A Guide to Different Materials for Garden Statues: Add Interest and Character to Your Landscape

For many homeowners, their garden or backyard is the best place for unwinding and enjoying some quality time. If you’re one of them, you’re likely always looking for new features to make your outdoor space more attractive and relaxing. Aside from green plants, a wooden bench, and a water fountain, another element you should consider adding to your garden design is a statue.

A garden statue is the great finishing touch for a beautiful outdoor space. It can accomplish many design goals, such as creating an arresting focal point, adding the right amount of balance and symmetry, and emphasising your preferred features of the surroundings.

Choosing the Right Sculpture Material

Garden sculptures are available in various sizes and shapes for different styles and tastes. From classical figurines to modern abstract artwork, you’re sure to find one to suit your outdoor space. 

Sculptures are also made from various materials that differ in durability, quality and price. Let’s look at the most popular materials used to make statues to decide which is best for your needs. 

Resin

Resin garden statues are one of the most popular today. They are made with a resin material called polyresin. It is a strong material that can be delicately sculpted, allowing for a high level of detail and a constant texture. Polyresin can be combined with additives to improve its strength, lighten it up, increase its heat stability, add decorative effects, and so on.

Numerous ornamental items are manufactured from polyresin, including garden statues, because it’s a material you can combine with various finishes, including paint and metallic ones. Alabastrite is a common type of polyresin. This mixture contains material that has been ground from stone. It is of superior quality and a significantly more affordable alternative to most standard stone blocks used for sculpturing. It is frequently used to make decorative figurines, either by the use of moulds or through hand-carving the figures from a block of polyresin.

Some reasons to choose resin garden statues over traditional stone ones are: 

• Their light weight makes shipping more affordable;
• Super-realistic representations – the shapes and characteristics of each figure are perfectly rendered;
• A range of sizes available – from the smallest to extra large resin statues to decorate your outdoor space;
• Weatherproof and UV-resistant material.

All these advantages have contributed to resin becoming the favourite material for outdoor sculptures. High-quality resin garden sculptures can resist all weather conditions and are nearly indistinguishable from genuine stone. 

Additionally, resin sculptures require little upkeep. Other sculptures may need specific coatings, dyes, or even sanding to maintain them. If done incorrectly, this might cause headaches and even harm the sculpture. But when you invest in polyresin sculpture, you get a material that doesn’t need any of this. The polyresin statue can be kept clean simply by using soap and water, and it should last the test of time.

Metal 

For many centuries, people made statues out of metal. Some well-known statues have survived, but many more, especially the gold ones, were melted down and destroyed.

Metal is robust and long-lasting and can be easily formed into realistic shapes. It can be worked or cast, and some sculptures can even be made of recycled metal. 

For garden statuary, bronze has always been the metal of choice. Bronze figures can be cast or carved. Although more expensive, a bronze statue will adorn your garden for a very long time. Bronze requires little upkeep and matures to a gentle green, blue, orange, or purple patina.

Another classic, robust, and attractive metal used to make garden statues is copper. In humid environments, copper produces beautiful green patinas.

Steel is an incredibly resilient metal, but if it is not maintained, it will rust—although some artists include rusting in their work. Steel is incredibly robust and hefty. Experts advise occasionally treating steel sculptures with a linseed and turpentine oil combination.

A fantastic, modern metal material choice is aluminium. In contrast to all the other metal options, aluminium is lightweight yet sturdy and long-lasting. Aluminium sculptures, sometimes known as “Poor Man’s Bronze,” can be built from recycled materials and finished to resemble bronze.

Natural Stone

Statues made of natural stone are natural, practical and conventional. Different natural stones are more or less resistant to the elements. A statue made of any natural stone, however, will often live longer than your landscape, perhaps your home and even your city.

Marble is a popular material for natural stone sculptures. When limestone undergoes extreme heat and high pressure, it transforms into marble.

Although it seems indestructible, it’s vulnerable to damage from chemicals. Never clean marble with an acidic cleaner since even weak acids can dissolve marble and limestone. Instead, clean it with a mild dishwashing soap solution. 

Another common and long-lasting option for statues is granite. Igneous rock includes granite. Molten lava inside or around a volcano forms igneous rocks. Granite often features crystals that are either grey or black or a variety of hues. Acid does not dissolve granite because it is not porous.

The rock-type sandstone is sedimentary. Its intriguing texture makes it appear fantastic in a natural garden. Compared to marble or granite, it is more porous and softer. Sandstone may need to be cleaned because it is permeable. Sandstone may be cleaned using a moderate vinegar and dish soap solution since it won’t dissolve in a mild acid.

Cast Stone

Cast stone busts are white and are made of rough concrete, often poured into a mould. The concrete is finely ground, resulting in fine details in the sculpture. Classic sculptures are frequently replicated in cast stone. These sculptures are made of materials that are nearly as durable as actual stone, such as ground glass.

Mould and grime may gather on cast stone sculptures due to their porous nature. Acid should never be used with cement products. A gentle scrub brush and mild dish soap can be used to clean cast stones.

Concrete

Concrete statues are also available. They’re made from moulds and are generally white or earth-toned. Concrete is extremely robust and hefty and concrete sculptures are available in a broad range of styles and at affordable prices. 

These busts, however, are better suited for sunny locations. This is because concrete is quite porous and will accumulate mould. Furthermore, concrete may store water, therefore during freeze/thaw cycles, sculptures may break.