How to Do Rock Decor in Your Home

Rock or gravel can be easily applied to many different surfaces and afterward, you’ll have a whole new look that’s unique and beautiful. There are a couple of different techniques you can use to attach small rocks or gravel to surfaces but the easiest is to begin with hot glue.

Pick up a small load of white gravel or marble gravel to begin. You’ll find it much cheaper from a quarry, by the truckload, than from a store which sells it by the bag. White gravel is inexpensive and beautiful. You can also use tumbled rocks, which are more expensive but very elegant. Other choices are black gravel or river rock. Wash the rocks and allow them to be completely dry before beginning the project.

Rocks and gravel are perfect for the outside of a tub or shower encasement. You can also add them to window frames, cabinets, drawer fronts, or even to the top of the exhaust fan above the oven. Start at any corner or bottom area and add a dab of hot glue to get started. Turn gravel pieces this way and that to fit them tightly together. It’s best to lay out many rocks, on a newspaper, to make it easier to spot the next rock you’ll need.

Look at each rock, and each space where you’ll be placing the next rock, to find just the right one. Some spaces will require a long but narrow rock whereas other spaces will require a short but wide rock. It’s rather like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, but much easier.

Work your way from bottom to top, or from back to front, depending upon the project. Use enough hot glue to hold the rock but not enough to where it oozes out from underneath the rock. Try to choose rocks with smooth sides to position at the edges of tub, cabinets or whatever you’re decorating.

After the rocks are affixed to the surface of the object use clear-coat spray to seal. The spray should be put on in three layers, allowing each layer to dry before adding the next. You can also brush on a clear varnish. The varnish or clear-coat help to protect the rocks and also keep them affixed to the tub. And, the top coat makes the rocks easy to wipe off when needed.

Try doing some small projects first, like a soap dish or small planter. After you get the hang of positioning the rocks it’ll be much easier to do larger surfaces. You can even do walls but they’re very time consuming. Rocks and gravel add a unique touch to baseboards, molding, fireplace mantels and many other surfaces in your home. You’ll love the look and you’ll love how easy it is to create.