The-Artistic-Garden's Blog

Hypertufa & Concrete Projects Tip
How to Make Embedded Items Stay Stuck!

I received an email from Julie asking me:

Hi, my friend and I made our first hypertufa batches the other night, using a couple of your recipes, and want to make more.

My question: I want to put some glass stones and other things like nails on the outside of some pots and balls but am afraid they will fall out. If I put a binder in the mix will that keep the stones etc. attached?

Thanks for all your help! Julie

My reply:

Hi Julie:
Thank you for contacting me and I can answer your question – you don’t really have to add a binder into the recipe. Most crafters don’t. They just push/squish their chosen objects into the wet hypertufa or concrete.

Most embellishments – stones, marbles, mirror pieces, etc. – will stay “stuck”. But nothing is 100% fool-proof, so if some do end up falling out, use a little silicone caulk (or epoxy glue suitable for your project – i.e. glass and concrete) to stick them back. Just make sure you do give each item a good “push” into the wet ‘tufa or concrete.

That’s all there is to it. Good luck!!

~~~

And hey everyone … check out this idea for your next hypertufa or concrete project!

I found this great project the other day while I was surfing around online, and I would encourage you to read Kathy Cano-Murillo’s instructions for her concrete coasters project.

She explains how to glue pictures onto the back of clear glass pebbles before embedding them into wet concrete. How cool! And how easy!

This crafty idea CERTAINLY can be used to embellish larger garden art items, like hypertufa or concrete troughs, spheres … whatever! But I love her coaster idea. As a matter of fact … I always encourage new crafters to mix up small batches of ‘tufa or ‘crete recipes, in order to get the hang of working with the stuff – to make sure they are getting the ratios of ingredients right, how long it takes to cure, things like that.

Kathy’s project would certainly be a great one to try with hypertufa, too. You could make coasters, or perhaps small garden plaques. That way, if you are trying a small test batch because you’re new to working with hypertufa (or concrete) … if you had success then you’d have a nifty item to put in your garden, or something to give away as a gift.

Anyway … making sure your embellishments stay stuck really isn’t a major concern. So go ahead, and try adding something fun or whimsical to your next garden art project!

Can Hypertufa Really Be Used As A Top Coat
On A Vertical Wall?

I recevied an email from Donna asking me a simple question:

Can hypertufa be used to face a vertical wall?

My reply:

Hi Donna:
Thanks for asking me about this, and yes! You sure can use hypertufa to face a wall. This would certainly be a very doable hypertufa project that shouldn’t require too much “skill” – meaning this won’t require an advanced ‘tufa technique.

But, I need to know more in order to make sure about a few things … such as what is the wall made from? Brick, or concrete blocks? Or something else?? Are these walls outside in your garden, or inside a home or other structure?? (For now I will assume you mean a garden wall.)

Reason I ask is depending on the material of the wall’s surface, it might change the ingredients in the hypertufa recipe and/or application method. But if your wall is made from bricks or concrete blocks, from my research (I’ve never faced a wall with hypertufa) you will definitely want to wet down the wall’s surface; apply a liberal coating of a bonding agent to the surface; and use a hypertufa recipe that also has bonding agent added to it.

I can assure you that wetting down the wall surface is important, just like it is important when adding more hypertufa to an already cured area of ‘tufa. Wetting the surface is an important step.

This is bare-bones information, but without knowing all the particulars, this info should get you pointed in the right direction. Does this help you?

~~~

Donna replied:

Thanks for the answer, Claudia. I’ll try to clarify my question a little but I like your answer.

We’re building a new house with an enclosed atrium. The walls haven’t actually been built yet but the contractor wants to face it with a concrete material like Hardyplank and then put some kind of stucco material over that to make it look like a rock cliff.

I want to allow plants to grow on the wall and thought a hypertufa “stucco” would work better than a plain concrete stucco. The contractor is concerned about the hypertufa being as durable as conventional concrete in this instance.

In your opinion would we use the hypertufa just like conventional concrete – over a expanded metal base used as the “support”?

