Mudman
The Mix-by-Size Guide
Your cheat sheet for nailing the right amount of concrete, every single pour.
First, Don't Stress
Before you start, take a breath. You don't need to nail this. These numbers are a starting point, not a rule. You get a feel for it fast, and it's almost impossible to truly mess up. Too dry? Add a splash of water. Too soupy? Add a scoop of concrete. Setting up faster than you'd like? Just keep mixing and it loosens right back up.
Honestly, I don't use any guide for mixing anymore, I just go by feel, and you will too before long. This chart is just training wheels.
How to Use This
Want a starting point? Measure your mold, find the closest size below, and mix that much.
- Measure your inner mold: width across the top, depth top to bottom.
- Find the closest row in the chart below.
- Mix that amount of concrete with the listed water.
- When in doubt, round up. A little extra beats coming up short.
Mix-by-Size Chart
No mold yet? The easiest inner molds are buckets and containers you can grab at any hardware store. Here are five go-to sizes.
| Size | Bucket / Container | Concrete | Water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 1-quart container ~4" wide × 5" deep | 4 cups | 1 cup |
| Small | 1-gallon bucket ~6" wide × 7" deep | 8 cups | 2 cups |
| Medium | 2-gallon bucket ~8.5" wide × 9" deep | 16 cups | 4 cups |
| Large | 3.5-gallon bucket ~10" wide × 12" deep | 26 cups | 6.5 cups |
| Extra Large | 5-gallon bucket ~12" wide × 14" deep | 38 cups | 9.5 cups |
Want a Shape You Can't Buy?
Buckets are the easy starting point, but they all make the same basic pot. I design and build my own inner molds in custom shapes and heights, the tapers, the curves, the tall narrow forms you can't find on a shelf.
Tapered base, no standing water. My molds are built so the inside floor slopes toward the drainage hole. Even if the pot has legs or sits a little wonky, water still runs down and out, so no pooling at the roots and no root rot. A bucket can't do that.
Drainage holes built right in. No poking through wet concrete and hoping you don't crack the base. My molds form a clean, properly placed drainage hole as you pour, right where the tapered floor sends the water.
Want one made for you? If there's a shape or height you're after, just ask. DM me @mudman.pots and tell me what you're picturing.
The Golden Ratio
For any size not on the chart, mix 4 parts concrete to 1 part water by volume. Add the water slowly. You're after a thick pancake-batter consistency, not soup. Too wet and it loses the wild surface that makes a Mudman pot a Mudman pot.
One Bag, How Far It Goes
Rapid Set Cement All is what we use. Straight from the manufacturer:
1 × 55-lb bag = ~0.5 cubic feet of mixed concrete, roughly 60 cups. Good for about 6–8 standard pots.
Water per full bag: ~3.5 quarts (14 cups). That's the 4:1 ratio above, scaled up to a whole bag.
1 × 25-lb box = ~0.2 cubic feet, roughly 24 cups. Good for 2–3 standard pots.
Making Several at Once?
Don't mix each pot separately. Add up the dry concrete for every piece you're pouring, mix it all in one batch, then pour into each mold.
Add the amounts together. Two standard pots (8 cups each) = mix 16 cups in one go. Keep the 4:1 ratio, so 16 cups concrete to 4 cups water.
One big batch is faster and more consistent. Every pot from the same mix shares the exact same color and texture, no batch-to-batch drift.
But mind the clock. Cement All sets in about 15 minutes. Only batch as much as you can pour in that window, and have every mold prepped and ready before you add water. When in doubt, mix two medium batches instead of one giant one.
Quick Tips
Don't add all your water at once. Pour in some, mix, then add a little more until you hit a pancake-batter consistency, not too runny, not too firm. Going slow saves material; if it turns to soup you'll have to add more concrete to firm it back up.
Measure your cup once. A "cup" here is a standard US measuring cup (8 fl oz). If you scoop with a random container, measure it first so your ratios stay true.
Mixing more than one color in a batch? Split your dry concrete first, then add water to each portion.
Cure overnight. The pour is the fun part, but concrete needs time. Leave it be, peek the next day.
Save your scraps. Leftover mix makes great little test pieces for trying new textures.
Next Step
Where It All Comes Together
This chart gets you pouring. The Mudman Method is where it all comes together: the texture, the color, mixing by feel, batching whole sets at once, and the wild finishes that make a pot unmistakably yours. Plus a bonus module waiting inside that I don't teach anywhere else.
Join The Mudman Method