Concrete Stepping Stone Path

We had a mulch path connecting the driveway to the side garage door, but it was messy and full of weeds. I priced out pavers but the roots from my neighbor's oak tree and my shallow irrigation pipes made it impossible to dig down for a proper base. Since I wanted more of a garden path, I looked for alternatives and decided on concrete stepping stones.

I didn't like the molds for concrete stepping stones because they repeat too much. I'm too cheap frugal to purchase concrete stones or flagstones, so I thought I try this method. I dug out the mulch, grass and weeds and leveled the path as much as I could. I removed a bunch of oak roots too. I hand-tamped the ground and laid landscape fabric (tip: don't buy the pins/staples from the Home center - they suck! Go to Amazon and buy in bulk. I bought 500 for $30 and they're much bigger and stronger). I used marking paint to lay out a 3' wide path.

I first tried molding a blob of concrete by hand. I mixed it "thick", and it came out OK but I wasn't happy with the result. It was difficult to make one stone level with another. I recently purchased some recycled resin edging material (also from Amazon) and had some left over. I ripped it down to about 1-3/4" on the table saw. Then I scored it on both sides randomly so it could bend into a stone shape. After I tried one I found it was easier and quicker than trying to mold concrete by hand. One 50 lb. bag did 3 stones.

I ended up with 4 different forms. They're held together with tape so I could adjust as necessary. Because it's flexible, I could move the bends to come up with different patterns.

I used a block of wood as a spacer for a consistent gap. I was originally planning on filling the gap with rubber mulch - more on that later. I finished a few, remove the forms and let them dry. I realized I needed some color. I bought some powdered concrete dye from the home center, but instead of mixing into the concrete I sprinkled a bit on top and "sponged" it in with a wet rag. I used mostly tan and black with a hint of red. You can see the variation in color on the top 4 stones.

Now that the process was set, I had some other work to do. The sprinklers for the grass had to be moved outside of the path. I decided to add some shrubs to the path as well so I bought some landscape lights. I already had the transformer, so just needed some new wire. Since the lights would be on both sides, I snaked the wire between the stones.

I added a drip irrigation line for the new plants. I tried using the rubber mulch between the stones but it wouldn't "settle" enough. We have a landscape place close by so we tried some different things and ended up with 1/2" granite chips. Pea gravel was a close second (cheaper) but it didn't pack as well. The granite was rather expensive, so to save $$$ I would use the mulch under the plants. Now I needed a way to separate the mulch from the rock. The ripped edging was handy for that. I just set it on top of the fabric and used the plastic anchors to hold it upright until the stones and mulch were down.

Finally, after several weekends, it's done. I purchased the Quikrete sealer and sealed it all. We'll see how it holds up through the hot Florida summer.