How long did you give it to dry off?

Give it a a few days before fiddling around with it, unless you want to scrape off the surface and give it a more weathered look

If this doesn't work, your mortar probably went bad due to humidity (not uncommon).

Let us know how it goes

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it!
Well it has been drying at least 2 weeks now and yes it still seems a bit is rubbing off. It is the first one I have tried and I have lots more that I want to try so what should I have maybe done to help it not be like this... you mentioned humidity... i tried to keep it cool...my first batch I mixed and poured into the mold was not as wet as the next two next small batches I poured into it... Im not sure if this could be the problem... I look forward to your reply... P.S....So is there anything you know of that can seal it to help from rubbing off?

Hi tamahlee

Your cement (mortar) must have gone bad. Before using, it has a limited shelflife.

The cement in the mortar is like the "glue" that sticks all the other stuff (sand, gravel, etc) together. Depending on where you live, humidity may cause it to activate prematurely, and/or lose it's stickiness power.

Also, the "raised" parts may be too thin (I don't have a visual of your project), but if they are less than a certain thickness, they will break off.

Also, it's possible you didn't mix it well enough. Even though it's called mortar "mix", you often still have to mix it again as the lighter contents, such as sand and cement, will tend to move to the bottom of the bag during transportation (I think this is the most likely scenario).

Hi thanks again.... I think you are right about the settling part that makes sense as in that I did not have the room to dump the whole bag out and mix prior to using some....so yeah I just scooped as much as I needed out of the bag. I would not have realized that was the problem without your help... Thank you so much! It is still too cold here to work outside so I had to do it inside my house in my laundry room! ha ha...Anyhow I know better now Thank you I look forward to trying it again....Properly..(smile) Thanx!

tamahlee,

You just made me realize something I left out. If temps are below 50 degrees, concrete will not cure properly.

So, there's another suspect for you, unless you have heating in your laundry room :-)

Well that could be the reason... I didnt realize it had to be that warm..(+10 C). I am sure it must have been around 10 or lower cause for some silly reason I thought it shouldnt be too warm while curing.... Well I have learned alot thank you so much for all your input!