Thanks again for your help. Donna

~~~

I answered back:

Hi Donna:

The contractor is concerned about the hypertufa being as durable as conventional concrete in this instance. In your opinion would we use the hypertufa just like conventional concrete – over a expanded metal base used as the “support”?

Hypertufa being durable? Well, if it is mixed up in proper proportions and cured correctly, and if you’ve added reinforcing poly fibers (as one example) … heck! It is incredibly durable & most likely would last for goodness knows how many eons!

Plus, now that I understand that the hypertufa is going to be applied to the INTERIOR walls of your atrium (I’m jealous … an antrium! You lucky duck!!) the walls are protected from the “abuse” of the outside elements. That in itself should prove to help add to the longevity of the hypertufa.

If you’ve not yet looked at, or downloaded a copy of this very thorough stain and colorant chart that is on my website, please do so – it will be an immense help to you: Hypertufa & Concrete Stains Chart. You’ll see the link to open the chart about 1/2 way down the page.

About coloration: think carefully about the desired COLOR you want when you’re done. Peat moss is already “dark” by itself, and then you’ll have the grey portland cement. You really might want to use white portland with a colorant to lighten up the walls in your atrium. And be aware that the peat moss is going to be visible.

Also remember that the peat moss is meant to decompose over time, so that ultimately you replicate real Tufa rock. That’s the whole idea of people making things with a hypertufa recipe. But decomposition happens for objects like troughs or planters that are outside in a garden 24/7. In your situation, the hypertufa is not going to be affected by “normal” outdoor weather and seasonal conditions.

However, maybe over many years the peat moss will decompose in the planter pockets you’ll be fashioning – because when you water the plants, the water will cause the ‘tufa to slowly decompose … the peat moss in the walls might not. Unless you can hose them down?? Are you having a brick or pebble based floor with floor drains so that watering your plants and having to be “careful” with puddles isn’t an issue??

See where I’m going with this? I don’t see why a hypertufa recipe couldn’t be used. BUT!! I have NEVER done this myself; nor do I personally know anyone who has done this, so that I could pick their brain for you!! I say this to protect myself with the suggestions I’ve given you. Your common sense and more research into the best recipe; proper sub-surface for application; thickness of hypertufa to be applied … all that is up to you.

If I were you I’d experiment on practice boards with a few recipes using grey and white portland cement; maybe different colorants, etc. and let it cure so you really know what the final outcome will be color-wise! I’d hate to think you get the room done, and about a week later when the walls are getting dry, you say “Egad … I really don’t like what this looks like!!”

This is one of the more unusual hypertufa projects I’ve been asked about, but it should prove to be a wonderful addition to your home. I’d say “Go for it!”

Good luck!

Part #2 – How “Suspected” Feline Rhinotracheitis
Manifested Its Nasty Stinkin’ Self In My Poor Cat

Yesterday I posted the introduction about my beloved Tonkinese cat Alyssum, and how the vet and I think she has been battling the #%%@@# #@@!$!% [bleep - bleep] herpes virus called feline rhinotracheitis for the last two weeks.

Let me interject here that both the vet and I are assuming that this is probably what it is … Dr. Jones isn’t 100% sure, but it does seem that the symptoms have manifested in rather classic ways. (Believe me, I have been doing a lot of online researching!)

OK … so yesterday I ended where I introduced a new cat, named Seianna, into the household and within roughly 36-hours Alyssum was breathing and wheezing quite noticeably. So I called the vet’s and off we went on an early Thursday morning appointment.

Well … here’s a shortened scenario of what took place:

• Doc Jones was booked for that entire day, so I accepted the first appointment available that morning with one of the other vets (of whom I’ve no previous experience). I was concerned about her and that perhaps she’d contracted something from the new cat. Let’s say I was VERY concerned, thusly didn’t want to wait another moment to get her to the vet.
• Dr. “T” found no lung congestion, however a lot of nasal and throat congestion. I agreed and told him the wheezing had been intensifying just a bit for about 4-months, but not so badly that I felt I had to run her in to be checked.
• I also told him that one of her little front teeth had been loose, and it looked like her gum was a bit inflamed – that I knew that needed to be pulled. He agreed.
• He suggested a dental cleaning, as perhaps there was another tooth that was causing inflammation, and PERHAPS this was causing an infection and PERHAPS this was the cause of the recent increase in congestion and wheezing. I said “OK … just might make sense. I hope it’s the reason for her troubles.”
• Dr. “T” gave Alyssum an antibiotic injection and scheduled the tooth cleaning to take place on a Tuesday, which was in 4 days, to give the antibiotic time to work.
• Two days later … hmmmmm. Alyssum was starting to squint her left eye a little. That had never happened before. I thought “Oh boy … has the new cat scratched Alyssum’s eye?” (Let’s say that Seianna wasn’t exactly friendly when Alyssum tried to get close to her.)
• Tuesday rolled around. I discussed a few concerns with Dr. “T” before leaving her for the teeth cleaning. One of those concerns was the fact she was congested and she was going to be sedated.
• About 4-hours later I got a call from Dr. “T” telling me “there is good news, and bad news”. I said “Oh God … what??”
• The “good news” was the teeth cleaning went excellently, and only the little front tooth was pulled. It did have a little bit of infection in the gum, but nothing major. All the other teeth were fine. But …
