How to Make Garden Stepping Stones

How to Make Garden Stepping Stones

1. Grease the Molds

   Commercial molds are available in craft stores, but you can also improvise. Grease the inside of the mold with vaseline or cooking spray for easy removal of the garden stepping stones after the concrete dries.

   Tip

   Using more than one mold will greatly expedite the process of making garden stepping stones. Not only does each garden stepping stone have to "wait its turn" if there's only one mold, but you'll also have to mix separate batches of concrete. When searching for molds of a suitable size, remember that garden stepping stones should be about 2 inches thick and 16 to 18 inches wide.

2. Mix the Concrete

   Pour some dry concrete mix into a wheelbarrow or tub for mixing. When mixing, just add a little water at a time. Thrust the shovel underneath the concrete and fold it over on itself, distributing the wetness. Continue adding small amounts of water and mixing until all the concrete looks the same and it achieves a consistency that is neither dry nor soupy.
   

3. Test the Consistency

   To test the consistency, use the blade of your shovel like a knife and try to cut a shallow channel through the surface of the concrete. If it's too dry, the channel walls will be crumbly; add more water and mix. If it's too wet, the channel fills in with water; add more concrete and mix.
   

4. Pour the Concrete Into the Molds

   When the concrete is ready, pour it into the molds you've chosen for your garden stepping stones. Tamp it down as you go to remove air bubbles. Using a short 2x4 (or something similar), screed the excess off the top.

   Tip

   Though this is optional, a small piece of chicken wire can be placed into the middle of your mold-mix so that concrete cures around it; the result is a more durable garden stepping stone.

5. Decorate the Concrete (Optional)

   Approximately 45 minutes later, press decorative elements into your garden stepping stones if you desire, or make those ever-popular handprints. Repeat for other molds (if working with more than one).
   

6. Let the Concrete Rest

   Allow two to three days of undisturbed drying for your garden stepping stones (premature moving of the molds may cause cracking).
   

7. Flip the Molds

   When you're ready to remove the garden stepping stones from their molds, gently flip the molds upside down and lightly tap all around on them. Eventually, you should be able to lift the molds off the completed garden stepping stones.
   

8. Let the Concrete Cure

   Now let the concrete finish "curing" for another week before subjecting your garden stepping stones to any rough treatment (such as walking on them).
   

9. Lay the Stepping Stones

   Wherever you wish to have a garden path, simply sink the concrete stepping stones into the soil or into the mulch. The concrete stepping stones will shift over time; however, the necessary adjustment will be simple enough in such areas, where the medium (loam or mulch) is loose and where access is easy.
   

Where to Place Your Stepping Stones

If you have children who are active outdoors, perhaps a "beaten path" already mars your lawn's appearance. So take the path of least resistance and install a concrete stepping stone path there.

Where such paths already exist, the question of path location has already been answered for you. Otherwise, you'll have to decide what the most convenient location would be. (e.g., Depending upon the lay of the land and how it's used, people may want walkways leading from driveways or streets to front door entrances.)

Next, you'll have to answer the question: Do you want a concrete stepping stone path to be straight or winding? Where aesthetic concerns play an important role, most people choose the winding-path style (this holds true in garden areas, too). The exception would be for paths following the more formal, balanced design typical of paths leading from the street to the front door.

To lay out a winding path, use old garden hoses to define the sides; guided by the hoses, spray-paint the lines in. For the straight-path style, use stakes and string for layout.

Formal vs. Informal Design

The next question you have to tackle: Do you want the concrete stepping stone path to have an informal or formal design? How you answer this question may depend on whether you prefer informal or formal landscape design, in general.

Essentially, there are two basic approaches to laying such paths in lawns. One approach (the informal) is to excavate only those spots where the concrete stepping stones will rest, allowing the grass to continue to grow between them. The other, more formal approach involves excavating the whole path.

How to Install Garden Stepping Stones

1. Test the Layout

   You'll want to space your concrete stepping stones in such a way as to accommodate the average human's stride. Spacing them 24 inches on the center is just about right for most people.

   Begin by placing a few of the concrete stepping stones on top of 1/4 of the projected path. Then try them out. See if you can walk over them comfortably, using a normal gait. Adjust as necessary. If five concrete stepping stones were required to fill 1/4 of the path, then you know you'll need to make about 20 in all.
   

2. Mark the Area for the Stones

   Once a concrete stepping stone is laid out where you want it, mark that spot. Simply jab a knife or a spade through the grass, all along the perimeter. Remove the concrete stepping stone and excavate. For a 2-inch-thick concrete stepping stone, dig down 2 inches.
   

3. Add Sand to the Proper Height

   At the bottom of your hole, add a 1/2-inch layer of sand. The sand provides some drainage. Sand is also easier to work with than soil as a base, should you have to make height adjustments over time. Such adjustments are often necessary, as the level of concrete stepping stones will change over time as a result of foot traffic and (in cold climates) the freeze-thaw cycle. At some point, you may have to add more sand, as the old sand works its way into the surrounding soil.
   

4. Place the Stones

   Place the stones over the sand and tamp them down gently with a mallet. They will settle more over time.

   Note that the 1/2-inch layer of sand pushes the concrete stepping stones up 1/2 inch above ground level. This level is high enough to keep them from becoming "lost," but low enough that you can run the lawnmower right over them. For the sake of low-maintenance landscaping, you want to make sure your concrete stepping stones don't become obstacles when you have to mow.