the moss and lichens....i think(havent seen it yet)


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## Smashbox (19 May 2009)

Tick tock, it takes a while, not days! More like weeks and months, be patient!


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## tick tock (19 May 2009)

i only painted one sill just to see....so i might as well just paint everything now...as it takes forever to grow.


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## onq (19 May 2009)

tick tock said:


> ...does moss grow facing south????



Have look out the rear window.


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## onq (19 May 2009)

tick tock said:


> ...does moss grow facing south????



Nope.

Well, not if the surface is sun-dried regularly.

Likes a lot of water and shade to thrive - not bare window sills


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## tick tock (20 May 2009)

yes that could be a problem...but lichens seem to be everywhere so i will have a look this evening at the rocks around the house..
but my wife wont let me paint anymore yogurt now untill something happens with the sill i painted...but she is going away for 3 days tomorrow...that should be enough time for me..


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## Irish Garden (21 May 2009)

I've been following this thread with interest. 
Ye might be interest in an article I wrote on the subject a few years ago........ *Lichen, add some to your garden with a lichen slurry mix.*


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## tick tock (21 May 2009)

THANK YOU IRISH GARDEN...THAT IS GREAT INFO.I WILL TRY THAT .AND I WONT TELL MY WIFE WHAT I PUT IN HER BLENDER....(our blender)


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