Tufa Stone Creations

Create your own containers, birdbaths, stepping stones and garden art with Hypertufa
Information compiled and written by
Charmaine Taylor

recipe used to make these

Hypertufa: Home-Made Stone
The expensive imported rocks and stone
you’ve seen at your local garden center are
very popular with home owners now. But
consider making your own and save a
fortune! Hypertufa stone, as it is called, is
made from a mixture of Portland cement,
sand and peat moss, and can be fashioned into stepping
stones, birdbaths or practically any shape or form. If you’re
considering a huge ornamental garden stone, perlite can be
substituted for the sand and will lighten the weight, plus you
can create it onsite. The beauty of hypertufa is that you
control the shape and texture. Plain or fancy, you can fill
your garden with stone containers, and stepping stones, for
less than twenty dollars.
This booklet will also provide many other recipes, using
natural, free and alternative materials to create stone like
planters and garden sculptures that use no cement. I call my
more natural formulas “TufaStone.” But call it what you
like, you can have a lot of fun making, and sculpting with
these materials!
History of Stone Vessels
Hypertufa stone containers were inspired by English trough
gardening which originated in the 1900s. The original stone
planters were limestone kitchen sinks, and water and feed
troughs discarded by farmers.
Gardeners found these containers
to be a wonderful showcase for
their hard to grow alpine plants.
By 1930 the countryside had been
scoured clean of the limestone
sinks and basins. When the
demand continued to exceed the
supply for these containers, a
man made substitute was devel-
oped called “Hypertufa.” The Large commercially made bench.
stone containers was intended
to replicate a naturally
occurring, coarse textured,
porous limestone.
In many countries throughout
the world this natural stone
has for centuries been
hollowed out and carved for many uses. One of the obvious
advantages of the material is its versatility. It can be used for
pots, troughs, steps, benches, sculptures, seats, stepping
stones, pedestals and bird baths. When properly surface
treated it gives the appearance of great age and ruggedness.
No special tools are required, and if you are prepared to
give it a go yourself, they are inexpensive and entirely
original creations.
Used in the Garden
Hypertufa and Tufastone containers are made from com-
monly available materials and can be easily made by most
people, thus providing a natural, attractive alternative to
buying pottery. One of the great advantages of containers
and container gardening is that it offers the ability to provide
exact soil mixes and conditions for particular plants. These
can be tailor-made by the addition of specific fertilizers, soil
conditioners and change of environment. The containers can
be shifted from sun to shade and moved to protect from
frost and wind. Of course, they
offer an alternative to those
gardeners restricted by lack of
garden space in dense suburban
areas, and apartments. And for
creating a Japanese style garden
Tufastone is perfect! You can even
make a Japanese stone lantern for
under $5.00

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Hypertufa and Tufastone are aesthetically compatible with Basic Hypertufa Materials, Recipe
most building material and paving and does not look out of and Steps
place in garden situations. It looks old and attracts lichens
and mosses and has a natural look Materials:
entirely compatible with plants and Equal parts of:
shrubs in the garden. Hypertufa pots • Portland cement
are very plant friendly. The bulky and about $7.50 for a 94
porous wall thickness acts as a lb. bag
reservoir for water from which the • Peat moss about
plants can drink between showers and $6.50 a ‘cube’
waterings. Being porous it allows for (dense pack)
easy passage of air to the root • Mason’s sand
systems - a feature often disregarded (sharp sand in many
when using terra-cotta and plastic sizes)
pots. Trough gardens are excellent
for older gardeners who can no longer Tools and Equip-
manage the terrain and conditions of ment:
more conventional or hilly gardens. • 1/4” screen-window
Pots and tubs can be elevated to allow screen or collander
easier gardening. Bringing the plants closer (for milling peat
to eye level, and taking the strain off the back, these contain- moss)
ers allow for easier gardening. Tufastone pots are suitable • a bucket or plastic tub large enough to hold the
for many sorts of plants and are particularly good for cacti, mixture • large plastic trash bags, plastic sheet-
succulents and alpine plants. In cool shady areas pots and ing • thick rubber or coated gloves
tubs can provide great little special effects particularly • a wire brush
bright glowing perennials or annuals potted up and tucked • spoons, spatulas, mixing and measuring tools
into shady green areas as a vivid contrast. • an old hand mixer or standing mixer is fun to
have too!
• the mold of your choice: a large plastic bowl,
Garden benefits of Hypertufa Stone like a popcorn bowl; a low flat tray, plastic
pottery containers, a round plastic garbage can
• Hand made • Lighter than concrete lid for larger projects like birdbaths.
• Retains moisture • Coarse, even drainage An open bottom wood box, or scrap wood made
• Cultivates moss and lichen growth
into a square, 3-5” deep for stepping stones.
• Keeps the wonderful quality and time worn appear-
ance of original limestone. (note: you can use a pizza box for a stepping stone mold,
• Appropriate for any “style” garden or shape metal flashing or rubber lawn edging in a circle,
• Earthy colors and textures make your plants the focal staked along the sides to shape it. Place right
point
where the steps will be, to create round or organic
shaped stepping stones.
Once the material has set, remove the edging and
make another step.)

