Bryan, Stepping stones/pavers are great made from hypertufa. I don't know how a 10' X 10' pad would be. Depending on what recipe you use some of your ingredients will deteriorate over time (like peat moss) and leave voids in the pad. That is what is suppose to happen when you make a planter but it may not be the look you want for your pad. See if you can find Dena's post on a pad. I'm trying to remember what she called it. "Swirls", "fossils"? Maybe you can search for her name or a link to her web photos. The web photos where called "behind the fence", I think. Billie

Hypertufa does have a lifespan -- depending upon use and exposure to the weather, 10 years is a rough average.

Anything that is organic that has been added (peat moss, sawdust, cat food, etc) will rot out and weaken the whole piece. In cold areas, the holes and channels will collect water, freeze, and crack.

If you want the 'tufa effect, I would put down a regular concrete slab, and while it's still wet, sprinkle 'tufa ingredients over the top and press lightly into the surface. That way, you would have the strength of concrete and the look of 'tufa.

Sue