Quickcrete should be okay, if you have some chicken wire or stucco mesh a layer of that in the middle will add a huge amount of strength,
Cindy

I personally think what you have should do fine for what you want.
as the post above me said adding the wire or mesh will add strength. So will adding a fiber to the mix. Another option is to buy an addative at the local garden/home improvment store, that goes inteh cement instead of water.
As to actually pouring them... I see two options that are both on the cheap and easy side of stuff.
You cuold hit a dollar store and buy pie tins or cake pans or what not and use them for a mold to pour them in. If I did this Id put some sand int eh bottom of the mold before adding the mid so that it comes out with a bit of a texture instead of just flat and slick when wet.
If it were me, Id make them atleast 1/2" thick, prefarbly about 2" because of strength.
The other easy option is to pour them in place.
You could use some scrap lumber to form a mold for its edges and dig this into place, pour the mix, wait a bit and pop the lumber off. Im talking waiting a few hours here not days, in days that cement will be a permenant part of the wood. You cuold also put together a frame of the mold made from wood, stain it and seal it and leave it permenantly attached to the stone. Drive a few nails an inch or so into the wood and leave them sticking out head side into teh center of it where the cement will be to add some sticking points for it to hold together better should you one day dig up and move them, not to mention so that the wood isnt as likely to split off from someone stepping on its edges.
You cuold also simply dig a hole about the size and shape you want and pour the mix directly into it.
If it were me no matter the method I used Id line the bottom of the hole with some sand, its going to be more stable than the dirt and keep the stone from tipping in future years. If I build a brick walk way I like about 2 inches of sand for a base and thats what Id use here as well.
Once its poured and starts to cure I would either throw some sand on top to give it a texture and wash it away a few days after, or Id broom it.
Lightly go over e top after it sets up some and is getting like a putty texture to it isntead of a liquid. just rememerb your adding lines for traction, not trying to push out the cement. a push broom is best for this. You could also use a trowel and put a few lines in its face.
I prefer things with traction factor added, but its your garden, you could also if you wanted to do so, leave them smooth. Or in the pie pan scenario, line it with some sand, place soem small pebbles in that and pour on tip of it. When its set up you can remove the pie tin, some may need to be peeled away if it doesnt jsut pop right out. and it will have a stepping stone with a pebble face. You cuold use rocks bought at the store for decorative purposes or some river rock or even marbles if you wanted it a bit shiney.

"Quikrete" is a manufacturers name, is it a ready mix with cement, sand and gravel that you have? If that's what you have you probably wouldn't need wire or mesh in your zone as long as you make them thick enough, around 2" to 2 1/2"

You can cut a shape out of the soil and pour in place. You can use plastic tubs (spray with PAM baking spray or other release agent) and just pour about 2" in the bottom. If you don't have to worry about shoveling snow off of them you can mosaic the tops or use glass marbles. You can put leaves on top and press them in lightly to get an imprint. You can write on the tops. It is a little harder to do the imprints, mosaic and lettering with Quikrete because of the gravel but it can be done. Billie

I wanted to make some and put broken pieces of left over tile on top. Would that work or do I have to use something other than Quickcrete?

justadncr, I'll try one more time, ""Quikrete" is a manufacturers name" what is the name on the bag? This manufacturer makes a lot of different mixes, is it cement, redi-mix, mortar mix. With the right mix and mold you can place broken pieces of tile on top. Billie

Here is a link that might be useful: Quikrete

Another item that works great for a stepping stone mold is the plastic tops from either cakes (square) or say meat & cheese trays (round) from the grocery store. The clear plastic ones. They have a fluted edge & the cement pops right out when they are ready to be unmolded. I have pressed leaves, ferns...whatever I can find in the top for decoration. Good luck!

