Personalize your yard by creating your own home-made stepping stones. All it takes are a few easy steps and you will enjoy your stones for many years to come. Start by deciding on the design of the stepping stones. You can be very creative here. You can design stones using your children or grandchildren’s hand prints or you can use embellishments like marbles, tile, or seashells. You can even add stone pigment when mixing your concrete to add color. Being an animal lover, I fell in love with paw shaped stepping stones.
When creating your stone, you should consider the size. Make sure you can put your foot on the design so that you can’t fall off and twist your ankle. Once you have decided on the design, you will need to purchase your supplies. You will need a mold, concrete, a bucket to mix your concrete in, a mixing stick, whatever embellishments you may want to add to your stones, patio paint. If you want to paint them you will need paint and clear acrylic sealer. If you design your own mold, you will need some plywood and framing material (1x2's).
Decide if you will be using a store bought mold or if you will be making your own. If you make your own, start by making a frame that is big enough to hold your design. Mark your design on a piece of plywood and with a jigsaw cut the design part away so you will have the outline in wood. Set this aside.
Mix your concrete according to the directions on the bag. Be careful not to add too much water. Secure your wooden frame to a piece of plywood. Fill the frame with concrete and level it off. Place your designed cut-out on top and push the concrete through the design. After a few minutes lift off the top piece and smooth the edges.
If you are using a store bought mold you will want to spray WD40 in the mold before filling with concrete. Start by placing your mold on a flat surface. Tap the mold when you have poured about half the concrete in so it will get the air pockets out. Once you have finished pouring all the concrete in, you should wait for about five minutes until the concrete is ready to hold your objects. If you are going to write on the concrete you should wait about twenty minutes before trying. If your writing fills in with water, you can take your stick and smooth it over. Wait a little longer before trying again. If you decide to do hand/footprints, you should wait thirty minutes.
Leave your stepping stone alone for forty-eight hours to cure. If you have decided to paint your stone, wait for the concrete to completely dry. Apply a sealer after the paint has dried. For stones which you have designed a pattern put your stone in place and lightly fill it with dirt, your raised design will come through. Make sure the design is not sticking out of the ground too far where someone can trip over it. For stones you have made from a mold, put in place and make sure someone can not trip over it.
