10 DIY Step Stones to Brighten Any Garden Walk

Leaf Motif

A rhubarb leaf was the mold for this step stone, but any large leaf will do. Using Portland cement, frost the leaf like a cake. Add a layer of wire for reinforcement and frost again. After the concrete has cured, remove the green leaf to reveal a beautiful sculpture—that you can walk on!

Pebble Mosaic

Pebble mosaics are time-consuming to create but oh-so-stunning. If you have the time and the will, the result is definitely worth it. The stones must be set tightly together, ideally on their edge, in mortar within a form. If you work carefully, you shouldn’t see much mortar when you’re done—just the marvelous pebbles you’ve painstakingly collected.

Miscellany Mosaic

A cake pan, concrete, and a handful of pretty objects are the main ingredients for these mosaic step stones. Glass gems, tiles, marbles, and broken dishes are all great materials to use. Lay out your design at the bottom of the pan, then ﬁll with concrete, reinforcing with wire mesh halfway through. Each stone will be a one-of-a-kind creation.

Mementos

A step stone personalized with the imprints of little hands and feet makes a wonderful gift. Wait 15 minutes for the cement to set before making your prints. Commemorate each summer with a new stone as your children grow, and your garden path will be a walk down memory lane.

Lace Doily

If you don’t want to bother with cement, you can get pre-made step stones from a home improvement store and pretty them up with spray paint and lace doilies. Any patterned paper or stencil will work for these quick, easy, and elegant stepping-stones.

Fossils Underfoot

Modeling clay creates the form and helps make the edges of these step stones look organic. The “fossil” is just a ﬂower, branch, or leaf; the result—delicate simplicity in concrete.

Written in Stone

Add a set of stone stamps to your craft kit, and you can line your garden walk with words of inspiration—song lyrics, quotes, or names of family members. To adorn your garden with wordy whimsy, bedazzle a newly poured stone with decor, then lightly stamp the letters into the wet concrete.

Colorful Concrete

To make these vibrant step stones, add a thin layer of concrete to the top of store-bought stones, then stamp them with tin cans before the concrete sets. Concrete ﬂoor stain provides the color. Because the stain fades over time, touch it up every few years so you can continue to enjoy this splash of color in your garden.

Impressive Feat

Make a big impression with these textured step stones. Saw a 10- to 12-inch-diameter cardboard tube into 3-inch sections. Cut a rubber doormat to fit the ring of tubing; oil the mat and the inside of the ring. Pour concrete into the ring and push in the oiled doormat. When the concrete has hardened, remove the mat—and you’ll have a touch of class in the grass.

Sliced Wood

Large slices of wood make an easy and natural path for a garden. Now you know what to do with that tree that fell down in the last storm—get out the chain saw! You’ll find more things to do with cross-cut tree trunks and branches here.