Step 1: Mill the moss. Sift it through quarter-

inch screen to catch larger sticks and stems. Toss
the larger pieces into your compost, or use it for
planting.

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 stepping stone, don’t step on it until it’s
Step 2: Wear rubber or sturdy completely cured.
‘coated’ gloves. Combine equal
parts of milled moss and sand Be sure to make the heavy pieces near
until they are mixed well, then where they will be placed. Hauling a
add the dry cement. Mix large pot, or birdbath across the yard or
thoroughly. Add water as you around the house is not easy. The
would for mixing cement, but a container needs to cure in the rain
little at a time (while mixing) anyway, so keeping it protected and dry
until all the materials hold the first couple days can be accom-
together. plished with a plastic tarp if necessary.

Step 3: Place a large trash bag over your mold and shape Getting Fancy
the mixture over or in the mold. Still wearing the gloves, use
your hands to pat it down. If making a birdbath, shape it so If you’d like to get real fancy with your pots, mix some
there is a gradual slope from the edge no more than 3 inches Portland cement and make some appliques from leaves. Or
deep. (Birds need to stand in the bowl, any deeper and it is you can use a cookie cutter or gelatin mold to make a series
hard for smaller birds to bathe.) of hearts, animal shapes, stars, or other
shape to apply to your container. You can
Step 4: Allow it to cure in a even make a thick “rope” of material added
dry, covered space for 8 to 24 to the rim or section of the pot, and once set
hours — when it’s hardened to up semi-firm, carve the thick strip into a
the point where you can’t make rope or braided line. Look at the $200 pots
an impression by pressing your you see at the garden store for ideas. You
finger into it, but a fingernail can make Grecian style, Japanese style or
does make an impression, it’s other fanciful containers by planning ahead
ready for step 5. and sketching out your ideas.

Step 5: Wearing your rubber gloves, remove it from the
mold and the garbage bag. Soak it well with water, and use
the wire brush to weather the surface. Don’t be afraid to
really scrub it —this is the process that makes it look like
natural stone. Note: If you’re making a birdbath, place it on
a level surface, fill it with water and check to see if it’s level.
If not, use the wire brush to
correct the level by removing
some of the mixture on the
offending side.
Step 6: When you’re satisfied
with look and feel of the piece,
allow it to cure for 6 to 8 weeks in
the garden, if you like. If it’s a
Bits of driftwood, seashells, pretty rocks,
broken crockery, glass beads, marbles and other items can all
be used. Simply impressing a large leaf pattern, as shown
here, or other design which can be hand carved, is possible
without requiring much skill. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
I used a dull pencil point to poke a swirling pattern of holes
1/2” deep into the surface of a container. Press in marbles or
small stones and decorate around
them.
You can also embed a metal hoop
or ring and position a ball of
hypertufa material over it to look
like an urn handle. Or embed sea
shells and other pretty, or interest-

