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Faux Concrete Bookends You Won’t Believe

Create DIY faux concrete bookends using concrete finish, craft foam, and paint. These are so unique, look great, and easy to make!

Faux Concrete DIY Book Ends

I recently got some of the new FolkArt Painted Finishes and have been dying to try the concrete finish. I love how concrete looks in decor, but have no idea how to create something with real cement!

So this simple-to-use faux finish is perfect! I had an idea to create some faux cement bookends, and I love how easy they were to make and how cute they turned out. Use whatever letters of the alphabet you like. Here’s how they were made.

DIY faux concrete bookends using foam bricks and paper mache letters

Faux Concrete Bookends

Supplies

Coat the Foam with Smooth Finish

I used a foam cube as the base of the bookend. I just learned about this FloraCraft Smooth Finish, which fills the cracks of the foam to make a smooth surface you can embellish in SO MANY ways. It’s a game-changer!

Smooth finish, a foam block, and a putty knife

I applied two coats of the Smooth Finish to the cube using a putty knife.

Applying smooth finish to the foam block using the putty knife

Let it dry and set before moving onto the next step.

Apply the Concrete Finish

After the Smooth Finish dried completely, I was ready to apply the concrete finish!

Painted concrete finish and a brush with a foam cube

I dabbed the concrete finish on the cube. You can see in the picture that it has a grit to it, which makes it nearly impossible to mess up, since bumps and cracks are what make it look like real cement!

dabbing the concrete finish on the foam cube

Next, I applied the concrete finish to the cardboard using the same method as the cube.

Applying the concrete finish to the paper mache letter

Again, let dry completely.

Glue Letter to the Cube

Then, I glued the letter to the cube using a hot glue gun.

Gluing the letter to the cube using a hot glue gun

Touch Up with Concrete Finish

I wanted it to look like one piece of cement, so I used the concrete finish to fill in the seams between the letter and the cube.

Touching up the seams with concrete finish

Tape Off and Paint the Base

Last of all, I add a pop of color to the bottom of the cube. I just taped, painted, and let dry.

Taping off and painting the base with yellow craft paint

Tip: if you need to put something non-skid on the bottom of your bookends, you can add some cork! Just hot glue it on.

Closeup of the faux concrete texture on the DIY bookend

How cool is that texture from the concrete finish?!

DIY bookends with a faux concrete finish

What do you think of my faux concrete bookends!? What would you make with this concrete finish? And be sure to visit us as we blog about style, food, and the things we love over at the Pretty Life Girls where you can find other fun DIY projects like these DIY Cement Hanging Planters!


If you like these cement bookends, you’re going to love these pineapple DIY bookends. There are also a few other concrete/cement projects I think you need to see from both myself and my friends:

Melanie G

Friday 15th of July 2016

These are beautiful and I want to make some! Are they heavy enough to hold books in place? I know the letters are pretty light, but wonder if the floral smooth weighs it down some? Really cool!

KWolff

Friday 15th of July 2016

These are so cute! I think I need to make a bee line to the store and get some of the Painted Finish for a project in my house! Thanks for such a great idea~

Sharon

Thursday 7th of July 2016

I am loving these book ends and what a cool finish! There are so many ideas running through my head for this! Sharing!