I am thinking of doing some fake rocks in special shapes ... we had considered using packing peanuts or Styrofoam scrap as a core ... making sure to leave a nice thick layer on the outside for strength.

This is still experimental (along with a million other projects) so I have no specific info on it yet. I will post it when I do. I want to make a huge head (picture the head in the movie ZARDOZ with more simplified features) something akin to the older haniwa funerary pottery statues and have water pouring out of the mouth into the pond.

Fireraven9
If you need me, I'll be in the garden.

Well, maybe I should post these here. Here is what I've found. The first one requires you to buy a video. It was recommended to me by someone who did and said it was worth the $$. I can't personally vouch for that though.

http://www.ezyrock.com/index.html

http://www.flash.net/~blhill/pages.aux/pond/recipes.html

http://gardening.about.com/library/weekly/aa091699.htm?once=true&;

Newt

Go to the Ponds Forum on this site, search for "making rocks" there are several wonderful sites with instructions and pics. You can make them out of fiberglass (a messy business but good results), hypertuffa, styrofoam and Winterstone - dozens of ways. Even HUGE boulders. Good luck.

Just my two cents....they still look like fake rocks.

Mich_in_zonal_denial posted some photos of "created" rocks on the Landscape board a few months ago. The boulders looked real. They were cast in place and were textured like a rock.

Fireraven9
What potent blood hath modest May. - Ralph W. Emerson

There are actually many companies out there selling there videos and pamphlets (That they call books) on faux boulder making. There is even one company in Arizona that gives a seminar in various locations around the US for around $200.00. In conclusion the videos and pamphlets are OK, the seminar is a waste, in the end all they do is try to sell you a package of their patented product or ask try to get you to becoma a distributor for their product with a large investment. It would be much better if we could get a forum going on this topic where we could all exchange ideas.

