Concrete Garden Stepping Stones How to Guide
Concrete garden stepping stones are a superb family project. First of all, they make a great family memento to put your children’s hand or footprints. The main reason I started making these stones was to save my little girls tiny hand prints and see them grow every year. Since they are stepping stones, I kind of wish now that I used their footprints instead of handprints but what’s don’t is done.
These concrete garden stepping stones are also easy to make with the kiddos. I have made them with my kids as young as four years old. They love to help mix up the cement mix along with the water. Not to mention sticking their hands in the wet cement is different and fun. Then you have the decorating time. What kid doesn’t like to décor anything in their style.
And finally, these stones will last a long time to be treasured. Of course, they can be broken if they are not placed in a level surface. But they should last and not break easily because the thickness of the stones
Materials you need for stepping stones.
First off, you need your materials. When I started, I purchased a 12-inch Stepping Stone Mold and Premium Stepping Stone Cement Mix. The stone mold is perfect because it is plastic, and the finished product is removed easily. It also can be used over and over again for several years. We have had and used ours for four years now, and it is in great condition.
I purchase my cement mix online because I could not find small bags at my local hardware store. You can buy larger bags of cement for which typically comes in 50 lbs for around $6.00. And if you compare, yes, the six dollars amount is much more cost-effective. But unless you are making lots and lots of stepping stones, you will not be using up the whole package. We wasted 3/4 bag of perfectly good cement bought from the hardware store because it wasn’t used up and gathered moisture from the air and then hardened into a boulder. These 7-pound bags are completely used up and perfectly made for one 12-inch stone or two 8-inch stones. And that is why they are my go-to product when I make these stones with the kiddos.
Making your stepping stones.
Now that you have your materials, it is time to go ahead and make the stones. I like to keep the dirtying up the area to a minimal so I have reduced the number of steps. If you use the Premium Stepping Stone Cement Mix which comes in a heavy duty plastic bag then there is no real need for a bucket and trough.
First
Now smooth out the cement and lightly shake the mold to fill in all the crevices and let out any air bubbles that will rise to the surface. After you let the cement sit in the mold for a few minutes, you will be able to see if you added too much water or not. If there is a pool of water that is sitting at the top, then you added too much. Before adding décor or writing in the cement, you will need to let everything dry out first. If you can write a letter without the letter dissolving back into its self, then you have the proper water to cement mix and can begin to design your concrete garden stepping stones.
Designing your concrete stepping stone.
Before your concrete completely hardens, you will be able to decorate it. I like to set my children’s handprints in the cement and write in the date. You can use a narrow stick to write anything you want into the moist cement. Along with what we write, you can draw in flower or plant designs, animal or abstract drawings. If you want to have more of a professional writing look, then you can use Traditional Letters and Numbers Stepping Stone Stamps.
We have used several different mediums to use as decorations that don’t cost much money. One stone we pressed summer flowers into the sides, another stone I had found old but clean Colorful Ice Rock Acrylic Gems Stones that the girls decorated around their handprints. A great idea would be to use iHomy 200Pack Glow in the Dark Garden Pebbles in the cement. These little rocks will glow perfectly in the dark after being set under the bright sunlight.