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ing objects. I heard of one woman who pressed a collection
of antique metal keys into the soft walls of the container
before it set up. You can also poke larger holes with a dowel
then later thread real rope. or copper wire, or ribbon,
through once the pot is fully cured. Or allow a curved lip
edge so real rope can be tied around the container for
decoration. The ideas for creative custom designs are really
unlimited!
Here’s a recipe I located on the net on
how to make a leaf applique:
Step A: Mix just the cement according
to instructions on the bag. (You can
even add cement coloring.)
Step B: Place a plastic sheet or garbage
bag on a flat work surface. Pour the
mixture onto the surface and smooth it
out.
Step C: Spray the backsides of your chosen leaves with olive
oil or cooking spray, then press them into the cement. Note:
Make MORE of these than you anticipate needing, just in
case you happen to crack one while checking its readiness.
Step D: Before the cement hardens (between 2 and 4 hours
after mixing), use a sharp knife to cut around the leaves. Cut
away the extra cement, and dispose of it. Step E: Before the
leaf shape dries, it must be placed on the rock. This part is
very tricky and may take several tries. Lift the edge of the
garbage bag and slightly tug it from the bottom of the leaf.
Carefully remove the applique, and place it on the container.
Lift away the leaf and admire your work! (ed note: I used a
cookie cutter to accomplish the samedesign; added leaf
markings)
More on Molds
A large box mold: Lay the piece of plastic sheet on a garage
floor or a paved area outside. Place
a large, sturdy cardboard carton in
the middle of it. Place concrete
blocks against the outside of
carton. Mix the ingredients in a
wheelbarrow or large bucket.
Quantity depends on the size of
the container (use your judge-
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ment). After mixing the dry ingredients thoroughly add
sufficient water to make a sticky stiff mix - not runny but
about mud-pie consistency. Now stand drainage plugs
(wood dowels or pipes) upright on the bottom of the carton
and place a layer of the mix on the base and tamp it down
giving special attention to the corners and around the
drainage plugs. Aim for a thickness of 2 inches for small to
medium size tubs. Take a same shape (square or rectangle)
smaller carton and place it on top of the layer of mix in the
bottom of the larger carton. Make sure the inner carton is
equally spaced on all sides. Then one quarter fill it with
bagged sand, dirt or scrap wood chunks. This will stop the
inside bowing in, and the carton floating up. Now fill up the
wall space between the cartons. Use the tamping stick to
work it into the corners as you go to get the air bubbles out.
Make sure you tamp the outside walls well. Keep building up
the sides with mix, adding sand to the inside carton for
support until you have reached the desired height. Leave it
for at least 12 hours. The cartons will be wet from absorbed
moisture, this is good.
First, lift out the bagged sand from the inside carton. Then
carefully peel off the inside wet cardboard and discard.
Remove the concrete blocks and carefully finish peeling
away the outside carton but don’t worry about the bottom.
Don’t try to tip or move the container at this time.
Now, for the tricky bit. You will notice that the walls are
rather smooth, just like dark, wet cement. You want the
walls to look aged and weather worn. Using a wire brush or a
metal scraper very carefully roughen the sides, top and
inside rim.You can round off the corners and edges as well.
Don’t worry about a few nicks and scratches and small
holes. These help to give it a natural look. You may wish to
carefully scratch in your own design or special texture (such
as the leaf pattern). Having shaped the outside to your
requirements, gently give it a good
brushing with a stiff bristle brush.
The container should be left for at
least a week to allow it to cure and
set hard. Give it a light sprinkling
with water every couple of days to
assist the curing process. It is
unwise to lift it until it’s entirely
set, but if you have to shift it only
do so by sliding, or dragging, it
across the floor by means of the
plastic sheeting. The container will
have to cure for 3-4 months before
planting anything in it.
Making a birdbath or
wide, shallow basin
To make a bird bath use a large
plastic or metal trash can lid or other round or oval shaped
object. You can also dig a small hollow in the ground, line
with plastic, and shape the Tufa Stone into the depression. A
third option is a large shallow cardboard or wood box 1/3
filled with wet sand. Scoop the sand to form a depression,
line with plastic, then shape the bird bath into the depression
about 3” thick. Support the cardboard box sides with cement
blocks as described above. When working with cement
remember that you cannot easily add to the surface later, so
form the basic shape at the start. It is easier to carve down
and remove material to form a lipped edge, than to add more
mix once set up. Cement cannot be reworked past its set time
of a couple hours. For this reason I experiment with other
materials such as lime and clay which can be reworked and
added to easily. (You can add a portion of lime to make the
mix more plastic and workable. More on this later.)
If you want a really large container try to make it close to
where it is to be used. For a large pot you should also add
reinforcing in the form of heavy wire, or thin rebar rods.
You can also use
window screening,
chicken wire, or
hardware cloth (strong
wire mesh) to make a
lidless “box”. The
wire mesh is embed-
ded in the first level
of Tufa Stone. The
inner carton is placed,
then more material is
formed over and
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around the wire caging. You can
also use discarded plastic coated,
or plain wire baskets, dish
drainer trays and dishwashercage
bins (junkyards are full of items
that are “box shaped” and
useable for an inner support
armature.)
Forming In and Over
Molds
You can hand mold to the inside surface of plastic bowls,
buckets or basins. I have used large rectangular kitty litter
trays (the type with 3 nesting trays with slotted bottoms).
You will need to coat the inside of the plastic mold with
silicone spray (I have used spray type cooking oil) or a sheet
of thin plastic, or plastic trash bag to act as a release agent.
Then, while wearing rubber gloves, press the mix firmly into
the bottom and sides of the mold (no less than 1.5” thick); be
sure to poke drainage holes on the bottom. Leave the
container at least 4 days (depending on the weather) to set.
Finish as described, after removing the pot from the mold.
Another option is to turn the bowl mold over and shape the
material over the container. This will give a smooth interior,
and you can design and embed into the exterior, poke
drainage holes, and generally have fun with hand sculpting.
One man told me he shapes his bowls on the outside of
containers, then covers the new TufaStone bowl with a thin
sheet of kitchen plastic wrap and presses bark chunks
against the bowl all over its surface to form rugged, deep
impressions.
As the pots age in the garden the peat moss will weather out
leaving the surface pitted and porous adding to the aged
effect. Depending on the site you decide to display your
containers you can expect, in time , to have lichens (at dry
sites) and moss (at wet sites) using the surface as their home.
A coating of buttermilk, yogurt or a slurry of cow manure
enhances the early growth of moss.
More Complicated Ideas
Japanese stone lanterns. One man I know
is working on making his own stone lantern.
When the design elements of stone lanterns
are broken down it is easy to see there are 5
to 6 basic parts. Each can be handmade,
then assembled into the final form.
As can be seen from this diagram the roof is
a basic upside down bowl shape. Simply fill
a bowl mold full with Tufastone mix, and leave a wide hole
on top for the cap stone to fit into. The roof will be heavy
and will rest on top of the lamp housing. A knobby design
for the cap piece, which can be hand sculpted is easy. Just
roll a ball shape with your hands, or consider using an
interesting real stone. The housing support is a rough “plate”
of stone mix in a round or squarish shape. Use a cardboard
box lid and pour the mix 2” thick and keep the top surface
flat. The shaft and pedestal base can be very short, just a few
inches tall, or you can use a natural rock or stone instead,
or, a piece of driftwood on the ground as a base will look
beautiful. Or, shape a taller pedestal by using a long,
narrow rectangular box mold, with a cage of chicken wire at
the core. Fill the box with Tufstone mix, tamping and
packing firmly, and let cure for several weeks before
standing upright. After the material is set you can keep the
pedestal lying flat, and turn it and scrape it to roughen and
texture the surface. The hardest part to build is the 4 sided
lamp housing. Use a table where the form can sit undis-
turbed for a week, and at good working height. Use a small
sturdy cardboard (fill with sand) or wooden square box, with
squares, or arches of wood 2”
thick centered, and attached with
screws or dowels, extending out
on all sides. The wood extensions
are the lamp window holes. Once
built the mold is covered in
plastic, and shaped over with the
Tufastone mix, smoothing flat the
sides, leaving the wood exten-
sions exposed. Once the lamp
housing is set up, and cured for
several days, remove the wood
extensions so the housing can be
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lifted off of the box mold.. Or you can
build a ‘ferrocement” cage of wire and hand
shape the housing. Just be sure to use a
thicker mix and pat the surfaces flat. Once
the housing has set up carefully shape the
corners and rough up the exterior. After all
pieces are cured for a few weeks, assemble
carefully at the garden site, or leave out to
weather for several months.
I have not completed all the pieces of my
lantern so I can’t guarantee this idea as perfect, but it is what
I am doing. You may come up with better ideas. Just allow
time for planning, and an undisturbed place for construction.
Stone towers, bird bath pedestals, statues, large round stones,
and Japanese style water stones, with a bowl shaped
depression carved in the center can all be handmade with
Tufa Stone. Shaping a statue will take time and talent, but
even simple designs can be attempted. Large stone garden
bench slabs have been made by commercial garden suppli-
ers, and with patience, you can make your own too. Just
remember that the larger and heavier the object, the closer it
should be to the final site placement.
Recipe Variations
Basic Hypertufa Stone material:
• 1 part cement, 1 part sand, 2 parts peat
• 1 part cement, 1.5 parts sand, 1.5 parts peat
• 1 part cement, 1 part peat, 1 part perlite, 1 part fibermesh
(a fine chopped nylon fiber product gives tensile strength)
• 1 part cement, 1 part peat, 1 part vermiculite
• 1 part cement, 1 part sand, 1 part peat
One hypertufa pot maker says mixes can be
made by using pine needles, chaff, fine bark
mulch, vermiculite and the fine debris washed
up on the beach containing twigs, seaweed,
shells and bones etc. All these can be used in
place of peat. Materials originating from the
beach should be washed to remove salt.
Note: I have also read that you may add a slow
release fertilizer into the mix, but I don’t know if
the cement will affect the properties of the
fertilizer.
Japanese lantern made by an artist
 sun and air dried, then
Alternative Ideas, Recipes
and Mixes crushed and remixed with
water when you’re ready to
Here are some other ideas I have tried which build. Or you can simply
are also practical and no cost/low cost. Most dump large chunks of fresh
of the experimenting I do is for alternative dug-up clay into a drum and
building materials, such as how to make let it soak in water for
walls, bricks, and slipform recipes for months. ( As I show in the
building a house. photo below.) Most clay will
fall apart and become
Natural and free materials such as sawdust, pudding-like, but gumbo clay
clay, hydrated lime, chopped weeds/bark , Three alternative recipe pots. will remain impervious to
sandy soil and shredded paper have been UL: Brown has sawdust-clay-lime. water unless broken up into
UR: Grey has cement small pieces.
used. Once I had tried the “official” Center: Paper-clay and lime (This one
hypertufa recipes I began diverging from holds water)
them widely, with good success. My intent is The chemical makeup of clay
to use as little processed Portland cement as possible and is alumina or silica
create containers and basins using clay and lime mixed “platelets” with an attraction to water. Evaporation of water
together, which make a more natural cement. And, just clay is what causes severe cracking, and this is why lime is
or adobe soils mixed with peat or sawdust, and straw or other needed. Lime stabilizes the clay by changing the bonds clay
fibers will work too. has for water, making it hydrophobic, so swelling/shrinking
is greatly reduced or eliminated. Lime also bonds with clay
Primer on Natural to form a “pozzolan,” a natural cement. The longer clay and
Materials for Tufastone lime are together the stronger the cement bond between
them.
Clay: Clay is a very fine particle ingredient in an earthen
mix. There are many classifications of clay based on its If you live in a sandy soil area and want to experiment you
plasticity (ability to hold water), from very sticky “gumbo” can purchase finely powdered bagged kaolinite clay. A 50
clay which is a gray color, usually found lining river and pound sack, mined locally in Sacramento, CA, is $3-$4., but
stream beds, to kaolinite, which holds the least amount of it may be more expensive in your area. Mixing the fine
water. Kaolinite (also called fire clay or mortar clay) is used kaolinite powder into clean water is easy, but wear a dust
for china and pottery, and by artists to make fired ceramics mask to prevent inhalation.
because it shrinks and cracks the least.
You may already have a perfect
Most regions in the US will have 30% clay/70% sand subsoil on
some type of clay under the your property. This is great for
topsoil. If there is none on your making traditional earthen mixes,
property the best way to locate it and for adding sawdust,
is to look for deep road cuts woodchips and lime to make
where construction is going on. alternative mixes. Experiment with
Or, the walls of a river bank or what you have, make test bricks,
stream will usually yield the and handle the material to see how
stickier gray-gold clays. Once you like using it. There is no one
found the clay can be treated in a right way to do it, and your
couple different ways. It can be Local sticky ‘gumbotil’ clay. I call it Humboldt available, indigenous materials
Gold (after Humboldt County, CA) may dictate your final results.