i don't have all the experience in the world on this subject, but i do have a few thoughts. it seems to me that a lot of people who say they want to make fake rocks do so because they don't understand really the situation with using real rocks. it is like a lack of education or experience that makes them want to use fake rocks usually, you know, like they just haven't ever used real rocks and so they listen to and believe arguments for fake rocks because they really do want to have real rocks in certain situations but believe that they must make a sacrifice to get the look of real rocks. it is like they would love to have a boulder at a certain place but since they "know" that isn't possible they are willing to sacrifice certain aspects of real rocks such as natural look, the benefit of mass, durability, etc, for perceived benefits such as lower cost, user friendliness, etc. but i think if more people had actual experience with using real rocks or with doing things themselves in general they would understand that none of this is necessarily so. it is the mass and weight of real rocks i think that puts some people off, they imagine that it will cost them a lot of money to find a large boulder, to move it, to place it, etc, they don't think they can do these things themselves and that they will end up spending huge amounts of money to do what they believe they could do much less expensively using fake rocks. they have seen, i believe, "how to" instructions on the net or on television, etc, which make them think that everyone is using fake rocks, that it is the normal thing to do, that nobody in the right mind would use real rocks because it is wasteful and expensive and difficult, etc. not to get off topic but you also get into the same mindset when you start to talk about laying stone masonry, people imagine wow that is really top notch the most expensive thing you can do and they will sacrifice the quality of stone masonry for what they perceive is a much cheaper alternative such as using cinder blocks faced with real or sometimes even fake stone. i am not sure how all of this started, i mean, there is evidence all around that rocks and stone have been used for building things since the dawn of human civilization, primitives have build massive structures out of stone laying up one stone at a time, etc. stone is everywhere, it is not expensive to use, it is something that most people can do themselves, it is more friendly than most materials for building things yourself, etc, when you know something about it. all of the fake rock and cinder blocks and things, all of those discussions, when i see them or overhear someone talking about them i always end up with this impression that if they only knew more about the stone that is around them and how to transport it and use it, etc, that they would never in a million years think of constructing a fake rock out of cement and other materials. and i know before i even post this message that some of these views are so deep in people's minds as "the truth"(tm) that people will think to themselves that i have no idea what i am talking about, that they will be wanting to set me straight, etc ... of COURSE fake stones are cheaper than real stones, of COURSE it is more prudent to pour a concrete sidewalk than to lay bluestone, of COURSE it is better efficiency to pour walking rocks in molds than it is to use flat rocks, of COURSE it is the best thing to do to create a fake boulder than to find, move, and place a real boulder, etc. that is the kind of thing some people think! and they really believe it. this has gone so far that if you talk to some of the suburban do-it-yourself folks they "know" that real rocks are out of the question and that anyone with half a mind uses fake rocks. i really am amazed myself. maybe it is because i have always used "real rocks" for everything, i don't know. even using the term "real rocks" gives me a strange feeling because in my own mind of course you use real stones to build! what else would you do but use rocks. they are absolutely everywhere! if you want to move a boulder you go find one and pay someone a few bucks to load it on a trailer with a backhoe and then you unload it and place it at the other end, etc, etc, rocks are CHEAP and INEXPENSIVE and much easier and faster to lay up than concrete blocks with a facade. why would anyone go to the hassle of building a wall out of cinder blocks and all of that expense and go to even more expense to cover up the wall with a facade of stone when they could have just laid a stone wall in the first place! it's so much easier, it's so much cheaper, etc, to just build with stone and be done with it. why would anyone go to the trouble of building a fake rock out of wire and metal screen, etc, mix up concrete turfa mixtures or what have you and then go to all the trouble to cover the screen thick enough to be strong and try to make it look natural and then try to weather it, etc, when you can go out and get a boulder and load it on a truck and place it in a few hours for minimal expense and trouble. when you have worked with stones and used them for building, etc, you would think to yourself why in a million years would someone go to all the hassle and expense of building a fake boulder in their yard when they could just go out and get a boulder and put it in their yard and be done with it, and the fake boulders don't even look that good! and why on earth would someone build a cinder block wall (which is not that structurally strong mind you) and face it with stone when they could just build a stone wall for less money. it is crazy some of it. and you might be thinking it is not crazy, it is most efficient, but let's talk common sense here, which is more sane, creating cement from limestone and other materials far away and shipping them great distances by rail then unloading them and mixing with other materials and going through the process to create cinder blocks, etc, moving the cinder blocks, laying them up, facing with stone, all of these things, is that more common sense than going to quarry and geting rocks and mortaring them together ? i know it is just lack of education, people just don't know about stone, they believe the things they see on television and things about how things are done, they actually start to believe that nobody lays stone or uses real stone, etc, like that stone is this mystical thing that is out in the mountains and it is rare to find a boulder, etc. rocks are everywhere! there is a quarry in your community! you can't turn around without tripping over a rock. the ground your house is built on is probably built on dirt which covers up rocks! building things with rocks is the most simple thing in the world to do, it doesn't require a mill to change the material into something you can use, it doesn't require special nails to put it together, it doesn't require special chemical processes to create the material, etc, it is just piling up rocks with mortar between them, moving rocks, etc. rocks are easy! i apologize for this terribly long post about fake rocks, i am not directing any of this at anyone in particular of course. and i am not meaning to make anyone feel uncomfortable though i am sure it probably looks like that, i truly am not. this fake rock thing it is so widespread nobody should feel they are out of the ordinary for believing it. and i know what some people think, they are thinking right here is this wild_garden, just doesn't get it, completely clueless about the world of fake rocks. and it is very funny because there are people who work with stone and they are thinking, hey, here are these people wanting to make fake rocks and not only do they not get it how much better and simplier it is to use real rocks there is also no way you would ever be able to convince them otherwise because they really do believe they are right, it is like some religious person you cannot say something to. the religion of the do-it-yourself network. people are probably thinking, right, that wild_garden what a nut doesn't even know how crazy it is to use real rocks lol.

SaraLL: Here is a website that has how to videos and training available. For other pointers check out gardening with stone on this website. It's fun, it's therapy and it will look good. Take your time, start small. Collect a few from the wild you like and use those as a guide for color and texure. There is LOT of information out there on the web. While I would love to use real boulders and rocks every where, sometine it's just too impractical because of access, lack of heavy equipment to move the big ones. But at the Gardening with Stone forum you can get a lot of input. Good Luck and have fun.

Here is a link that might be useful: JPJ Technologies

From what I hear ezyrocks tapes are a little bit better than JPJ's Pro Rock (or homeowner) series although JPJ's on hands course is superb. As far as making rocks as opposed to buying them, it is probably cheaper to buy them than make synthetic rock. It takes time and some artistic ability to make a faux rock that looks realistic. When you are done you get a feeling of accomplishment that can not be gotten using real rock. Sometimes you want a particular shape and size, other times you may want to build a waterfeature or maybe you want to create a rock for your specific Bonsai plant.The rock/waterfeature you build is only limited by your imagination...And for anyoneone who thinks that they can tell the difference between a real rock and a fake rock, just visit Jurasic Park at Universal Studios and let everyone know which are real and which are fake?

I have a huge boulder fountain and basin surrounded by more boulders. No one ever believes me when I tell them that some of those rocks are faux. Actually, most are real, but the bubbling one is a fake. I can tell by the joinery between two or more rocks. If its joined, its fake, if its just tumbled down its real. My clever designer kept the joins hidden for the most part. People walk up on my front yard all the time to view my big rock outcropping with fountain. In my tiny front yard, "big" is roughly 4 ft tall by 6/7 ft wide. Its so cool. Worth every penny.

