Rico Rock uses cast pieces that are mortared together to form structural waterfalls. The core is steel-reinforced concrete. The outside texture is FRC castings.

Faux Rocks and Hardscapes

When it comes to putting boulders in a backyard pool or rock garden, concrete “faux rocks” are often better than the real thing.

Faux rock offers the same unique, attractive look and sturdy support for water accents as real rock. It can mimic the look of indigenous stone or be colored and textured to match just about any rock on the planet.

But faux rocks are lighter and easier to work with. Even though rock can cost less than a faux concrete facsimile, the time and labor of planting it in a backyard or pool setting can make up the difference in cost.

Mike Reinwald, general manager of Rock & Water Creations Inc., a manufacturer of precast rock features, says faux beats real rock in two categories — weight and placement.

Rock & Water’s faux rock pieces are formed in molds taken from actual boulders, so the texture is the same. But the glass-fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) castings, with walls that are only about one inch thick, weigh nine pounds per square foot of coverage. That makes them easy to place and support. “You’ve got the ability to put them wherever you want,” Reinwald says.