Forms of Concrete Stepping Stones

Molds

• Making your own stepping stones provides you with a creative outlet and many more options than prefabricated ones provide. Nearly any material, such as plastic, wood, flexible vinyl, cardboard and even baking tins, make suitable molds for custom made concrete stepping stones. Craft stores sell prefabricated molds and kits for a variety of decorative concrete stepping stone ideas.

Concrete

• The most commonly used types of concrete in handmade production of stepping stones are quick-setting concrete mixes and Portland cement. Craft stores sell small packages of concrete mixes for making a few stepping stones at one time, as well as materials and kits for colorizing them, or adding pebbles and even colored glass to make aggregate concrete stepping stones. Home home improvement stores sell the same kinds of concrete in larger packages, suitable for making a large number of stones. Read the package for instructions on mixing the amount you need.

Decorative Uses

• Store-bought concrete stepping stones come in various colors and surface textures. Some prefabricated stones include such decorations as mosaic tile, engravings, embossed patterns and painted figures. Some purchased and handmade stepping stones are not intended to be walked on, and are purely decorative, for placement in a garden out of the way of walking paths. They may contain photos or other remembrances of loved ones or pets who have passed on. Some handmade stones contain engraved or painted messages for passers by.

Functionality

• Concrete stepping stones provide many functional uses in addition to visual appeal. They help to reduce the amount of dirt, mud and other debris tracked into the home on shoes. They save grass from being damaged by foot traffic. Items such as old keys, marbles, gravel, gems and rounded glass pressed into the surface of nearly set concrete provides visual interest, as well as providing additional traction and reducing the chance of accidents on cold, wet days.