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Sand: The best sand is clean and sharp, with a wide range Lime should be soaked in a bucket of clean water for as
of particle sizes (from 3 mm down to 100 micron fines.) long as possible, from at least 48 hours to months, or longer.
Sand can be found near streams, or the ocean, but beach
sands are mostly round particles. However, when mixing For use in pottery making it is not critical to soak the lime
clay and lime this sand works well. I have used only in water..If you are used dry powdered clay then mixing
unwashed (salty) beach sand for my natural mixes with no with dry lime powder can work fine for small projects. If
problem. A local quarry or aggregate seller may have you are harvesting wet clay from your yard, or soaking your
“reject” sands, available cheaply, which are great for earthen clay fisrt then also soak the lime, and just keep it stored in a
mixes. covered container. You canot hurt the lime by leaving it
soaking for years.
Lime: Lime means burned limestone (CAO3, calcium
carbonate) which has given off carbon dioxide during Buy lime which is less than six months old, maximum, so
processing. Bagged, hydrated limes used for building are a carbonation hasn’t begun in the bag. Fill a pail or drum one-
tiny portion of the US market, so finding the right lime to third to one-half with water, and add the dry hydrated lime.
purchase is sometimes difficult. There are many grades and Cover with a lid and let soak into a soft putty. The longer
varieties of lime, and it can be confusing to understand the soak, the more mellow and plastic the lime putty
them. A high calcium lime sold in feed stores is perfectly becomes. The saturated water on top can be drained off to
acceptable to use, as are Type N builder’s or Type S mason’s make limewash, or to temper a dry mix. There is no need to
lime used in the building trades. stir the water back in, as with paint, as lime naturally gives
up the water it doesn’t need. Lime is very drying to the skin,
If you will be using lime to mix with clay soils the less and can be caustic for sensitive skin, bit it is not dangerous.
expensive high calcium limes will work as well. Dolomitic
limestone is also mined in abundance in the US, it is a blend Quicklime, (burned, but not yet slaked lime) not easily
of calcium and magnesium carbonate, and is specially available to the general public, is highly reactive with water,
pressure hydrated so it performs well. and can explode, so don’t mess with it unless you really
know what you’re doing.
However, agricultural lime known as “aglime,” selling for
$2 per 50 pound bag, is just ground limestone, and is Hydrated lime can be bought for about $7.50 per 50 lb. bag,
unreactive with clay. It is a great filler for a final plaster or and when mixed with a heavy clay soil creates a strong, very
to make a smooth surface for a pottery piece because it acts hard material good for small and large containers, sculptures
as the finest sand. and items which are protected
from direct driving rains.
Lime mixed with sand at 1:3 has
been used for centuries as a mortar Lime makes any hypertufa
and plaster for building and cement mix more plastic and
sculpting. It hardens back into can be added successfully. It
limestone by reabsorbing carbon will take longer to set up
dioxide from the air. It is considered however, but a good trade off
the best binder in the world, and is for ease of shaping. Try it, and
very forgiving to work with. Lime you’ll see, plus lime gives a
does set up much slower than lighter shade to the container.
cement, but it is binding on a
A clay-lime-sawdust mix was poured as a
molecular level with clay and sand temporary ‘step’ for my a patio slab, and Cement is still needed in small
to form a durable, vapor permeable embedded with river rocks. With no cement quantity to add strength and
material. added this natural mix held up through three
rainy winters. -Charmaine Taylor

