You poor dear, run away now while you still can! This would be an extremely time consuming and tedious project. To take it on, you would have to be completely obsessed by the craft of hypertufa and even then, it could take you a couple of years.

If your time (and sanity) mean something to you, bite the bullet and buy the expensive blocks for the look you want. I don't mean to discourage you but I do want you to know what you're getting into. I wish someone had warned me!

One who has been there because it seemed like such a good idea at the time,

Deb

If I had all the time in the world, and lots of free labor, I might try it, but I surely wouldn't use hypertufa. Concrete, yes, but never 'tufa. Every scrap of organic material in 'tufa will break down/rot out eventually, and all those little holes will fill with water, freeze, expand, and break. Generally speaking, hypertufa is estimated to have a lifespan of maybe ten years, varying by climate. Yours would be on the short end, I'm certain.

You didn't say how large and how many beds you planned, or what kind of 'blocks' you've got now. If you have regular concrete blocks, I would be inclined to just make up a mix of outdoor latex paint (emulsion) with white silica sand mixed in, and roller it on.

This way, you would sort of get the effect you want, the color(s) you want, and it would be much quicker. You could even have two colors and alternate them. You could even get some brown pigment and mix that in to make a darker color and hand-apply that with a brush to make 'cracks' between the 'stones'.

Otherwise, I've got to agree with Deb.

Sue

Bah! Well I guess I'll have to re-think this. I suppose the paint option would be good to experiment with. My problem has always been that my imagination is far greater than my ability (and what's practically possible too!)
Thank you both for your replies!

I never done it, but maybe you could smear thick tufa mix on the wall or on the blocks before you use them.

Andrea

Catlady, I say go for it!
I've been lurking on this forum for over a year learning things. I'm just now starting a massive project that may take me years to finish but when finished it will look better than anything you can buy. I've spent the last two months shoveling, raking, and compacting an area that will be a patio/sidewalk wrapping around from the back patio to the front. Just started pouring the first stones. It's a hell of a lot of work but it's already starting to look good.
I'm suprised that Debzone8 told you not to try. Check out her web pages. Her yard is beautiful. She is one of my main inspirations to start this project.

One hint I've learned since actually working with hypertufa is the finishing of the patio pavers. I tried the wire brush but my squares are 2'x2' and it seemed like it was taking forever. Now I let the squares glaze over for a day and then hit them with a vibrating sander with 50 grit sandpaper. It only takes about five minutes per block.
Wear a dustmask if you try this method.

I am just checking out hypertufa for the first time, so I can't give any advice on this subject...but I am an artist and the cheapest person I know and a big DIY'er. So, I say, if you have an idea that you really want to try...maybe try it....or do like I do, and get an idea, have the husband tell you it's an insane plan and then do tons of research and alter the idea a bit and then try it. I do a lot of crazy things...my husband thinks I am crazy, the neighbors definitely think I'm crazy, but in the end, I usually come out with some pretty cool things after a lot of time and effort. I get a lot of satisfaction from the many ideas that try. (I need to slow down on it, really, because I have too many projects on the go.) But, basically, what I am trying to say, is yes, (as my husband says) it's good to be reasonable and consider if all the time and effort is going to really save you in the end, but, it's soooo fun to try these things and then see what you can come up with. I say if you can get the materials cheap enough, you don't loose much but time. It's fun to be able to show other people after and they are amazed your crazy idea worked, they'll want to know how you did it and you get to tell the story about how YOU created a work of art.

Thanks for your kind words, Dave! I was just trying to give Catlady an idea of the scope of the endeavor. I got really, really tired of making those blocks and wore out my electric mixer.

The jury's still out on how long it will hold up but it seems to be doing great after a few years of freeze/thaw.

I'll be sorry to leave the yard behind when I sell the house. Then again, a new yard is a blank canvas!

Deb

I think your climate will reduce all your hard work to a pile of rubble in a few short years. The freeze & thaw cycle would be murder on a 'tufa project of this sort. I'd be surprised if you could finish it before having to go back and repair what you had already done.
Sorry to be discouraging but I feel your effort, money and time could be better spent on a different project. If you bound and determined to accomplish this endeavor use concrete, not 'tufa.
Good luck!