When it comes to color, its important to know that this Sand Topping Mix cures to a frosted pale grey almost a frosted white. Graduate of San Diego State University, he travels extensively throughout the United States capturing the American Spirit in words. Now, if you arent looking to make your own concrete stones, you may want to check out my poston how to build a concrete paver patio, where I purchased the pavers instead of making them. If you prefer to create your own concrete pavers using Quikrete products, simply follow the instructions on the packet. Im that lady who swears too much, gets in trouble for sharing too many opinions. It will probably be easiest if you mix what you think youll need for the whole stone, but separate a section that will be the top . This will save you time and money by doing some testing first. This is because I was able to push some extra pebbles up against the sides. These concrete stepping stones were not cast in a pre-made mold, they were cast on-site. Purchasing large concrete pavers is a popular option because creating them with standard DIY techniques takes time and experience to avoid cracks and unevenness. The height of the mold vs the width was such that it applied quite a bit of pressure onto the cement when trying to demold it. Just be sure to read the labels and always stick within the recommended thicknesses. This silicone mold for a concrete planter had walls that were just under thick. Ahead, we break down exactly which concrete productyou should buy for five popular outdoor DIYs, and why, so your concrete creations will stand the test of time. Create The Stepping Stone Mold With The Straps, Fine Tune The Shape By Molding It With Your Hands And Prepare For Accent Coloring For The Concrete Stepping Stones, Now Color The Conrete's Top Layer For The Artistic/Accent Coloring, Add A Stone Texture To The Concrete With The Plastic Bag. Due to the physicality of it Im rating this project as moderate. Please refer to the FULL materials list above the tutorial steps. What kind of concrete do you use to make stepping stones? This will give you a sense of how the techniques work and whether you need to adjust the amount of colorant. This will involve some planning, as you need to know how many molds you are going to have to fill. Lets take a hypothetical example of a 2 foot wide x 2 foot high concrete planter box. I only recommend products Ive used and loved, unless otherwise stated. Technically I had 5 large concrete stepping stones, but if I combined the small ones together, I could see that they would have made 9 large ones. This content is paid advertising created in partnership with Quikrete. Just be aware that when the cement is wet, it looks quite dark, but will cure to quite a light shade of grey that almost looks white. I didnt want to work with a mix that was going to have a quick setting time, since these stepping stones were so large. Ill provide some insight to make figuring this out a whole lot easier! I verified this with Quikretes customer service department before starting the project. After you have started the next stone mold, feel the concrete to see if it has some form to it. You can get away with a mix that does contain aggregate, but just not too large. Stop dreaming about that private outdoor oasis and start building it with concrete! Differences in concrete mix formulas make certain varieties better suited forcertain projects. This article is dedicated entirely to the ratio of cement to sand in portland cement. How to make your own DIY stepping stones that look natural, using concrete and coloring them. Its up to you and how comfortable you feel. If you are pouring on-site, youll have to move fast since it is rapid setting and curing. They are porous, so you will likely encounter staining if you dont seal them. I love the outdoors and interacting with nature. This is why I recommend it for most of my tutorials. I have experienced cracking by trying to get mixes like sand topping mix and vinyl patcher into narrow molds. And this is where the workability/fluidity comes into play. Im asked this question all the time What mix should I use for making a planter? (or substitute any type of project they might be working on). Concrete is essentially a blend of aggregates (sand and gravel or crushed stone) and paste (water and Portland cement). Minimal concrete shrinkage along with vibration during curing willguaranteesmooth countertops without unsightly dimples or voids. Then pour in the dry concrete mix but do this in small batches. Dean Patterson is a freelance writer and outdoor enthusiast. With smaller spaces, look for a mix that doesnt have large aggregate. Another important article isMaking Cement Crafts Techniques & Tipswith info on cement materials, mixture consistencies, demolding, safety and clean up! I can say this has been my favorite DIY to date because of how amazingly practical the stepping stones turned out to be for us. Like CTSs RapidSet line, then you can always use their additive Set Control. And last but not least, concrete stepping stones. the difference is between cement and concrete, I talk about that here, I tested the differences between six different concrete mixes, ratio of cement to sand in portland cement, DIY Natural Looking Concrete Stepping Stones, Best Concrete Crafts Projects for Beginners, DIY Large Concrete Silicone Mold For A Planter. With a concrete mix that simply requires water likeQuikrete Concrete Mix, you can easily install a patio, sidewalk, or steps that will withstand the daily grind of a household as well as inclement weather for years to come. First I sketched out how I wanted them to look. Make one test piece that is approximately 1x1 and 2 deep. He can be found running along the California coast or in the wilds of the great Rock Mountains. The amount you add will have been determined from the two pieces you tested before beginning the project. Edges should be set to allow for proper drainage and should slope evenly away from structures. This is because (at least in my area), Sakretes mixes are only sold at Lowes, but Quikrete and RapidSet are at Home Depot, and thats what I have closest to me. And as concrete planter sizes go down, the narrower you can go with your wall and bottom thicknesses. The gravel is only up to about wide, so easily can fit into a 1 wide concrete mold. These straps are replacement straps that are used to repair vinyl strap outdoor chairs. Thanks for stopping in. Before you embark onthe project of your choice, though, youll first need to select the right mix. Always use the least amount of water to achieve the most fluidity needed for filling the voids of your mold. Remember not all concrete is grey, nor smooth so aesthetics will also play a role in choosing whats the best concrete mix. How Soon After Pouring Concrete Sidewalks Should They Be Sealed? Really, the tall support isnt that important as its bearing no weight. Becauseposts can be unwieldy to handle,its best to select a concrete product thatsets quickly. If you try to do it all at once, it will make it very difficult to mix in such a large amount. Its much cheaper to make your own stepping stones using concrete than it is to buy stepping stones, especially if you have them installed. The labels on these bags will often specify for use for thickness from 2 thick to a feather edge. This Glass Block mix is tricky because it is airy and not dense. Cement hardens by reacting with water, and the concrete gets stronger as it gets older, forming a water-resistant product. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. This mix can actually show fine detail as well, as Ive seen people cast this mix on top of large leaves to make stepping stones. With my vinyl straps, I was limited to making only three molds at a time. Quikretes Sand Topping Mix doesnt need to be reinforced as long as you dont go over the 2 thickness. For detailed information on how to color/pigment concrete crafts, you may want to check out my Concrete Crafts Pigment Tests article. If so, then remove the vinyl strap. I love the outdoors and interacting with nature. Quikrete, founded in 1940 in Columbus, Ohio, is a manufacturer of packaged concrete mixes that can be used for making concrete pavers. If you want to make your own stone thats personalized, consider adding decorative elements to the top. He has published as a journalist as well as with Amazon eBooks. Setting the posts for these common outdoor structures in concrete makes for sturdier, safer, and more stable structures in the long run. But the concrete mixes that support those thicknesses will go hand in hand. Spread the concrete around with your gloved hands first, and be sure to get it right up to the strap edges. Youll still have to level the top of them, but it may not be necessary for you to do anything to level the ground beforehand. Check out the video tutorial to create crowd-pleasing concrete countertops for all your outdoor entertaining needs. PSI stands for pounds per square inch. Place the bag on your hands and pat the top of the concrete. Meanwhile, the mixs low water-to-cement ratio yields a high-strength, hard-wearing concrete. I needed something with that mud pie consistency so it didnt flow out of my vinyl straps and so that I could hand sculpt it. Quikrete Crack-Resistant Concrete Mixis a great option. The set time should be about 15-25 minutes. It just never needs much water to be added to make it fluid. I was wrong. One-quarter inch for every 12 feet is enough to allow for rain runoff. I didnt seal these -in part because I didnt want to add an extra expense for a home I dont own. These are what you will manipulate to get the general stone shape. If you are wondering about needing to cover these with plastic while curing, per the concrete representative at Quikrete, it is not necessary. My main goal with these stones was to make them look just like actual stepping stones. Place the extra bowl/cup of water next to each color. Youll need to figure out how much mix you will need for your concrete stepping stones project. The good news is that there are usually several good options for mixes, regardless of the project. For example, special additives improve the flow of concretefor pouring countertops, whileother additivesboost the impact resistance of concrete for lawn borders. So I used Quikretes Sand Topping Mix. However, its safer to add reinforcement to this. These may be more difficult to work with than ones with a low cement to sand ratio. Another recommendation for a planter of this size would be to use a layer of wire mesh to reinforce the concrete, but well save details on that conversation for another day. Using a tamper, compact the gravel base. Regardless of the term, they have one important objective to help get you from spot A to spot B. You also will have plenty of time to adjust the color as you are working on them. The heavier the planter, the more durability you will need. Check out my concrete eBook, everything you need to know about making concrete crafts all in one spot! You see, these are the factors youll need to know to determine which concrete mix you should use. You can play with this by adding water to help mute the color. The amount of strength needed for the project will be vital in making the right concrete mix choice. In the paver patio situation, it wascheaper to buy than to make. Pour some of each colorant into its own bowl/cup. Test the coloring by brushing the colorant on top of one side of the colorant and leave the other side natural for comparison. Ive gone through the actual experience of making these DIY Natural Looking Concrete Stepping Stones and talked to a couple of different manufacturers as well. The commercial-grade blend of cement, stone or gravel, and sand is specially formulated to reach a compressive strength of 1,500psi in 24 hours (and 5,000psi within a month). Just dont color it yet, youll do this after the base layer is in place. Keep patting until you like the way the texture and blending look. Place them around the outside of your mold wherever you feel it needs support. All I did was insert the inner mold into the wet cement mix in the outer mold. I wanted a white base to start with and since the goal of the project was to dye it with a fabric dye so I went with Glass Block Mortar Mix. The best concrete mix to use for path stones will be based on the thickness and size. If you are using red, then go lightly with it because it tends to be highly pigmented and you only need a little to get the color to come through. CementAll has more cement than sand, and contains compounds that allow it to be very workable. Large-scale pavers can be big, bold and beautiful. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY. Are you replacing a fence, mailbox, or lamppost, or installing a swing set or basketballhoop for the kids? So it tends to be my go-to product. Large planters are great to use as examples. Now with a planter that is still quite sizable, but the walls are 1 thick. I also had it on hand and needed to use it before the bag expired. You can follow much of this tutorial and make regular round stones, using the same stepping stone mold I used for these. Thats incredibly high strength. Evenly spread 2 to 4 inches of pebble-sized gravel into the excavated area. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. I prefer looking online for their datasheets because its much easier than trying to read the tiny print in the stores. You can get this information by going directly to the website of the manufacturer and reading the datasheet for each specific mix. Then I was able to get a pretty good idea by using ropes as temporary molds. Of course, you dont have to make concrete stepping stones that look natural. Typically, large pavers are built up to 60 inches in size with the same handcrafted elegance found in smaller pavers.