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weather protection for exposed pots. Clay
will erode in the presence of water, so
using it for birdbaths and furniture is not
practical. However, you can make very
sturdy containers which cost almost
nothing with these materials.
Sawdust and Other Fibers
Non-cement: Paper+clay+lime pot formed
over a plastic bowl, embedded with seashells.
Sawdust can be substituted for expensive,
ecologicaly unsound peat moss. [Peat
bogs world wide are being stripped quickly, and once gone
there is no replacement.] And, if you plan to make furniture
or large pots, then peat moss at $6.50 a bag gets pricey.
I created a lighter weight, brown colored “stone pot” using 1
part lime, 1 part Redwood sawdust, 1 part silty/sandy dirt
dug up from my property. The Tufastone pot and the
sawdust pot are different only in color and weight, both are
extremely strong and did not break when dropped from
height onto gravel.
Sawdust is already chopped and ready to use, and dry
weeds, straw and or hemp stalks can be shredded and
mixed in with clay or cement mixes to make very sturdy
pottery or objects.
Different tree species will produce a wide variety of
sawdust. Some softwood sawdust is actually quite hard and
grainy, more like sand. Conversely, hardwood sawdust will
still absorb some moisture and may work quite well.
Sawdust and woodchips will give up moisture as they age
over several weeks. I have used Pacific Madrone, a
hardwood, and Redwood, a softwood, and noticed no
difference when combined with clay and lime. Sawdust also
acts as an insulator, and provides air entrainment which can
help during freeze/thaw cycles.
Straw or grass provide tensile strength. Straw has no food
value to cattle, and is considered a waste material. It should
be dry, and chopped to about 2"-6" long. Grasses such as
dried lawn clippings can be used. Remove seed heads or
flowers and pods if possible, especially when they will be
used in finish plasters. Straw can be finely screened, or
animal hair, such as goat hair, can be used. The many
Taylor Publishing www.dirtcheapbuilder.com • photos © original owners, information compiled from many sources.
interspersed fibers give
a flexible strength,
reducing cracks and
preventing large
fissures.
What is amazing is how
simple it is to use these
dry unwanted materials
and create something
practically for free.
Using Paper
In addition, shredded paper can be used! ( Similar to a
‘papercrete’ building mateial.) And, like the pressed
cardboard starter pots you can buy at nurseries, a thick
walled paper pot covered in Tufastone may last for several
years in the garden, before decomposing naturally.
What is Papercrete? It’s simply shredded newspaper,
Portland cement and sand in somewhat variable proportions
of 60/20/20. Sounds like hypertufa, right?
Papercrete is really an industrial strength form of paper
mache. The basic recipe is, by volume, 6 parts paper, 3 parts
sandy dirt/clay and 1 part cement. In construction use
papercrete performs like adobe because it can be made into
large or small bricks, or blocks. It can also be poured like
cement, made into a monolithic wall, infilled between poles
or studs, shaped into large, reinforced panels; mortared,
drilled, hammered, used as plaster, and more. It soaks up
water like a sponge, but dries out again, so it must be
protected from the elements like any natural material.
Papercrete is blended into a wet slurry, and poured into
brick forms, or pumped into formworks to make walls.
It’s easier to experiment with papercrete if you can make
test batches with simple kitchen equipment I call this
Kitchencrete, and the whole family can join in.
If you have a blender or a food processor (or buy a used one
at a thrift shop) you can shred newspaper and make slurry. A
hand mixer won’t work to chop paper, so use a blender.
First soak several sheets of newspaper or office or magazine
paper. use disposable plastic tubs or Making the Tiger Bowl
bowls and pre-measure, by weight, the
wet paper, sand and cement. I call this my Tiger Bowl because
if the black and gold stripes. I
Then place a cup of water into the wish I had a photo when it was
mixer, add several wads of newspaper freshly made, as it looked much
and grind. After you have a pulped all sharper. This image was taken
the paper into a gray mass, pour it into after a year of sitting outside on a
a large bowl and hand mix , adding stump in our rainy coastal
cement and fibers as necessary. environment.