• His exact words then were “But the bad news is that Alyssum almost DIED TWO TIMES on us.” I said, “WHAT??   ” Seems she was way more congested than he “T..H..O..U..G..H..T” and well … her little tongue was rolling back into her throat ’cause she was still drugged and thusly she couldn’t breath. And they had to stick the tube back down her throat (oh geez! – poor Alyssum!) and “boy, she sure fought and bit down on the tube when we were trying to put it back down her throat …”
• (Can you sense I wasn’t too pleased with that I was being told at that point?? )
• OK … I am trying to keep this brief … so later in the day I brought her home. I tried to not get angry about what had happened with the vet. He did tell me “I didn’t think she had that much difficulty breathing because you told me she wasn’t having to breathe out of her mouth.”

Alrighty, I hoped at this point the entire ordeal and all symptoms would slowly disappear behind us. That soon Alyssum would be fine and back to normal now that the offending tooth was removed and the antibiotic had time to kill off any bad bacteria or germs.

Oh boy … was I wrong! And here’s where the story about my introduction to stinkin’ #%%@@# #@@!$!% feline rhinotracheitis really gets going.

Within 36-hours Alyssum’s left eye was so puffed up and inflammed I thought that it just might explode! I was crying and very distraught. I counted the minuntes until I could call the vet’s office for an appointment. Things seemed to be rapidly going downhill.

In a day or two I’ll continue my story about my battle with Alyssum’s feline rhinotracheitis symptoms. Part #3 will really get into the nitty-gritty of symptoms and attempted remedies.

My Adventures In Dealing With A Suspected Outbreak
Of Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis

It’s been a very emotionally hard and draining two weeks here at my house. I’ve had the crummy experience of possibly being introduced into the sad and frustrating world of “feline rhinotracheitis”. Rhinotracheitis is a wonderful (I’m being sarcastic) variety of the herpes virus. Yuck and double-yuck!

To start my story, I adopted a gorgeous Platinum Point Tonkinese about 4 years ago. “Alyssum” was a little over two years old at the time.

I adopted her from a Tonkinese breeder. It is very common for breeders to put older cats up for adoption, in order to thin the herd, so to speak. In Alyssum’s case, she had been breed once and for whatever reasons, the breeder decided to not breed her again. So, I came along at the right time and Alyssum became mine. She grew quickly into being my best buddy.

She had no problem becoming immediately attached to me (just what I had hoped for), and she fit right in as a loving member of the family. I couldn’t have been happier with my decision to commit to a cat as a pet.

After about a year and a half I noticed a slight wheeze to her breath every now and then. I took her to the vet in December of 2007 to have the wheezing checked.

After blood tests and a lung X-ray, my vet said he couldn’t determine the exact cause, unless I wanted to have more extensive (and expensive) tests performed. Not only did I not want to drain my wallet, I more so did not want to put her through any tests. So, the vet and I agreed that I’d keep an eye on things, and that perhaps she just had a slight case of asthma. Sounded good to me …

Fast forward to about four months ago. Another year and a few months had passed and now there was a definite “snorting – snuffling” thing going on. But it wasn’t constant, nor did it even happen a number of times each day. It seemed to be random, but yes, every now and then she’d snort some.

I did think and worry, “Oh geez! Here we go … her breathing is starting to get a little worse.” But, I sat back and decided to just keep aware of things. I am so lucky that I work from home, thusly am here practically 24/7. This allows me to be very involved and very aware of anything happening to Alyssum. She didn’t seem to be uncomfortable or suffering in any way, though now (in hindsight) I had mentioned to others that she seemed to be less playful and was sleeping a bit more.

Now bear with me here during the next few paragraphs as the information will prove informative and useful to those of you who may find yourselves in exactly my situation if you already have one cat (breed doesn’t matter), but want to introduct a new cat into the mix …

In case you don’t know about “Tonks”, the breeders will tell you Tonkinese need another cat in their lives – that they MUST have another cat as a friend. So, I was aware of this philosophy before I adopted Alyssum. But my attitude was (and still is) that wasn’t it better to give any cat a loving home, rather than a home that might have another cat in it, but perhaps not be a very good environment for the cats? The breeder I got Alyssum from agreed with me, too. However she did tell me the best situation was for a Tonk to have another cat friend in the house.

So I did often think, “I wonder maybe IF another cat would be a good idea?” You see, I wasn’t raised around cats, nor had I had much experience with cats before. I’d had a Shih Tzu for over 14 years … and no cats during that time.

But, after watching Alyssum looking longingly through the storm door at the (one stray) outside-only cat that had adopted my home (and me) a few years ago, and realizing she wished she could get in contact with “Gabby” the outdoor cat, I began to think maybe, just MAYBE, I could handle another cat in the house. And that MAYBE Alyssum would be happier with a new friend.

And so, after hemming and hawing for months and months and months (I shuddered to think “what if the cat(s) stop using the litter box?” and other scary things along those lines), about two weeks ago I ended up driving 4 hours to another state to adopt a beautiful little purebred Singapura named “Seianna”.

OK … back to feline rhinotracheitis … within 36-hours of Seianna coming into my home, Alyssum really began wheezing. 24/7 HEAVY wheezing. So … off she and I went to the vet.

Tomorrow I’ll continue the story of Alyssum and our dealings with the “suspected” virus feline rhinotracheitis, and how I thought we were losing the battle. But for now, please know dear Alyssum is hanging in there. She’s not feeling 100%, but “Nurse Mommy Claudia” is tending to her 24/7 with traditional and homeopathic remedies. Hope springs eternal.