A hypertufa is a man-made rock that is consists of numerous aggregates that is mixed together employing Portland cement. Considering they are quite porous and lightweight, they’re generally made as garden ornaments, frequently as plant containers. A hypertufa is an substitute for tufa, a progressively precipitated limestone deposited from springs.
There are many recipes for creating hypertufas, although the standard formula is that it is one part cement for every three parts aggregate. For the most basic recipe, the main ingredients are 1 1/2 parts peat moss, 1 1/2 parts perlite, and 1 part Portland cement. Portland cement can be purchased in two colors: gray or white. Gray is alright for most projects; meanwhile select white if you want a granite look to the outcome or if you want to use colorants. Peat moss is included in the recipe as when it decays, it will leave openings and crevices that copies the attribute of a true tufa rock. Meanwhile perlite is the material that makes a hypertufa light.
Instead of perlite, you can substitute it with vermiculite, however, you might have a harder time obtaining one. Vermiculite will bring a little more weight to your hypertufa. In addition, it provides a glowing look to your hypertufa. The proportion of components is similar with the first recipe.
Occasionally you may want to produce a stronger, heavier hypertufa. This can be done by adding sand to your mix. Be aware that the kind of sand will impact 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 components. One more ingredient that can be added to fortify your hypertufa is fiber mesh. For this recipe you need to use 2 parts of Portland cement, 2 parts perlite, 1½ parts peat moss, ½ part coarse sand, and just a small amount of nylon fiber mesh.
Peat moss may also be substituted with coir, a processed coconut fiber. The recipe for this variation is 2 parts coir, 1½ parts perlite, and 2 parts portland cement. Consider that coir doesn’t decay as fast as peat moss and therefore this recipe might not look like a real tufa rock, unlike those containing the latter.
You can also use hypertufa as a mortar, to join genuine or synthetic rocks. For this purpose, you’ll need acrylic fortifying base, builders sand, and clay soil. Black potting soil can also be used as an alternative to peat moss. The recipe is 1 part Portland cement, 1/2 part peat moss or black potting soil, 2 parts builders sand, and the acrylic fortifying additive.
As a final note, the key to each formula is the proper adding of water. Add water slowly until you reach the desired consistency of your mix. You can always put more water anyway if you figure out that it is not enough.
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