Come learn how to make this whimsical concrete Stepping Stones DIY project and add these lovely stones to your garden spaces for some charm. Save this article to Pinterest now so you can always find it.
I have been wanting to try a concrete stepping stones DIY project for years now. I always thought homemade stepping stones would be such a lovely, beautiful and personal touch to the garden space. When I found these whimsical molds for them I knew it was time to make it happen.
The molds I used
When it comes to making a concrete stepping stones DIY project, you can really use any kinds of molds you want. However, I found these whimsical molds and thought they would be perfect for our garden space that is full of flowers, frogs and turtles all summer long. You can find all the molds I used {HERE} on my Amazon shop. They include three flower molds that are sold as a set and individually, a frog mold and a turtle mold.
Supplies for the concrete stepping stones DIY
- A tarp or something to cover your work surface
- Molds for the stepping stones
- Hardware cloth like this {HERE}
- Cooking spray – I used an olive oil spray.
- Something to cut the chicken wire with like wire snips
- 60 lb bag of concrete – I used a Dot Mix and used the whole bag for all 5 molds.
- A bucket for mixing the concrete
- Water in a pitcher or from the hose
- Something to mix the concrete with – either a mixing attachment for your drill or a large paint stick
- Hand shovel
- Finishing trowel
Steps for the concrete stepping stones DIY project
- Lay your protective covering over your work surface. This is a messy project so cover whatever you are working on unless you don’t care about it.
- Then, lay out the molds and cut the chicken wire to size. I cut smaller pieces for the turtle’s limbs and head and the frog’s legs. I overlapped those with the main piece of chicken wire in the body. Once you have it fit into each mold, remove it and set it aside.
- Add the concrete to the bucket and mix it with water. You can follow the instructions for mixing on the bag or make it a little thinner. I found that I liked the way the molds looked with a thinner mix.
- Spray the inside of each mold with cooking spray. Make sure to get it into all the little cracks and details.
- Shovel enough concrete into the molds to cover the bottom (which will be the top when the molds are removed). Then add the hardwire cloth back into the concrete. Then continue to fill up with concrete until you reach the top of the mold and smooth it out with the finishing trowel if needs be.
- Let the molds dry for at least 2 days. I let mine dry for 4 days because we went on away for the weekend.
- Once the molds are completely dry, gently pull the molds lightly away from the side of the concrete forms, similar to how you might take ice out of a tray. Then carefully, flip them over and pull the edges away more, again similar to how you might loosen ice. Most of them popped right out. I found the only one I had to work with more was the frog mold. One part would come out and suck the other side back in. The molds should pop off with ease though.
- Place the concrete stepping stones DIY molds in your garden and enjoy!
Making the concrete thin
The first thing I learned is that I liked the look of the concrete stepping stones DIY when I made the concrete thinner. I wasn’t sure that I would. In fact, I was worried I had made it too thin and they wouldn’t hold together. But if you look at the stones, you can see how nice and smooth the stepping stones are where I have the thinner concrete that was very, very watery. The spots where it looks more like, well, concrete it was much thicker.
My advice to you here is that I would add more water than suggested in order to get a nice smooth look. I didn’t specifically measure so I can’t tell you how much but mine really had more of a milk consistency. If I were to make these again (and I probably will), I would make them all as thin to get that nice, smooth finish.
Looking for more garden crafts?
If you love to get crafty int he garden with projects like my concrete stepping stones DIY then try these projects too.
- Clay DIY Plant Markers {HERE}
- Clay Flower Frogs {HERE}
- DIY Seed Paper {HERE}
- Vintage Terracotta Pots {HERE}
- How to build a stone garden bed {HERE}
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Thank you so much for visiting today, friends. I hope that you love the whimsical concrete stepping stones DIY. You can find the full instructions below. Happy crafting.
Concrete Stepping Stones DIY
Equipment
- A tarp or something to cover your work surface
- 5 Molds for the stepping stones You can use less too. Just do not mix as much concrete.
- Hardware cloth like this {HERE}
- Cooking spray
- Wire cutters
- 55-60 lb bag of concrete
- A bucket for mixing the concrete
- Water
- Mixing attachment for your drill or a large paint stick
- Hand shovel
- Finishing trowel
Instructions
- Lay your protective covering over your work surface. This is a messy project so cover whatever you are working on unless you don't care about it.
- Next, lay out the molds and cut the chicken wire to size. I cut smaller pieces for the turtle's limbs and head and the frog's legs. I overlapped those with the main piece of chicken wire in the body. Once you have it fit into each mold, remove it and set it aside.
- Add the concrete to the bucket and mix it with water. You can follow the instructions for mixing on the bag or make it a little thinner. I found that I liked the way the molds looked with a thinner mix.
- Spray the inside of each mold with cooking spray. Make sure to get it into all the little cracks and details.
- Shovel enough concrete into the molds to cover the bottom (which will be the top when the molds are removed).
- Then add the hardwire cloth back into the concrete. Then continue to fill up with concrete until you reach the top of the mold and smooth it out with the finishing trowel if needs be.
- Let the molds dry for at least 2 days. I let mine dry for 4 days because we went on away for the weekend.
- Once the molds are completely dry, gently pull the molds lightly away from the side of the concrete forms, similar to how you might take ice out of a tray. Then carefully, flip them over and pull the edges away more, again similar to how you might loosen ice. Place the concrete stepping stones DIY molds in your garden and enjoy!
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