Lava Rock Walls

[Hearn]

Mahalo TC!
Does ANYONE know of a good product or installer for Lava Rock? Like they have at Humphreys Half Moon Inn? (see photo). I'm on East Coast and can't find ANYTHING.

Thanks!

 

[Johnny Tsunami]

This probably isint a viable substitute for whats in the picture, but when properly installed, it gives a very nice lava rock appearance, that can be d.y.i. with a little time and patience. Im sure the cost difference would be much cheaper, but again, its foam, and not real lava rocks. It may work though, if you find you dont have any other alternatives. Im in Indiana, the lava rock and bamboo supply chain is a bit tight, so Ive had to make the occasional concession. lol.
I got mine at fauxpanels.com

 

[Lagoon of Mystery]

Ah, yes, the perennial question. There are several suppliers of faux lava in the Hawaiian islands, but they only sell local and do not ship. There are a few mainland faux rock/stone facade companies who produce lava veneer-- but again, they only offer this product on the islands, not the mainland. The number of home (and commercial) tiki builders who've encountered this problem is legion. Many have used concrete/stucco to craft their own version. I went the route of adapting Airstone facade for my uses, chronicled in the video below. Not perfect, but when you're left to you're own devices...

A Moment of Tiki: The Wall is Lava

 

[MadDog Mike]

I have struggled with this too and have not found a good solution. I think Bamboo Ben has created faux lava veneer but I don't know if he sells them or only uses them on his builds. For the amateur concrete hobbiest (like myself), I think making your own veneers is probably the best bet. You can buy texture pads or "pounce" the soft concrete with your fingers. Making the horizontal and letting them dry before attaching takes much less talent than vertical concrete stamping. Here is a link to some info about vertical stamping as well as some texturing pads. I will try to find some examples of my experiments

Vertical Stamping - RockMolds.com

Rockmolds.com How To: Vertical Stamping

rockmolds.com

 

[MadDog Mike]

I made some planters with hypertufa over plastic planters. For the hypertufa I used equal parts Portland cement (not redimix concrete), peat moss, and vermiculite, there are other mixtures but this one worked well for it. It is lightweight but not very strong. It could probably be used for veneers in places where it wasn't likely to be bumped into. I stained it with acid concrete stain

I also made a concrete block planter, parged and textured it with Rapid Set Mortar Mix. It worked out OK but it was only one block tall so it wasn't too difficult. The Rapid Set Mortax is very white (instead of grey) and didn't stain very well.

 

[Kahikina]

I never knew about vertical stamping. This is very interesting. I like your examples.