Stepping Stones
Introduction: Stepping stones are a great way to dress up your flower
gardens and walkways. They also make great gifts for birthdays and the
holiday seasons.
They are easy to make using material that’s
readily available at home improvement stores or garden
centers.
It’s a lot cheaper to make your own stepping stones
than it is to buy them. You can easily make an expensive
looking stepping stone for less than $10.00 that sells for
$20.00 or more. If you are a cut glass hobbyist you can even
save a lot more by cutting your own glass designs. If you do
not cut your own glass there are lots of cut glass shops
that will be happy to accommodate you with your own personal
stepping stone design.
Below
are seven easy steps to making your own stepping stones as a
DIY home improvement project.
-
Insure that you wear safety glasses and gloves while working
with cut glass and mortar and your work area is free of
other hazards.
-
Gather your material, pre mixed mortar, design items such as
cut glass figures, and mold. The mold can be as simple as an
old baking pan, or deep plastic saucer.
You may also make molds from scrap
wood. The depth of the mold should be limited to
approximately to 1 ½ inches. The diameter, if round, should
be limited to approximately 12 inches. Line the mold with
saran wrap to prevent the mortar from sticking to the mold.
This will ease removing the completed stone from the mold.
-
Mix the premixed mortar in a wheel barrel or other suitable
container. Mix the mortar by adding water. Keeping the
mixture stiff. An excessive amount of water will take a long
time to setup and will be messy to work with. Fill your mold
to approximately one quarter inch from the top to leave room
for the decorative items. Smooth the surface and tap the
edges of the mold to remove air bubbles.
-
When the mortar begins to set up (dry), approximately 30 to
forty five minutes, place the decorative items in the
mortar. Slightly push them down into the mortar mix. Insure
that the decorative items and mortar is flat (smooth). Use a
small trowel to smooth the mortar.
-
Let the completed mold set for three days in a dry area. Do
not place in direct sunlight. If the mortar dries too
quickly it may crack.
-
After three days remove the stepping stone from the mold and
peel off the saran. Finish decorating by painting if
desired.
-
Let the finish stone dry and harden for three weeks before
placing it in your garden.
Take your stepping stone inside for the winter if you live
in a heavy snow region. Cold wet weather may cause stepping
stones to crack and erode. The pictures on this page were
contributed by
Barbara Steensmas Custom Stained Glass. If you
desire a professionally designed stepping stone using
decorative cut glass figures, Barbara can be contacted at
brd06@roadrunner.com
.
Sample Stepping Stones:
 
See:
Stained Glass Windows
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