Hi lizardly-

The dig and pour method works just fine, but you might want to just go with a regular "quikcrete" ready-mix, instead of hypertufa in that case, because hypertufa is already less strong than regular concrete to begin with and leaving it to cure in the ground, where the soil can wick away moisture, can make it even less strong than usual.

For the flagstone-look, give the concrete a while to semi-setup, then get in there and do some carving, make some shallow depressions, faux-fossils, paw prints, and other enhancements to make it look more stone-like and less concrete-like. If you have access to stains, uncured concrete will take color better than cured.

When the stone is to your liking, wet it down and cover with plastic (rewetting when it seems dry) for a few days to a week, until it has attained it's initial cure. If the stones will be in areas of heavy traffic, you might want to keep them cordoned off for an additional 2-3 weeks so that they are optimally cured before exposing them to traffic.

I hope that helps.

My two cents worth.

Jo

Thanks so much for your input. I had thought that tufa was stronger than regular concrete. What was I thinking? Any particular kind of 'crete that you would recommend?

Hi lizzardly!

I made hypertufa stepping stones 5-6 years ago, still perfect. My garden is very moist, especially the are I needed the stones, it was good for the curing. I put chicken wire in the middle, used both method, the "dig and pour" and casting in big, flat card-box trays. This year I made the flagstone patio, 1-2 stones daily, uneven edges, uneven surface. I just used a piece of wood to make the surface more natural, when it was still fresh I like the sandstone look from the tufa. I used 1 part of cement, 2 parts of sand, 1 part of peat moss. I don't even stain it , nice beige sandstone look. After I got the surface I like, I throw a handful of rock salt on it. the salt washes out leaving holes like in the sandstone. I don't like the look or color of the concrete.

Thanks for your input. That sounds really clever with salt!

Very, very cool ideas. I think I'll try both methods as I have a couple different areas that need pathways in addition to the patio.

I definitely want to have a few practice runs before I start on the patio. It's going to be at least 25 x 35, so I want to make sure I don't have to start all over in a year.

Lizardly-

You should experiment with both a tufa mix and a ready-mix before you settle on your "master" medium for your stones. The thing about using hypertufa in the embedded stones you are planning is that the ground will be completely in contact and support the stepping stones/patio floor, so the weakness of the hypertufa is not so great an issue as it would be if you were setting separately cast stones in ground that might not totally support the stone and result in breakage or cracking.

In order to get a good look at what your finished stones will look like, take a couple of pizza boxes, remove the lids, reinforce the sides and bottoms with duct tape (but not "mummy" fashion, you want to be able to cut or tear the boxes away when the stones have cured,) and create a couple of free-standing stepping stones with your two mixes. You can practice embellishing the stones, etc., and get a good look at/feel for how your embedded stones will turn out and you will be able to see if you think the strength issue will matter all that much. The test stones can be used for another purpose or added to the future patio.

Jo

Jo, thanks so much. I really appreciate all of your helpful advice.
I'm trying not to go off half cocked like I do on most projects. I really, really, want that patio soooo bad. But I can't afford the real thing.
I'd really hate to hear my hubby be able to say I told you so. He usually tries to tell me so, but I rarely listen :)
Thanks again.