Turn the mass onto an old window screen and let drain for The Tiger Bowl was made of shredded office paper ( not
30 minutes. While wearing gloves scoop up the papercrete pulped) and mixed with clay and lime, and shaped over a
and shape and sculpt the material using a mold; let dry on plastic planter bowl, covered with a plastic bag. The plastic
the screen overnight. bag serves as the release, and allow the paper-fiber mix to
not stick.
Any excess water will evaporate, and in a few days,
depending on sunlight and air circulation your project will This bowl was
dry hard and very lightweight. shaped OVER
While you can’t make too much the outside of
papercrete in a day with the the plastic
blender before it will overheat, bowl which
you will make enough to shape or means the
hand sculpt small projects. exterior of the
finished bowl
Play with the material a lot, find can be sculpted,
different sands, and very clayey embedded,
dirt (no topsoil) and experiment. added onto, and
Cracking can be eliminated with shaped in free
added sand, but expect some form.
shrinkage to occur. You can also
use a recycled newspaper Other projects
insulation material called were shaped
A dolphin, bowls, art, vases, and sculpture made
cellulose. The finely ground of papercrete by beginners at Lost Valley Educational INSIDE of a
newspaper is like cotton candy, Center in Oregon. [www.lostvalley.org] plastic garden
and sucks up water like crazy, but planter, and
it will drain out while drying. A bale of locally made therefor have a smooth exterior.
cellulose (brand name: NaturGuard or Coccoon) costs about
$7. and provides a way to experiment with no blender, just How to make the Tiger Bowl:
hand mix the cement and sand in. The tensile strength will
be poor, so add sawdust, dry grass clippings, or chopped 1. Take a container such as a plastic bowl, large popcorn
straw. bowl, plastic laundry pan. and place a plastic bag, trash bag
or other plastic layer over the container.
Do you see how similar all these formulas are? Lots of room
to experiment and be creative.

