Let’s make a concrete stepping stone DIY for your garden using broken plates and cups.

Making concrete stepping stones for your garden is a great way to use odd plates and cups that you have in your cupboards. Or, head to a thrift store or yard sale to pick up pieces to mix and match.

We wanted to make a path from our chicken coop door to our chicken pen gate. Outside the coop door though we have a large maple tree with shallow roots so we decided the best option was to make a stepping stone path.

How to make a concrete stepping stone

We made 6 stepping stones and complete the project over a 3-day period. Even though the concrete and grout are said to be quick drying, we wanted to leave each of those steps overnight to ensure they were dry completely before moving on.

Supplies needed to make a concrete stepping stone

• Pro-Mix Accelerated Concrete Mix or any other fast-setting concrete mix
• 10-inch clear plastic plant saucer
• Plates, bowls, and mugs
• Grout
• Bucket
• Trowel
• Sponge
• Water
• Tile nippers
• Chicken wire
• Wire cutters
• Shovel

Instructions for making a concrete stepping stone

Step 1

Use tile nippers to cut your plates, cups, and bowls into smaller pieces. For curved pieces such as mugs and bowls you will want to cut smaller pieces so you don’t have a large curve in your mosaic.

Tile cutting tip:  Face the wheels on the tile nippers in the direction you want the tile to break.

Step 2

Place wire over the top of the clear plastic saucers and cut around it. Place the cut wire inside the saucer. When this quick set concrete is poured, it should be about 2 inches thick, however the saucers aren’t quite that high on the sides. You will need the wire to help reinforce the concrete and prevent cracks from forming.

Step 3

Follow the directions on the fast-setting concrete mix bag to combine it with water in a bucket. We find the fast-setting concrete mix works best with this kind of DIY project, however once poured, you will need to add the mosaic pieces quickly.

Step 4

Pour the concrete mix into the clear plastic saucers. Make sure that the wire is covered. You will need to work quickly for the next step, especially if you are making a few stepping stones like we did.

Step 5

Working quickly, place your broken plate pieces into the concrete. You can make a pattern, or just place them in random spots, it’s entirely up to you. Set aside to dry completely; we left ours overnight.

Step 6

Spread a layer of grout over the top of your mosaic stepping stone. With a damp sponge wipe a layer off to expose the pattern, but don’t wipe it completely clean. Leave overnight, and then using a sponge, gently clean the remaining grout off the plate pieces.

Step 7

Using scissors, carefully cut down the side of the clear plastic sauce and then across the bottom of it to remove it from the stepping stone.

Step 8

Place the concrete stepping stone where you want it in the garden. Using the shovel dig marks around the edge of it. Remove the stepping stone, and then dig a shallow hole to place the stone in. This will give it extra support to prevent cracking over time when it’s stepped on. If you have sand, you can add a layer of that underneath it too if you like.

{“@context”:”http:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”HowTo”,”name”:”Concrete Stepping Stone DIY For Your Garden”,”author”:{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Tonya Staab”},”datePublished”:”2021-06-18″,”yield”:”1″,”description”:”Make concrete stepping stones for your garden using broken plates and cups.”,”image”:[“https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/diy-concrete-stepping-stone-480×480.jpg”,”https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/diy-concrete-stepping-stone-480×360.jpg”,”https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/diy-concrete-stepping-stone-480×270.jpg”,”https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/diy-concrete-stepping-stone.jpg”],”prepTime”:”PT30M”,”performTime”:”P2DT”,”totalTime”:”P2DT30M”,”tool”:[“Bucket”,”Trowel”,”Sponge”,”Tile nippers”,”Chicken wire”,”Wire cutters”,”Shovel”],”supply”:[“Pro-Mix Accelerated Concrete Mix or any other fast-setting concrete mix”,”10-inch clear plastic plant saucer”,”Plates, bowls, and mugs”,”Grout”,”Water”],”step”:[{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”text”:”Break plates, cups, and bowls into pieces using tile nippers.”,”position”:1,”name”:”Break plates, cups, and bowls into pieces using…”,”url”:”https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/173878\/concrete-stepping-stone-diy\/#mv_create_320_1″},{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”text”:”Place wire on top of the clear plastic saucers and cut around them using wire cutters. Place the cut wire inside the saucer.”,”position”:2,”name”:”Place wire on top of the clear plastic…”,”url”:”https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/173878\/concrete-stepping-stone-diy\/#mv_create_320_2″},{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”text”:”Mix the concrete with water according to the bag directions and pour into the saucer making sure the wire is covered.”,”position”:3,”name”:”Mix the concrete with water according to the…”,”url”:”https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/173878\/concrete-stepping-stone-diy\/#mv_create_320_3″},{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”text”:”Working quickly, arrange the broken plate pieces on top, gently pushing them into the concrete. Set aside to dry overnight.”,”position”:4,”name”:”Working quickly, arrange the broken plate pieces on…”,”url”:”https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/173878\/concrete-stepping-stone-diy\/#mv_create_320_4″},{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”text”:”Spread grout over the top of each stepping stone and carefully wipe the excess off (to expose the broken plates) with a damp sponge. Set aside to dry.”,”position”:5,”name”:”Spread grout over the top of each stepping…”,”url”:”https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/173878\/concrete-stepping-stone-diy\/#mv_create_320_5″},{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”text”:”Once completely dry gently wipe the excess grout off each of the broken pieces with a damp sponge.”,”position”:6,”name”:”Once completely dry gently wipe the excess grout…”,”url”:”https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/173878\/concrete-stepping-stone-diy\/#mv_create_320_6″},{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”text”:”Dig a shallow hole in the garden the size of the stepping stone and put it inside.”,”position”:7,”name”:”Dig a shallow hole in the garden the…”,”url”:”https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/173878\/concrete-stepping-stone-diy\/#mv_create_320_7″}],”url”:”https:\/\/kidsactivitiesblog.com\/173878\/concrete-stepping-stone-diy\/”}

More DIY projects for your garden from Kids Activities Blog

• Make a Father’s Day stepping stone
• Kokedama hanging garden for kids
• DIY creative ideas for your backyard
• How to make a bean pole garden tent

Have you made concrete stepping stones for your garden?