Concrete waterfalls make permanent features that have much to commend them. When used with rocks and stones, they can be the most effective and natural looking of all moving water features. When you make the concrete waterfall, the first thing that you need to do is excavate the cascade feature. Remove sufficient soil to comfortably accommodate the edging stones. If the excavation is being made on disturbed soil, this should be well compacted.
You will need to install a liner of your choice that overlaps along the sides.
This will act as a waterproof membrane and prevent rapid drying out and cracking
of the concrete.
You are ready to put a layer of concrete down to about two thirds of the
required finished depth and place the wire mesh reinforcement over the top. Push
this firmly and evenly into the concrete. Add another layer of concrete over the
mesh and pack down firmly to provide and even finish. You can position your
edging stones now while the concrete is still wet. You can add some decorative
pebbles into the final layer of concrete. You want to take your time and place
each stone so that you do not disturb the wet concrete.
You will want to cover the fresh concrete and stones with damp sacks and keep watered to prevent the concrete from drying out too quickly. If it does dry too quickly this will cause cracks to appear.
Concrete waterfalls do not have to take a traditional form, however the construction methods lend itself to a number of variations. You are now ready to install your pump and add in the water. At the bottom of your waterfall, be sure to have a pool below to catch the water. You can plant flowers there or add more decorative stones to add to the beauty of the site.
taken from PondSupply.com tips and tricks archive
