I used to think cement was just for sidewalks and parking garages.
Turns out, concrete—or more precisely, quick-setting cement mix—has become this weird darling of the DIY world, showing up in everything from planters to jewelry holders. The material costs maybe three dollars a bag at any hardware store, sets in under an hour, and gives you that industrial-chic look that interior designers charge hundreds for. I’ve seen people pour it into silicone molds shaped like hands, into balloons, even into latex gloves to make creepy garden ornaments. But here’s the thing: cement coat hooks might actually be the most practical application I’ve encountered, because they solve a real problem—entryway chaos—while looking like something you’d find in a renovated loft in Brooklyn. The cement provides weight and grip against the wall, the aesthetic works with nearly any decor style, and you can customize the shape to fit whatever weird spatial constraints your entryway has. Plus, if you mess up, you’re out like four dollars in materials, which is roughly the cost of a fancy coffee.
Wait—maybe I should back up. The process isn’t complicated, but there are some things I wish someone had told me before my first attempt.
You need a mold (silicone works best because cement won’t stick to it), quick-setting concrete mix, water, something to create the hook part—I used brass drawer pulls from the hardware store, but you could use bent copper pipe or those decorative wall hooks from IKEA—and a way to suspend the hook in the cement while it sets. Some people use wooden skewers taped across the top of the mold. I tried that and it worked okay, though my first batch came out lopsided because I didn’t check if my work surface was level. Honestly, that unevenness kind of added to the handmade charm, but if you’re a perfectionist, grab a level before you start. The cement-to-water ratio matters more than I initially thought—too wet and it takes forever to cure and might crack, too dry and it won’t fill the mold properly and you’ll get air bubbles. The bag usually says one part water to four parts mix, give or take, but I’ve found adding just slightly less water gives you better control.
The Chemistry Nobody Warns You About When Working With Hydraulic Cement
Cement isn’t inert. It’s alkaline with a pH around 12 or 13, which means it can burn your skin if you’re not careful—not immediately, but after prolonged contact you’ll definately notice irritation. Wear gloves. I learned this the hard way after spending twenty minutes smoothing the surface with my bare hands and ending up with dry, cracked skin for a week. The chemical reaction that makes cement harden is called hydration, where the calcium silicates in the mix react with water to form calcium silicate hydrate crystals. This reaction generates heat, which is why your mold might feel warm to the touch after you pour. It’s also exothermic enough that if you’re pouring a really thick piece—say, more than two inches—the center can actually get hot enough to crack from thermal stress as it cools. For coat hooks, you’re probably working with molds that are one to one-and-a-half inches deep, so this isn’t a huge concern, but it’s worth knowing.
Mounting These Things Without Destroying Your Drywall or Your Afternoon
The hooks look great sitting on your workbench. Getting them onto the wall is where most people panic.
Each hook weighs maybe half a pound to a pound depending on size, plus whatever coat or bag you hang on it. Standard drywall anchors usually aren’t sufficient because cement doesn’t grip screws the same way wood does—the material is too brittle and can fracture around the screw hole. I’ve had the best luck embedding threaded inserts into the cement while it’s still wet, those brass or steel cylinders with internal threads that you normally hammer into wood. You can screw directly into those later. Another option is to embed a picture-hanging wire or D-ring into the back of the hook while the cement is setting, then hang the whole thing on a wall-mounted screw or nail like you would a picture frame. This distributes the weight differently and works well for lighter applications. If you’re mounting directly into studs or brick, you have more options, but most entryways don’t conveniently have studs exactly where you want your hooks.
Why This Project Appeals to the Part of Your Brain That Craves Control in an Uncontrollable World
There’s something satisfying about making functional objects from raw materials. I guess it taps into the same impulse that makes people bake bread or build furniture—you start with formless stuff and end with something useful. Cement is especially gratifying because the transformation happens quickly. You mix gray powder and water into sludge, pour it into a shape, and within sixty minutes it’s solid. No kiln, no complicated tools, no learning curve that takes months. The first time I pulled a hardened hook out of a mold, I felt this disproportionate sense of accomplishment, like I’d somehow tricked physics into doing my bidding. Which is ridiculous, obviously—cement has been hardening for thousands of years without my involvement. But still.
Variations Nobody Asked For But You Might Want to Try Anyway
Once you’ve made basic hooks, the urge to experiment becomes hard to resist.
I’ve seen people add pigment to the cement mix—iron oxide for rust red, carbon black for deep gray, even glow-in-the-dark powder, though I can’t vouch for how well that actually works. You can press objects into the surface before it fully hardens: leaves, coins, shells, whatever creates an imprint you like. Some people embed colorful stones or glass pieces into the wet cement for a terrazzo effect. I tried adding gold leaf to the surface after it cured, brushing on adhesive and applying the leaf like you would to picture frames, and it looked surprisingly elegant—totally at odds with the industrial vibe but in a way that somehow worked. You can also play with mold shapes: geometric forms, organic blobs, even casting directly into cardboard tubes cut to size. A friend of mine made hooks using small plastic toy dinosaurs as molds, which sounds absurd but ended up being the most popular item in her Etsy shop. The point is, cement is cheap and forgiving enough that you can afford to get weird with it. Worst case, you smash your failed experiment with a hammer and start over, which is honestly pretty therapeutic in itself.