Taylor Publishing www.dirtcheapbuilder.com• photos © original owners, information compiled from many sources.
2. Make a fiber -paper mix. If you have added lime then paper-
This mix has NO cement or sand based formulas won’t mold easily,
added. Typical mix recipe is: and can be stored in sealed containers.
• 10-12 parts fiber ( paper pulp/ until you have time for your weekend
shred, sawdust, or combination) project. I have left various mixes of
paper, sawdust, fibers, clay and lime,
• 4 parts clay ( soak clay in water for weeks and months, sealed, and
to make a pudding texture) they never mold or turn bad.
• Enough water to make a mix
doughy and workable. Using Core Forms
*You can stop right here and begin
mixing, Hydrated lime is not Here’s a neat trick. I had been
absolutely necessary, but will help
hold the mix together better, and last experimenting with large paper pots
longer once made. made of papercrete-like materials
• 1-2 parts hydrated lime ( you long before I learned of
can use dry lime right from the Durable paper-clay-lime bowl holds Hypertufastone. Since regular
bag direct into the mix. Or best water for birds. This recipe was clay-lime hypertufa pots are quite heavy and
50/50 and shredded office paper to
to soak the 50 lb sack of lime* in require a form or mold for shaping I
make a heavy dough.
a large container of clean water came up with the idea of putting the
for 24 hours first. Tufastone mix directly onto the
premade paper pots, permanently.
3. Mix ingredients together. You can mix the wet clay and
paper together first, in a large bowl or bucket. The beauty of this idea is that the pots can be easily shaped
Using a paint stem mixer on a hand drill speeds the process. without any breakage or struggle to remove the molds.
But the mix can be made by hand too. Wear gloves to protct Paper and stone combinations weigh far less, are cheaper to
hands from drying effects of clay, and absolutely to protect build, and take less time to finish. A two or three inch
hands if lime or cement is added. coating of Tufa Stone over a papercrete, or sawdust pot, is
very strong. And while I do not have years of anecdotal
4. You will have a doughy mix, adding extra water makes it evidence for durability, these 2-part pots should hold up well.
mix easier, and if the result is too soupy you can dain the mix
over an old window screen, or use big collander from the Also, I believe a garden container does not have to com-
kitchen to let drain. pletely made with Tufastone to be durable. This means
many types of plants can be potted inside the paper pot, with
I usually let mixes drain over a screen into the mixing bucket the exterior being Tufastone for appearance only. For faster
overnight, and keep checking the texture for “sculptability.” pot making consider using the thin, black plastic pots plants
I have let mixes set for a few days to get the right texture for already come in for disposable molds, or buy thrift store
shaping. This is an area you need to experiment with. Don’t natural straw baskets and shape the mix over them. Nurseries
leave the mix to dry out too fast in the hot sun, or let it mold recycle the plastic pots and may give you some larger ones
(possibly) in a dark garage. Sunlight will speed the drying, to experiment with.
so for a quick project leaving it out in the sun is fine.
Just fill the plastic pot with a securely tied bag of sand to
With this basic recipe you can sculpt just about anything. help the thin walls hold shape, turn upside down and apply
Using an “armature” such as wire mesh, another pot, a the Tufastone mix, allow for drain holes .Waxed paper milk
wicker or woven basket works well. cartons, plastic kitty litter jugs, and other free molds can be
used too.

Taylor Publishing www.dirtcheapbuilder.com • photos © original owners, information compiled from many sources.
Curing is Important Have Fun!

One thing to remember is that all cement-based pots (and large
projects) should be cured for several months before planting any
living thing inside them. The reason is the cement is too chemi-
cally “hot” and will burn tender roots. Plus cement and lime need
time to cure for strength. When slabs, patios and walkways are
made of cement and sand they are watered, and cured, for 7-28
days to achieve full strength. Hypertufa and Tufastone formulas
require this same time for best results. If you use natural materials
only then you don’t need to cure pottery, they can be planted
immediately.
Making pots in the summer or fall, and leaving them out all winter,
in the yard , is an easy way to let them weather naturally. Pots can
be heavily water washed but this wastes drinking water.
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Making Tufastone mixes and other variations is a lot
of fun and really lets you be creative in your experi-
ments. If you aren’t trying to make the perfect stone
vessel right off, then you can relax and try some basic
pots, then move on to more complex designs. If you
do try alternative mixtures keep a good record so you
can duplicate the recipe on future containers. Hand
made stone pots make impressive gifts, and your
friends will be amazed that you can customize a
perfect gift for their garden. Let me know if you
discover your own good recipe, and what you created
with it.

A new project and technique
This is a discarded laundry dryer drum. It is enameled steel
and can’t be plastered easily with Tufastone, or any plaster.
By painting the drum with a coat of asphalt emulsion (AE),
and embedding low cost dress netting into the wet AE, a
“toothy” gipping surface is provided for the next thin plaster
layer. In the middle photo 15% of AE, by volume, has been
mixed into a 4 clay-2 lime-8 sawdust formula. The AE
makes the mix sticky, and turns it dark until the layer has
dried. Your clay’s natural color will
determine the final dry color.
You can purchase AE in hardware stores
under the brand name Black Jack, and
Henry 107, both are a “fibered” emul-
sion. AE cures by evaporating the water
in the emulsion, and hardening onto what ever it is mixed
with.
History of Asphalt Emulsion Use
AE is a pudding-like additive to adobe and clay that will
help waterproof it and stabilize the material. Modern AE is
a non-toxic, non off-gassing, tar-like substance, mixed with
bentonite clay and water in stabile suspension.
AE is used for roofing and road/driveway
coating. When added in small percentage
to clay (5%-30%) it keeps clay from
dissolving in rain or water. It is an ideal
material for use in plasters placed around
windows and doors for moisture
protection/water intrusion. You can paint
and plaster over an AE mix too.

