Garden Stepping Stones
How to Make Stepping Stones
Make your own Garden Stepping Stones to define the path to your garden. Learn how to make Homemade concrete stepping stones. They are easy and inexpensive to make. Molds are used over and over again. Make some for yourself, or make them for gifts, or even sell them!
You'll find many styles available, to suit all tastes.
A garden needs more than flowers to make it complete.
Garden Gates,
and Stepping Stones are such necessities.
To make your own stepping stones, you first need to purchase a mold. Choosing one is the next step. There are so many to pick from, it can be a hard to pick only one. If you can't decide, get a few, you know you'll use them elsewhere in the garden later!
Browse and order molds by clicking the link below:
The Welcome garden stepping stone pictured at the top of this page is found in the "Angel Molds" section)
Molding Instructions
Once you have your mold, follow these instructions
to make your Garden Stepping Stones:
CONCRETE PASTER SOAP MOLD INSTRUCTIONS
- Items needed:
- - Moldcreations Concrete Mold(s)
- - Bag or Bags of Concrete mix
- - Mixing bucket or wheelbarrow (works well)
- - Hoe for mixing or small trowel
- - Water
- - Lubricant (this is optional) We recommend using cooking spray, or concrete mold release agent
Grease the mold with cooking spray to lubricate it. This helps to release the finished product, and to extend the life of the mold.
Mix the concrete according to the directions on the bag. You will want to add a little water at a time to achieve the right consistency so it is not too runny. You can use mortar mix, port land cement, concrete mix or quikrete. Portland cement can be used for a very smooth lighter colored stone, however it will not be as strong as the Mortar mix which is cement with sand. Concrete mix which is cement, sand and aggregate - small pebbles. Concrete is not as smooth as mortar or cement however it does make a stronger stone.
Fast setting concrete - this is great to use have your pieces ready to de mold in a couple of hours from pouring. We use cement all by Rapid Set, is a wonderful product it works well in all our molds and does fantanstic in our tile molds. This product can be picked up at most Lowes, Home depots or a local building contractor.
Pour mix into bucket or wheelbarrow, add water slowly a little at a time. Scoop out a shovelful and dump it back out on top of the pile. Continue mixing in this manner, adding water a little at a time until the consistancy is dry but not soupy.(Like a thick Brownie batter) A good base might be 5 parts concrete to 1 part water.
Creating your Piece
Filling Mold Start by pouring the mix into the mold and filling about half full, gently shake and tap the sides of the mold to eliminate any bubbles.
For an extra strong garden stepping stone, place a piece of chicken wire, fencing, screening, or hardware cloth in the concrete, and finish filling it. Tap as you go to remove air bubbles.
If you want your stone to be a different color other than the color of the cement see
Adding color to Homemade Stepping Stones
Then finish filling your mold, tap sides again until surface is flat and even. Keep the mold in a dry area to cure for 24 hours on a level surface.
Unmold Stone - Gently Turn the mold upside down onto a soft surface, like grass for example. Tap lightly on the back of the mold. Do not walk on your stones for 2-3 days to make sure the mix has set all the way through.
To make stones faster, you will need more than one mold. Stones remain in the mold untill they have cured, so having more than one mold allows you to make several at the same time.
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