You did a great job. You can paint it whatever pleases you. Geez, you're not far from me, wonder if it would fit in the back of my truck...... lol Billie

Great column! If you don't like your first paint job it is easy to use spray Kilz (stain blocker paint) and make the thing white and try your second paint idea, etc, etc.
You might also try very watered-down paint at first, knowing you can make it darker with more coats if you like the effect.
I hope we get to see it in progress.
Laura

wow that is beautiful already! I'm impressed...Dottie

Rainsend Awesome work!
I think a hypertufa planter on top with flowers spilling out would like great.
I like mixing two or more textures, besides if the planter does not work for you there you can always change it out, and place the planter somewhere else in the yard.
Dena

Good Job!! I like the square top -- the angles against the round column makes an interesting contrast. Laura has a good suggestion with the watered down paint - gives a softered more aged, textural feel. Plants cascading down will be gorgeous -- the icicles will look good too!!

So the top is a box-like planter already? This looks great. I like it better that if you had tried a bowl shape. Wish we could see it planted, will have to wait til next spring. Good luck with the painting. BB

Good stuff Rainsend
Here's an idea you might like.
You can flute this column with a colored stucco slurry coat.
It looks very cool.
I have done this on a short column 30" I made for a birdbath.
You need to make a disk. Blue styrofoam will work well once.
You cut a hole 1/4" to 1/2"larger (or more if you like)than your column taking care to leave several points (eight or 6 work) that just touch the column. The inside of you form will look scalloped. You might have to round the top and the bottom of the styrofoam circle or it will drag the stucco mix off your column.
Cut this form into two equal halfmoon pieces so you can use one in each hand.

Cover your column in a thin coat of SOFT creamy mud starting from the bottom then use your forms to go up and down pressing your fluted pattern into the mud. Work your way up the column. Then when done wet your styrofoam shapers and do a few trips up and down your column, soothing it. If you are really good you could do a spiral.:)

I have no idea if this is doable over eight feet but I did a beauty in blue stucco on a 6 inch sonotube 30" long column.
My mud was 1 inch thick using my own recipe of cryogenic perlite. It's light and soft so forming it with my fluting tool was easy.
If I was doing more than one I would make my fluting tool from tin or wood.

The column has great presence. You did great!

Blooming

tufaenough can you post a pic of the column you did? I am having a hard time imagining the method you just described...Dottie

Rainsend,

I like your column. There is something about a free-standing, ancient looking column that "fits" in a rambling sort of garden. Maybe the vines reaching up to embrace it and the ground cover shading its base gives us a sense of acceptance. The thing seems as if it has been and will always be there forever. I like that.

...enough of my reflective, soft side; what about the Sonotube? Do we have to live with the residual spiral pattern or is there a way to hide it? I know TE's fluting will hide it. Can we wire brush the crete enough to take the barber pole look away? Sonotubes are convenient to use but this one drawback keeps me from using them.

hi,
that sure looks good in the garden , next season it will look like its been there forever. thanks Rick,

I am glad you guys appreciated this -- my husband thought I was a bit crazy. He saw the sono tube all summer and wondered what I was doing with it. I put it together when he was at work and it was a while before he noticed it.

I tried to wire brush it to remove some of the sprial markings. I purposely alternated drier & more stone mixture with wetter smoother so that I would get some texture on it. But the sprials are not exactly what I want.

Tufaenough , do you have pictures of your fluted column? I would be interested to see this. I still think I will just paint this with some blues, greens, and purple somewhat transparent paint. I do like the natural cement color as well so I am a bit scared to try the painting.

Hi Rainsend
I'm sorry, I did not keep the birdbath and rarely take pictures anymore. Even though I think I've made some real improvement technically I'm never happy about the artistic aspects of my work.
I will start again this fall if there is enough interest in the how-to aspect of my work.
If you aren't in a hurry I plan to revisit my fluting technique (but on wood posts) in the next couple months.

Rainsend, you can find old postings about columns:
go to the first page on Hypertufa Forum, down, below Instructions, search for "columns". There you will find your posting and many more useful informations with pictures. Chech out www.littleandlewis.com

Your project turned out beautifully, don't be afraid of the paint process, just go for it. If you hate it you can change it. Your ideas for colors sound perfect.
Cindy

What about making the best of the spiral by showing it off?

You could carve designs that follow the curve. I found rasping bits for my cordless drill. So, what I am wondering is if you could draw a design on the column and drill it?

I would have to practice on a sample first, would hate to trash all your hard work.

I'm not one of the experts by any means, but I have just learned to use a dremel---both the tool itself and the long "thinger" (what do you want--I'm sort of an academic, not a tool person) that gets into small places. If I anchor my arm, I've discovered that I have more control than when I use a file....never thought I'd say that about ANY tool attached to a cord. Ych, but it's true.

Ooooh, Rainsend, I love that column! You've inspired me!

A neighbor cut down a huge tree in his yard, suddenly making my lovely woodland hosta garden the victim of full, scorching afternoon sun. I'd planned on getting my BF to help me build a huge arbor out of typical wood materials, but NOW I want your columns as the supports!!! I think the wood/crete (or would tufa also work?) combo will lend itself to the woodsy feel, especially when the wood has aged and if I paint the columns with a yogurt/moss mix. I could even do planters at the top. YAY! Do you have a photo of the planter you made?

- Lisa

BZNMYGARDEN ,

Are your referring to the planter on top of the column? I will try to get a closer picture this weekend if that is what you are referring to.

BZNMYGARDEN and Rainsend,
When I did my columns, I initially put a fluted bowl on top of each for flowers to spill out. Then I wanted something a little different and my son designed the large wood arch with wooden pieces connecting the top of the arch to the fence that sits to the back of the arch. The wysteria this year has done good in covering much of the wooden spines. I like the combination of the columns and the tufa on top then the wood.
I will look forward to seeing what you have created.
Dena