Variations of Hypertufa Recipes

A hypertufa is an artificial rock that is constructed from numerous aggregates that is merged together using Portland cement. Since they are rather porous and lightweight, they are typically made as garden decorations, usually as plant containers. A hypertufa is an substitute for tufa, a gradually precipitated limestone deposited from springs.

There are various recipes for building hypertufas, although the standard formula is that it is one part cement for every three parts aggregate. For the most fundamental recipe, the main ingredients are 1 part Portland cement, 1½ parts peat moss, and 1½ parts perlite. Portland cement comes in two colors: gray or white. Gray is alright for most projects; on the other hand pick white if you want a granite look to the end result or if you wish to use colorants. Peat moss is included in the recipe as when it decays, it will leave openings and crevices that imitates the characteristic of a true tufa rock. At the same time perlite is the substance that makes a hypertufa lightweight.

As an alternative to perlite, you can substitute it with vermiculite, however, you might have a harder time finding one. Vermiculite will bring a bit more weight to your hypertufa. It also provides a glowing touch to your hypertufa. The proportion of materials is similar with the first recipe.

Occasionally you may want to create a stronger, heavier hypertufa. You can do this by adding sand to your mix. Be aware that the kind of sand will affect the texture and color of the end result of your project. For the proportion of this recipe, make use of an equal ratio for all the materials. One more component which can be included to fortify your hypertufa is fiber mesh. For this recipe you have to make use of 2 parts of Portland cement, 1/2 part coarse sand, 1 1/2 parts peat moss, 2 parts perlite, and just a tiny amount of nylon fiber mesh.

Peat moss may also be replaced with coir, a processed coconut fiber. The recipe for this variation is 2 parts coir, 1½ parts perlite, and 2 parts portland cement. Keep in mind that coir will not decay as quickly as peat moss and therefore this recipe might not look like a real tufa rock, in contrast to those created using the latter.

You can also use hypertufa as a mortar, to join genuine or faux rocks. For this purpose, you should have clay soil, builders sand, and acrylic fortifying base. Black potting soil could also be used instead of peat moss. The recipe is 1/2 part peat moss or black potting soil, 2 parts builders sand, 1 part Portland cement, and the acrylic fortifying additive.

As a final note, the key to every formula is the appropriate adding of water. Add water slowly until you attain the required consistency of your mix. You can always put more water anyway if you figure out that it is not enough.