How to create artificial rocks in the garden
Wouldn't you like to have a charming garden outside his beautiful house? Not only will it be pleasant to see, but also can serve as a space for relaxation and distraction. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to have it; however, if you have it, take the time to take care of it and especially to beautify it! In this respect, the "faux rocks" would be very nice decorations for your exterior.
As its name suggests, fake rocks, also called "hypertufa", are artificial rocks, made from a composition of cement, perlite, sand, peat moss, gravel and water. This false stone began to be "trendy" in Anglo-Saxon countries for the design of troughs and ornaments as a form of green space development. It is also becoming popular in Germany and France (https://gartendek.fr – find out more).
How to create fake rocks?
This artificial rock is for decoration only. Here is a small tutorial for its creation:
- Shape modeling. In this first step, you need to have the models or shapes of the rocks you want to make.
- After the form, define the number of fake rocks to install to know the dose of the mixture as well as the quantity of concrete irons and wire mesh you need.
- Then take newspapers to model the shape of your fake rocks, cover them with wire mesh (chicken wire mesh or PVC wire mesh), and finally hold them with iron wires.
- Creation of the dough and its spreading. For this step, take the ingredients and mix them (dry) in a bin or wheelbarrow. Then add water while continuing to mix until you get a consistent paste. If it becomes too liquid, add sand and cement.
- Once the paste is homogeneous, spread it on the wire mesh with a trowel; its thickness should not be less than 5 cm for the hypertufa to be strong enough. It is recommended to renew the operation when the first layer has solidified.
NB: Do not forget to leave a hole underneath to remove the newspapers once the rock has dried.
Structure of the rock
It is this step that will make your hypertufa look like natural rock or not. So to structure your fake rock, you can use your trowel to smooth it and draw sub-forms of cracks (hollows, folds, etc.). There are also various other ways (the use of sponge, aluminum, a small rock…) but the trowel is the simplest and the most frequent.
Painting and finishing
When your rock is dry, finish your creation: rub the sharp angles of your stone with a metal brush so that it is not sharp; then, wash it with water (jet of water under strong pressure); then paint it with concrete paint (necessarily 2 coats) and varnish (as a final coat). Finally, remove the newspapers under the rock through the hole.
What are the benefits of using fake rocks?
You should know that the use of hypertufa has many advantages:
- It is an artificial rock comparatively light and less expensive compared to a real rock.
- Its manufacture is a less complex practice and achievable by all.
- Its use gives a harmonious appearance to your exterior layout.
- This fake rock is as solid as a real one, even if it is porous, it resists frost well.
- You can easily change your place at will.
If the result of its creation is impeccable, the fake stone will be a real trompe-oeil thanks to its fairly natural look (the use of a “special concrete” paint is strongly recommended).
