Curb shopping find and suggestions/ideas

20 years ago

I found a pedestal sitting in someone's trash this week and I was thinking about beefing it up a bit so I can put a plant on it. It is about 3 feet tall and narrow. The center fluted area is about six inches square. The top and bottom base is 12" square.

Does anyone know if I could add tufa to it to make it more solid? Would tufa stick to it if I used a slurry first and then tufa over that? How would I make the bottom & top base bigger? Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks,

Serene

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Comments (6)

Running_Dog
20 years ago
Lucky find :)

Is it plaster of Paris? or plastic? If it's plaster of Paris it won't be weather-proof unless it's completely covered with hypertufa.

You could try painting on a PVA adhesive, small section at a time, then pressing on the hypertufa mix.
sereneseen
Original Author
20 years ago
It has a small chip in it where I can see that the inside material is white in color and scrapes off with my finger nail . I guess that would mean it's plaster of Paris and I should cover the whole thing in tufa.

Thanks for the helpful info on plaster of Paris not being weather proof. I would have made a major goof up had you not told me.

Serene
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rockyn
20 years ago
You could also use it as a base for an armature and put hardware cloth or chicken wire on the beefy parts for heft.

Maybe take one of those and roll it up and wire it to the top & bottom for a more substantial look.

I've been wanting to find one of those things. We have an actual Trash Picking Day at the Dump coming up this weekend. Should be fun!
rickharmer
20 years ago
Ha!EVERY day is a trash pickin' day at our dump!The manager sees me and expects that something goes out with me.For example,a roll of chicken wire;four long Sonotubes that had been used in a school grad(storing THOSE is a problem.Oh,well,back to the dump??)and other good stuff.You see,you get into the hobby for fun reasons like playing in the mud,but bonus fun dumpster diving!!
cheers from here
User
20 years ago
Curb shopping? I like it! Never heard that one before, guess I need to get out more.
Re: POP
Depending on your climate POP may never be weather/water proof. Covering it with 'tufa might not work, it wouldn't in my climate. Perhaps you could make a mold or an impression of it?
What a find! It's a good looking column, I would hate to see it dissolve on you.
rockyn
20 years ago
Gee, daily diving? That would make it less special....JK.

Methinks our dump is afraid of idiots getting hurt or in the way of machinery and then suing. I"ve lived here 8 years and never heard of them letting folks shop. So, perhaps we are turning a corner. :-)

One day I was out walking and found a 3 foot tall plaster jaguar. But it slipped out of my hands and cracked. Wah! Twas too heavy for me to lug home anyhow, but my daughter would have loved it in her room.