HYPERTUFA: get the look of limestone FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE
Lovely Limestone
Limestone has a wonderful Old World charm about it. With its rugged beauty and hardy surface, it’s been a classic choice of garden material over many centuries for things like planters, fountains, and benches. Its allure is only further enhanced when Mother Nature weathers it over time, leaving behind a gorgeous mossy patina. But cost and weight can both be considerable barriers to actually procuring authentic limestone items, particularly if it’s a hand-hewn antique. Just take one look at these beauties from 1stDibs, and you’ll see what I mean.
THE HYPE ABOUT Hypertufa
What if there was an alternative that had the same look as limestone but was significantly lighter and cheaper? Well, there is. It’s called hypertufa. Even better: you can make it yourself with just three items from your garden center totaling about $20. Essentially, it’s a blend of cement, peat moss, and perlite/vermiculite. When you combine them with water, you can mold the mixture into whatever shape you like. As it dries, it takes on the look of limestone but gets increasingly lighter in weight. Not only can you use hypertufa to make affordable “limestone” pieces for your home and garden, you’re able to easily move them around too.
Obviously, I’m a big fan. Here are a few of the things I’ve made with hypertufa so far…
Limestone Bench
I constructed the frame out of wood, and then coated the entire surface with hypertufa. It’s now proudly serving as the shoe bench in my home’s entryway. I love the unexpected touch of stone in this area, where one might normally expect to see a wooden or upholstered bench. Get the how-to details over on Hunker.
LIMESTONE PLANTER
Even before cottagecore became a thing on social media, I had always coveted the idyllic look of English country gardens, particularly the unruly florals and old stone vessels. I created this hypertufa planter to house my prized plant possession: an olive tree that I’ve kept alive for four years! You can see the tutorial here.
LIMESTONE MOSS TROUGH
Step into any RH store or thumb through their catalog, and you’ll notice their penchant for decorating with moss trough centerpieces. I just love the dichotomy between the pillowy plush moss and the rustic stone planter. I repurposed an Amazon box to create the mold for this trough—see exactly how I did it here.
shop limestone
There are lots of other lovely tutorials out there featuring hypertufa. Be sure to check out a few of my favorites: @by_chelsealyn // @jennasuedesign // @kinandkasa // @hamiltonparkhome
But if DIY is not your thing (and fair warning: this is a messy kind of project), I’ve also rounded up some lovely stone pieces that you can simply add to cart.