Taylor Publishing www.dirtcheapbuilder.com• photos © original owners, information compiled from many sources.
Using AE is not new, in the southwestern
United States it has been used for adobe
houses for centuries, and “bitumen” has
been used all over the world, especially the
Middle East to protect clay bricks. It is
painted on the base of buildings or added to
adobes, to help waterproof them.
I have made several varieties of mixes and
I like the clay-lime -Redwood sawdust-
asphalt emulsion mix the best for a very
smooth plaster, and for flooring. Asphalt
emulsion has a “road tar” smell upon
opening the can, but this dissipates in the
mix and is not present when dry.
Wipe down drips of excess with a wet cloth
before it dries on your skin, tools, bowls.
AE sticks tenaciously. Keep the can lid on
as AE evaporates in open air.
For my drum project I coated the AE layer over the dry AE and
netting, and let it cure for three days. Then a 1 lime- 2 sand - 1/2
fiber ( I used shredded paper) plaster was coated over the entire
drum exterior.
BASIC Natural
Recipe Ingredients:
8-12 fiber- of any kind
2-4 clay -harvested or
bought
1-2 lime-hydrated
some sand
AE to make waterproof
Wire mesh for armature
Mix clay and lime to make a
wet mix, with enough water to
have a milkshake consistency
Most clay has some sand in it,
add sand to make a stronger
mix as needed. It prevents
This scrap board was coated with a cracking and gives compres-
layer of AE, then a clay-lime- sive strength (for stepping
sawdust plaster. While it was still stones )
curing I embedded thin slate shards
and also stamped a heart patten Other natural additives:
with a cookie cutter as a test. Rice Hull Ash, Rice Hulls,
chopped weeds, pine needles,
Horse Tail plant needles, Pampas grass blooms
(tops), chopped straw, any dry chopped plants.
Try dry ‘anything’ such chopped cardboard,
paper, etc. Mix fiber types together, add perlite,
try a variety of formulas. Have Fun!

To achieve the coloring I used laundry bluing and a commercial

powder pigment. The laundry bluing is mixed with water and
drizzled onto the lime plaster as it is curing. Then I turned the
drum over and drizzled green pigment from the other direction.
The finished drum was painted with solution of waterglass mixed
50/50 with tap water to aid in waterproofing. The lime will stand
up to rains, but the pigments may wash away over time if not
protected.

If you want a pot or garden object to be more resistant to rain you

can add AE to any mix, But it cannot be tinted with a lime was or
pigment then because it is waterproof. Painting the object with a
latex or acrylic paint is best. The glass seen on the drum is colorful

Taylor Publishing A pricey copper washbowl on a faux

granite pedestal. Making your own
Charmaine Taylor version of Tufastone ( the cement
PO Box 375, Cutten, California 95534 version) could be done for very little
Tel: 707-441-1632 Fax: 775-845-9772 money. Look for ideas in magazines,
books@dirtcheapbuilder.com www.dirtcheapbuilder.com brochures and online.

Taylor Publishing www.dirtcheapbuilder.com • photos © original owners, information compiled from many sources.
 This door was
Steve Kornher created by Steve
I am a designer/builder living Korhner for a client
near San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico, and
Mexico and I love concrete. represents the
Concrete is a plastic medium finished product
and has incredible potential for from the process
creating fluid, sculptural forms. I
he demonstrated
will admit that some of the dullest
structures around are made of at the Thin Shell-
concrete but dullness isn’t a Ferrocement
limitation inherent in the material. Meeting, June,
As the accompanying photo- 2004, in Oregon.
graphs demonstrate, the builder’s
imagination may be the greatest
limitation of its use as a sculptural
medium.

Creating a Door
Steve demonstrated how he
builds a sculpted door with
diamond mesh lath, and
lightweight cement. First a
frame is made of steel, with a
patten of swirls laid out where
glass will be set. Then a layer of
mesh is wrapped all over the
frame, and tied on with wires.
The door was flipped over and
pink foam was used to fill in and
sculpt a raised surface for the
door. A layer of mesh is placed Foam is wrapped over with mesh to give an
over the foam, and all edges tied, organic shape. The mesh will hold the
and bent inward. lightweight cement mix.

Next, a cement mix (see

Steve’s website) high in a light aggregate, is plastered onto the door covering
all the mesh and foam. Steve uses a small 2”x6” edging trowel to apply and
shape layer after layer of thin cement. As can be seen below, Steve works
continuously shaping and smoothing the mix to create a flawless, curved
surface. The cured final product can be painted with latex paints, or
tinted during construction.
Using a Tufastone mix with cement and aggregate (like perlite) will
allow you to create larger and more complicated objects, tables, pedestals and
such. It is necessary to embedd a wire mesh, or chicken wire of some sort to
support larger, denser projects. Making a countertop or table top can also be
done fore very little money.

Visit: http://www.geocities.com/flyingconcrete/door.htm
Taylor Publishing www.dirtcheapbuilder.com• photos © original owners, information compiled from many sources.