How to Make Garden Statues
If you dream about a garden decorated with statues, but you dread the price tag that comes with them, you may choose to make your own garden statuary. You can hand-shape statues by making a mixture of hypertufa. Hypertufa is a lightweight combination of cement, organics and aggregates that resembles weathered limestone when it dries. During the wet stage, a drier mixture of hypertufa may be molded by hand. In the early stages once a mixture has set, it can still be carved easily.
Determine the size and shape of the sculpture that you wish to create.
Create a base for your sculpture. This base, which is known as an armature, may be made of a chicken wire frame twisted into the basic shape of the sculpture.
- If you dream about a garden decorated with statues, but you dread the price tag that comes with them, you may choose to make your own garden statuary.
- During the wet stage, a drier mixture of hypertufa may be molded by hand.
Mix a hypertufa solution for your base coat of stone. Use 1 part Portland cement, 1 and 1 1/2 parts peat moss, 1 1/2 parts coarse sand, a handful of poly fibers and a handful of silica fume (a type of high-strength concrete). Add water to the mixture until it is the consistency of cake batter. Hand-apply the hypertufa over the chicken wire base. Allow the hypertufa to dry before adding a second coat. Continue to build up the hypertufa base in layers until it is the size that you want for your sculpture.
Mix a hypertufa recipe for your final layers. This recipe will be easier to sculpt and carve. Mix 1 part peat moss, 1 part coarse sand, 1 part cement and 1 container of white craft glue to act as a bonding agent. Add enough water to make the mix the same consistency of cake batter.
- Mix a hypertufa solution for your base coat of stone.
Apply the second hypertufa mixture so that it is thick enough to allow for the deepest crevices of your sculpture. As soon as the mixture has been applied to your sculpture, begin to sculpt the hypertufa. Once the surface begins to harden, it will be more difficult to sculpt.
Rub the sculpture with a wire brush to give it a weathered look, once it has been semi-cured.
Mist the sculpture with a spray bottle. Wrap the sculpture in plastic to allow it to cure and harden.
Tip
Wear garden gloves while hand-sculpting hypertufa. Cement is caustic and can burn your skin.
Clean your tools before the cement mixture can harden. Once the mix hardens, it will be more difficult to clean.
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Tips
- Wear garden gloves while hand-sculpting hypertufa. Cement is caustic and can burn your skin.
- Clean your tools before the cement mixture can harden. Once the mix hardens, it will be more difficult to clean.
Writer Bio
Tracy Morris has been a freelance writer since 2000. She has published novels and numerous online articles. Her work has appeared in national magazines and newspapers including "Ferrets," "CatFancy," "Lexington Herald Leader" and "The Tulsa World." She holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Arkansas.
