Congratulations on the commission! This might be a complete faux-paus on my part, but every time I see the term "faux bois" I think of Martha Stewart. She did a good bit on the technique a few years ago on her television program (before her legal troubles). That is actually how I became aware of hypertufa and faux bois. One of her shows was on Little and Lewis and featured the two of them making cast hosta leaves. It might be worthwhile to contact her people to talk about a joint effort involving publication of a book on faux bois. A thought anyway. I enjoy your contributions to the forum and would be very happy to own a book authored by you. Thank you for all of the sharing that you do. You are certainly a generous soul! spiderwoman

I went to HD today and found a metal lathing covered with pvc. The company claim its not going to rust. The bloddy thing was pretty expensive but I'll give it a try. too curious wondering if concrete will react like the galvanized one. by the way tango did you ever pasted the recipe(s) you are using for the faux bois? very nice explanation tango. your so good to us ;o) eventually i'll reach your level :o) I bet a long way to learn is infront of me ;o)

Though a very old thread, it is likely there will be some, like myself, reading and needing accurate information. In pursuit of truth, I comment on the part of the thread dealing with copper and concrete. The waterline from the water main to my house and a multitude of other houses is made from 3/4 inch copper, traverses the 8-inch concrete foundations and exits into the basement by penetrating through 4-inch concrete floors. My house has been here since 1970, as have been all on my block. Neither I, nor any of my neighbors, have had a problem with deteriorated copper lines. Were a copper/concrete interaction a problem, it would surely have emerged in at least one of our homes. 'Nuf said.

Hi Guys...Once again, thank you all for the kind comments. Slate...As many of you have no doubt observed by now, formulations are form, function and condition dependent and as such vary accordingly. Detailing the processes, formulations and curing proceedures would require writing a book to be meaningful, since they have to be matched to all of the above. (And, yes...I'm still working on that) That said, the base for this piece is a very basic 1-2-3 mix of gray Portland, sharp sand & coarse gravel (for strength) with a handful of short poly fibers tossed in. The "scratch coat" on this one contained one part gray Portland to two parts sand (half sharp & half very fine blasting sand) with some added hydrated lime and flyash for workability in the "dry" mix. The "wet" mix portion of the scratch coat was modified with a high-range water reducer (superplasticizer), retarder and some bonding admix. The above, minus the sharp sand (extra fine only) is excellent as a final finish mixture for executing what I call a typical "French Antique Finish". It is very scupltable and can be detailed quite nicely to both rough bark and smooth textures. As for the "neat" mixtures, all I have time for right now is to say that it gets very tricky. There is no sand at all and the formulations and curing are supercritical...especially when the temp is above 70 degrees or there is any breeze whatsoever. This is where a couple of chapters on several different topics become necessary. But don't wait on my book. Do some experimenting on your own. Just keep detailed notes (including environmental conditions). Hopefully I'll be able to get enough of the processes recorded to help perpetuate the art form and leave it to dedicated creative folks like you to advance it. BB...Thank you also. The "big" project is still alive but I am now one of three bidders (including the amazing Carlos Cortes). Should know the status sometime between now and the fall. Will just have to wait & see what the county decides. My best to all.