I received an email from Carole M. asking me:
Could hypertufa be used to create boulders to be used on a waterfall on a pool? We built one that needs help. Thanks!
I received an email from Lael asking me:
I have a terracotta strawberry jar that is flaking off on the surface. I want to cover it with hypertufa. I would use about 1/2″ to 1″ layer, and leave the jar in place. Do you think that would work? I love your site and have made several spheres and a planter.
My reply:
Hi Lael:
Yes – your idea of using hypertufa to resurface your jar would work, as long as you do a really thorough job of scraping off all loose flakes and clean off any dirt, etc.
Then I would suggest to wet down the jar, apply a good coat of bonding agent to the jar; add some bonding agent into your hypertufa mixture and then apply it. Click here to learn more about hypertufa bonding agents.
But … do you want the peat moss to decompose for little pits and crevices? Or would perhaps a “pure” concrete recipe be better for this project if you want a smooth surface (since I don’t know what final look you are trying to achieve)?
All going well hypertufa or concrete ought to stick onto the terra cotta forever.
Good luck!
A couple of days ago I posted about one awe inspiring use of hypertufa for a garden wall and house and alert blog reader Nancy did some nosing around on the internet (thanks, Nancy!) and found a link to the crafter’s website www.v-d-brink.eu and there happens to be a video posted there of the actual installation.
I thought posting that video would be of interest to lots of people, so here it is. If you’ve ever wondered just how much you can get addicted to working with ‘tufa … well I guess Marjin’s backyard installation kind of answers that!! 
While doing some research the other day that had nothing to do with hypertufa, I came across a search result that caught my attention, clicked on it and started to scan everything that was posted there.
The photos and comments centered around a conference that took place in Holland. About a third of the way down the long thread – 
Wowee! What I saw made me immediately think that I just had to share it with the rest of you. I’ll bet none of you have ever seen anything like this before – a house built from hypertufa! The most incredible thing to me is that evidently the owner built everything you see in these two photos from hypertufa.
Come on! Talk about a massive project to tackle! This gentleman was obviously dedicated to transforming his property into one incredible natural looking Alpine setting.
Here’s a snippet from the actual thread: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 – 8:45 pm / Poster: Paul Cumbleton “… the remarkable garden of Marijn van den Brink. He built this – and his house – himself over 4 years. Almost all the “stone” you see is actually hand-made hypertufa – including the large slabs over 2m tall!!”
This forum thread also has some wonderful photos of massive arrays of Dutch tulips, daffodils and other flowers, and also many photos of Alpine gardening ideas that I am sure a lot of you could adapt to use in your gardens, if for nothing else than to make an attractive rock garden in a spot in your yard that might need a little something interesting added for visual appeal.
So … if you question the durability of building something simple like a trough or making a garden stepping stone from a hypertufa recipe, perhaps these photos will prove to you that at least one person in the world believes 100% that hypertufa can stand the test of time! 
As long as you’ve gotten the recipe ratios correct and you’ve properly cured the hypertufa then ‘tufa can last almost indefinitely. I must emphasize this, as a bad batch of hypertufa can start out looking like it’ll be OK, and then it can start to fall apart.
To view the entire thread, please go to: Dutch International Conference of Alpine Plants 2005
I hope you find the information on the hypertufa house and other creative ways to do rock gardening as interesting as I did. Enjoy!
I received a question from a crafter who had read my post about using hypertufa to skim coat vertical walls. She has a metal shed that she’d like to use the technqiue on and wondered if it would work in her situation.
I told her I’d found and saved some information years ago about this very issue and would post it. So … here it is. Anyone who works with a hypertufa or concrete recipe and uses a metal mold, or has something else made from metal that will be embedded into the ‘tufa or ‘crete needs to be aware of this information.
Aluminum
Embedded aluminum roof flashing, aluminum water stops, aluminum electrical conduit, introduced aluminum powder (sometimes used to foam concrete), or embedded structural aluminum shapes may all corrode in concrete or mortar. In all cases, a reaction that forms aluminum hydroxide and hydrogen gas occurs, and may cause expansion and cracking of the concrete or mortar. The common use of calcium chloride (or other alkali compounds), and dampness of the concrete increases the reaction rate. Usually, coating the aluminum with bituminous paint, impregnated paper or felt, plastic, or an alkali-resistant coating will prevent or sharply reduce the corrosion.
Copper
Copper embedded in concrete and/or mortar is usually roof flashing. Embedded copper is practically immune to reaction with corrosive alkalis, even if exposed to constant moisture. Copper will not react with dry, hardened concrete and/or mortar. Rainwater leaching, however, may bring chlorides in contact with the metal. Corrosion may occur and result in a green discoloration or runoff. Consequently, chloride admixtures should not be used in concrete if contact with copper is expected.