A well done fake rock is much like a real rock. I use primarily real rocks, but there are applications where fake would work better.

Fireraven9
Gutta cavat lapidem (Dripping water hollows out a stone) - Ovid

I have been making rocks, finding rocks and even buying rocks for small walls, etc., for my yard. It's not hard to make realistic rocks out of cement and clay soil.
The advantage is that you can make them whatever size you want. And there's no reason why you can't combine the real and fake rocks in one wall, for example.

gary, i too live in colorado, and would like to know how you make your rocks. she'sh

Hello,
I craft "fake rocks" by the tons! Been creating them for myself then just got out of hand with everyone wanting them. I don't custom design. I just make them as I see fit and each piece is a work of art.
It is all about making them appear as if they have already lived forever. Color and texture are key. Then placement is important to have the crafted boulders fit into the landscape or garden. Very light weight is my only goal, I don't add big frames or the such. And I feel like the hulk when I lift them into a customers truck. I take pride in my work.
Radd

I have heard you can use that spray foam insulation and make a "blob" that looks like a rock, let it sit for a week or so then cover it with morter mix lightly to look like a rock, havent tried it yet.

Hi toothfairy and all,
Have tried the method you spoke uf in my eariler days of crafting boulders. Just be sure to wear gloves when working with the foam. You can start small and use stuff like a empty milk gallon. Cut it to give a shape. The foam will stick to the plastic jug. Dip or sprinkle cat liter over foam before it's set to give it that rock look. Yes you can add cement over the foam also to give it the rock look, again add the kitty liter for a rough look. Then paint. Have fun.
Radd

We purchased a booklet of "How to make..." and made 2 very large boulders on each side of our waterfall filter. They are about 3'x 3' and painted to match our native boulders. Everyone that has seen them has thought they were real! It's very easy, but takes some time to complete. E-mail us for more specific directions.

I know that here in FL it is far too expensive to purchase huge boulders. Not to mention, where I want large rocks and boulders, well, I'd end up breaking all the water lines that run thru the front yard with the weight of the truck and boulder. Even just rolling a huge boulder would probably damage the water lines. I've seen some that were done so well, that until you knocked on it (some really large ones must be hollow, I'm guessing), you never would have known it was fake. And, some of us just can't afford to spend all our hard earned money on just a couple boulders. The same amount of cash, or less, will allow for me to "make" all the stones I need for my project. It's really quite silly to assume everyone can afford to buy rocks, just because one person in particular can. Those of us who like our fake rocks, well, show them off proudly!!!
Happy Gardening,
Raven

Some of us couldn't find a real rock to save our lives. Where I live is all clay. No rocks, well maybe some little ones and I mean little . Have used these to make waterfalls in conjunctions with flat rocks that were once a very ugly wall on a fireplace so as far as i am concerned learning how to make a "GOOD" fake rock would be invaluable.

signet

We are new home owners and are in the process of landscaping our yard. We are on a limited budget but it has been a dream of our to have a pond in our yard for quite some time. We are trying to figure out how to make artifitial rock so we can build a realistic waterfall in our pond. Any and all info you could give us would be great. Thank you in advance.

Saw your thread - it's an interesting concept! Here's a link from a fellow GW member on how to make rocks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Making Rocks

I didn't think it was that difficult to make realistic looking rocks. Here's a link to the discussion of my hypertufa rock.

Here is a link that might be useful: hypertufa suiseki rock

Just moved to a new home, ugly utility boxes grace my front lawn, want to buy faux boulder to cover them. The problem is they dont make them big enough, so i would like to construct my own. Where do i start? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

heres a pic of fake rocks that I made

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pools/msg121847544042.html?12

I bought several rocks from a website at a very affordable price, try them out. website is www.patioandlawn.com

Here is a link that might be useful: patio and lawn decor

Hi. I make artificial rocks for a living. It is easy to do:

1)create a form using styrofoam
2)apply steel, chickenwire or stucco lathe for strength
3)apply concrete at a min thickness of 3"
4)sculpt using a point trowel for the veins and fissures and a sea sponge for texture.
5)After curing scrape the rock down with a scaping stone, wash and let dry
6)paint with watered down latex paints with a spray bottle in a layering fashion with complimentry colors
7)use concrete sealer to retain color and texture.

If you need, I have pictures of each step.

The link is a picture of a rock bbq platform I made and is NOT a link to my personal webpage, nor is it any type of redirecting link.

