How to Make Cement Paving Stones

These cement paving stones were made in a square mold.

Cement paving stones can serve purely utilitarian functions such as creating a walkway through a garden, marking a path across a lawn or supporting a heavy container of flowers. They can also be decorative additions to your lawn or garden. Embellish homemade paving stones before the cement dries by adding objects, drawing pictures or using stencils or cookie cutters to add images. Making decorative paving stones is a great project for kids and adults to do together.

Things You'll Need

• Old or disposable aluminum 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans
• Shallow cement molds (optional)
• Cement mix
• 10-gallon bucket or wheelbarrow
• Old soup ladle or child's sand pail
• Spray cooking oil
• Cement trowel
• Wood scraps
• Scissors
• Embellishments such as marbles, glass beads, fish tank gravels, mosaic tile (optional)
• Marking aids such as cookie cutters, craft sticks, stencils (optional)
• Concrete sealant

Instructions

1. Mix a batch of cement following the manufacturer's directions in the bucket or wheelbarrow, depending on how much you will need. Gauge how much cement you can pour in 15 minutes or how much your molds will hold and mix the batch accordingly. Use one of the wood scraps to stir the cement and water.

2. Coat the cake pans or other molds with spray cooking oil.

3. Fill the cake pans or other molds to the top or to a depth of 1 1/2 inches, whichever is greater, with cement. If you mixed the cement in a bucket, you can pour it directly into the molds. If you mixed it in a wheelbarrow, use an old soup ladle or a child's sand pail to transfer the cement to the molds.

4. Tap the mold on the ground to remove air bubbles.

5. Draw a piece of scrap lumber across the top of the wet cement to level it.

6. Wait as the cement begins to set. Watch for it to achieve the consistency of brownie batter.

7. Decorate the top of the paving stone with embellishments, shapes made with cookie cutters or drawings made with craft sticks.

8. Wait for the paving stones to dry, consulting the manufacturer's instructions for timing.

9. Flip the molds over and tap the paving stones out of the molds, or cut off the disposable aluminum cake pans.

10. Spray the paving stones with two coats of sealant when they are completely cured. Consult the cement manufacturer's instructions for the timing of the curing process.

References

• The Mold Store: Do It Yourself Guide...How to Make Custom Stone, Tile, Pavers, and Bricks
• "52 Backyard Landscaping Projects"; Kristin Hampshire; 2007