Lead
Lead will always corrode when in contact with fresh concrete and/or mortar. The high pH from calcium hydroxide is the cause of the corrosion. Cured, seasoned concrete or mortar will not react with lead. Corrosion of embedded lead flashing in mortar joints will usually result in the production of a lead oxide, a white discoloration. A special case of lead corrosion, called differential aeration, occurs when a lead strip is partially embedded in concrete so that part of the strip is exposed to air. The embedded section has a different electrical potential than the section exposed to air. The result is that the strip will become polar in the presence of moisture. Gradual corrosion and disintegration of the embedded lead will then follow. In such a case, and in all other cases, the embedded portion should be coated with epoxy, varnish, asphalt, or pitch.
Zinc
Zinc is highly reactive with alkalies and will deteriorate to some degree upon contact with fresh concrete and/or mortar. The reaction is limited due to a corrosive film that forms on the outer layer of the zinc. It protects the underlying metal from further reaction. Zinc will not react with dry, seasoned concrete and/or mortar. Embedded zinc will react with moisture and calcium hydroxide to produce calcium zincate. Zinc corrosion may also occur when galvanized iron, in the form of flat or corrugated sheets and rebar, comes in contact with fresh concrete and/or mortar. Galvanized iron is coated with zinc, and will react with moisture and chlorides in the concrete and/or mortar to produce zinc chloride. The result is expansion and cracking of the concrete and/or mortar. The metal should be protected with epoxy, varnish, asphalt, or pitch.
Without a doubt, the amount of water mixed in with the dry hypertufa recipe’s ingredients is the most critical and determining factor of success or failure! Let’s call it your “make it or break it” ingredient. Why do I say this, you ask? Well …
Nearly every crafter who is new to working with hypertufa adds in too much water. (This mistake also applies to newbies who are trying to mix up a concrete recipe.) Too much water makes a recipe mixture that slumps badly. In other words, slumping means that your wet hypertufa just sort of slips off the sides of whatever you are applying it to. And there it is, sitting in a very wet blob on your work surface. 
Even just an itty-bitty too much water can cause problems. Though you may think you’re doing quite well because you are able to keep the ‘tufa clinging to the vertical sides of your mold, just a hair too much water most likely will guarantee that you’ll end up with “weak” hypertufa. Weak meaning though it may appear to be curing properly, it might crack or crumble when you go to unmold it. Or it might survive the unmolding, but may fall apart during the hardening (curing) phase. Or it might make it through all of the cure … and then fall apart on you soon thereafter.
Yes … working with anything containing Portland cement can be tricky. Even professionals who pour concrete driveways and sidewalks (as examples) can have sloppy disasters on their hands if the ratio of water gets goofed up. So … how do you get the hang of how much water is or isn’t just right for a successful batch of hypertufa? I’ll tell you …
But first – as I ALWAYS encourage everyone who is new to working with hypertufa or concrete recipes – PLEASE do yourself a favor a try your hand at a small project. In this way if you do have a disaster, you’ll not have wasted a lot of ingredients. As a matter of fact, I have a beginner’s recipe on my website, which can help save you a little money if you want to give hypertufa a try and see if it’s something you really enjoy working with: Hypertufa Recipe For The Beginner.
Back to learning about the water ratio … understand that the consistency of wet mix you want SHOULD NOT look like the concrete you see being poured for sidewalks, driveways, patios and the like. No … what you want is more of a peanut butter consistency. A wet mix that you can hold in your hands and form a nice ball with, and when you give it a squeeze just a DROP (or two) of water will drip from it.
The magic trick to estimating the right amount of water for success is to add in the water in VERY small increments, and then stir, stir, stir! Wait a moment and if it appears dry and crumbly, add in a LITTLE bit more. Then stir, stir, stir again. Err on the side of your mix looking just a bit dry versus it appearing to look “just right”.
Walk away from your wet mixture at this point for about 10 minutes. Really! You know why? Within 10 minutes the recipe is going to go through a slight chemical change and the water is being absorbed even more by the dry ingredients.
After 10 minutes come back. How’s the batch of ‘tufa look? Can you make a ball of hypertufa in your hand as I explained before? If your mix is just a bit dry … then add only a tiny bit more water. Maybe a tablespoon or so and stir, stir, stir. Your mix should be ready to be applied at this point.
This is about all I can teach you about the right amount of water for a hypertufa recipe. (Sorry I can’t be standing right there next to you to demonstrate! 
) As the saying goes “Practice WILL make perfect”!
But what I and almost every other person who has worked with hypertufa have found, is that it is amazing that you can be mixing and carefully and slowly adding the water, and you’ve almost got it just right and then you think, “Hey! I’ll add just another little splash of water”, and … it’s a splash too much! Perhaps only one tablespoon was all that was really needed.
The result from that extra splash? Hypertufa that begins slipping, sliding and slumping down the sides of your mold.
I’m not trying to scare you away from trying your hand at making something with hypertufa. Not at all! What I’m trying to do is alert you to what is the #1 biggest mistake most every crafter makes in the beginning. Disaster can strike even after we’ve had many successful projects, normally because we get a little lax in paying attention to the careful addition of water.
So again, let me stress, though many crafters are successful in their very first attempt of working with ‘tufa and end up with a nice large trough or planter, I can only encourage you to start small. Get the hang of working with hypertufa recipes and then graduate to larger projects.
Good luck!
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!
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!
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The Hypertufa How-To Manual
by Claudia Brownlie