I thought there was a mix called quickete and then there was Portland cement. I have some Portland cement but I thought I had to use a mix for stepping stones. I would be willing to make the mix I just need to know what is the best to use.

justadncr, There are many manufacturers of portland cement. You can buy a concrete mix (portland cement, sand and gravel) pre-packaged or make your own. A concrete mix will give you a stronger stepping stone. The gravel makes it a little harder to put leaf imprints in the top but you can set tile and glass pretty easy. Billie

years ago a popular magazine gave us the idea to use a pizza box, line it with a garbage bag, put some leaves for a design on the bottom, (I use quick setting mix) add 1/2 of the mix, put in 4 coat hangers to strength, add the rest of the concrete--and write your message on the top (or add stones, stained glass etc, hand prints of your kids, etc.) my new messages will read "this yard on loan from God. Thanks, Chris" & "I tried, it died)

I love the pizza box idea.
I have just plain Portland Cement not a mix.
If I was to make a mix what would it be?
I guess what my real question is. "What do I use to make stepping stones?"
Sorry I have not been clear. I am new to all this. I just made my first hypertufa trough.

So think of your portland as being like a glue, and it needs something to adhere to. I usually use a 1 part portland to 3 parts aggregate and it makes a strong mix. I'd perhaps use two parts sand and one part gravel. if possible choose a gravel with sharp edges not all rounded, that will also give you more strength,once you do this you'll realize how easy it is .
Cindy

Thanks. I'll try that.

Hi, another newbie to this forum jumping in to make it worse ;-)

Cindy, you use one part gravel with your one part portland and two parts sand. Is this less gravel than the Quikrete or other branded mixes?

I guess throughout this thread I have found certain attributes I would like - good strength, ability to design with leaves and tile/rocks - and I want to learn the best material to use to get those attributes. I can mix my own if that's the way to do it, or I will buy the stuff that's premade if there's one that'll do what I want.

I *love* the idea of digging the soil, lining it with sand, and pouring the material in, then decorating and allowing it to cure. lol, just like making candles in Girl Scouts 35 years ago! I think in my zone, I would need the added strength of some fiber or something - suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Terri

Original poster here. What I had on hand was "Concrete Mix" and the brand was "Setcrete". I used disposable cake pans (great idea from one of the posters). The mix really seemed good. Yes it had gravel in it but I tapped it down and then set it on a table. I used an orbital sander on it's side held underneath the table to vibrate and distribute the gravel. They really turned out nice. I'll try to post pictures later. I even did my child's handprint in one and pressed glass, etc. in the others. They are small but I really only wanted something to guide me through my small garden so I wouldn't step on newly planted seedlings.

Your stepping stones turned out cute.
Carol

I've done stained glass for years and wanted to try my hand at stepping stones. I've read a hundred different things about which products to use. I want a nice smooth stone that will be durable since it will be donated for a fundraiser. I bought a bag of sanded grout for the first layer, Portland cement, and fine sand. I've read so many differing opinions I'm not sure what I need. Can anyone give me some pointers? I'd hate to donate a stepping stone that falls apart!
Thanks in advance.

This is a really old post and I'm not sure any of the original helpers will be here to see it, but I can tell you what we did. We used a "maximizer" concrete mix that had the fibers already mixed in and we used the powdered colorant. To decorate, we used leaves from the garden for half and mosaic tile for the others and laid the design feature on the bottom of our containers (we used inexpensive plastic litter boxes for larger stones and sprayed the pans with cheap cooking spray as a release agent under the decor).

I wish I had read about the sand for friction because one day as I was watering the garden and not paying attention to where I was stepping, I slipped on one with mosaic and broke my toe on a garden statuary. Glass and ceramic are very slippery when wet . We poured them 3-4 inches thick and they have held up very well in the garden for 4 years. The leaf imprints are very pretty and still crisp.

I am curious as to using pine needle on the bottom (top) for texture and to help with slipperiness. I am not trying to make perfect smooth stones. I have eight bags of cement leftover from putting in my fence. It sounds like I need to add some sand to the mix too. I love the ideas for molds- great! And cheaper than the manufactured ones on eBay. And to use wd40 or Pam. Super ideas. It's too cold here in mn to try them yet. I was wondering how long they have to cure before you take them out of the molds? And how long before they can go in. The garden? I am thinking 2 inches thick. Thx for any advice

We cured ours slowly, letting them sit in the mold for several days inside of a large plastic bag and from there right into the garden. I had some wild idea that drying them slowly would ensure that they would stay strong. I'm not sure that was necessary, but we've had ours now for 6 years and they are holding up very well, still no chips or cracks.