Happy sculpting!
Steve

Here is a link that might be useful:

Hi Steve,

We're having a faux rock challenge over on the hypertufa forum. Thanks for the tips and photo. Your rock is incredible--so realistic!

Do you always use concrete or do you use a different mixture? I thought that sanding concrete would expose the aggregate and that the aggregate would make it difficult to carve. Would the added weight of using concrete be a problem and would the added strength make it worth it? So many questions and so little time until the end of the rock challenge (I have the stuff--just haven't started yet.)

Thanks for sharing with us hobbyists.

Deb

Thanks Deb, I'm just happy to see people taking up the artform.

When I sculpt I usually use high strength concrete because I build products that are expected to last a forever and are usually required to be in harsh climates.
I use sand, portland cement, fly ash, condensed silica, water reducer and glass fibers.

I also have a lightwieght mixture I use for lighter durability applications. This is mostly perlite, vermiculite, peat, portlant cement and wood glue.

Thanks for the compliment on the BBQ. I still think that it is too dark, but that is what the customer wanted.

Check out this picture. This is an easy project for you home renovators. Five minute installation time (just construction adhesive it to your existing fireplace insert)

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:286459}}

I am new to Hypertufa. I have been learning a lot from this forum. Though green behind the ears, I have embarked on a big project. I am building the side walls of a waterfall at the side of a pond. The waterfall is about 3 feet in hight and at the end of a slope about 10 feet in lenth. I am trying different hypertufa recipes. I have one question though: will hypertufa stick to cement covered burlap?

Could someone PLEASE email me the instruction in detail for making fake rocks or boulders?
I've searched for months with no such luck. I have a huge yard with a huge garden. I'd like to make huge boulders and rocks to go with.
I'd appreciate any help anyone could offer. I need instructions and pictures of how too.
Again thank you all.
Connie in Virginia

Connie:

Actually, there are several threads in this forum which describe how to make fake rocks, some with pics. Just search for "fake rocks" or "hypertufa rocks". That is how I started
. Ihope this helps

BCMouli

here is a link that will help all who is interested in trying to make there own faux rock. I found it while searching Google for "fake rock"

Here is a link that might be useful: rock making 101

Look the Faux this person is doing look fake but I think look good
http://rockharddesign.com/FauxRockGallery.html

To "wild garden",
I understand your frustration and bewilderment, because as you say, those "who work with rocks, prefer rocks", and they would have a hard time wrapping their minds around the concept/reason for "fake rock". But a plumber would laugh that someone would pay money to replace a faucet, or commode. A carpenter would think it insane to buy a shed. ~and so on~ As others have stated, there are reasons why "fake rocks" make sense and are practical, and for some, it's simply a matter of enjoying the "crafting/creating" aspect...when I made one, (and I have real rock as well) it was great fun to my family and myself to proclaim, "Hey...we MADE a rock'!!!

Hi all, regarding false rocks I have located a company called Pool Rocks. I think it may be Canadian only but not sure now. They have numerous sizes of boulders from small, medium to large and extra large. They look very real. They even have an address boulder. I have seen them at Canada Blooms garden show and was impressed. I'm taking another look and think I many buy 2 of them.

Hi All,

I guess you missed the boat with this thread. I developed a free E-book to answer these questions about building artificial rocks which you can find at the link below.

Cheers.

Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: free e-book on artificial rock

Steve,

Thank you for your instructions. I'm going to give this a try..

I need to make a fake boulder to cover my well head. The largest rock I found was about $265. That would not be so bad but it isn't quite big enough. I have tons of those beautiful lichen/moss covered rocks that I could use as a form. The key here is to be able for 1-2 people being able to lift it off the well head for maintenance. Maybe resin or fiber glass? If you have any good suggestions, I'd love to hear them! Thanks

My wife had me searching all over the place on how to make 2 fake rocks: One to hide our water well and the other to cover the septic tank in our yard.

First I tried to make one out of concrete with a liquid polymer added to it to prevent cracking. Maybe I didn't use enough polymer because it cracked after about a month. It looked to smooth and obviously fake anyways.

I then tried to make one out of foam. I was able to make a foam shell with a rock like texture. Then I painted it grey and brownish. It looked OK but when i hollowed it out and went to put it on the septic riser i had made it too small!

Be sure to over estimate when you figure the sizing on these things. Some sites have charts to use to figure the interior dimensions of store bought models. You could use these as blueprints in making your own. I'll try to link to one below - not sure if it will work or not.

In the long run I ended up just buying some for my wife for xmas! Very romantic, I know! Hahaha! She likes them though. I may try to make some more in the spring now that I have these plastic ones to use as design references.

Here is a link that might be useful: Site I found to learn more about fake rocks sizing