00:00I've always hated how this garden just kind of spreads into our walkway and when I was down at
00:05the river the other day collecting rocks I got the best idea. So let's see how it turns out.
00:09I dug a trench on the edge of my garden where the weeds keep growing into the gravel sidewalk
00:14and then I made a form to fit the trench. I used scrap building materials I had on hand
00:20but plywood or other lumber would be just fine for this. One mistake I made was not putting a
00:26brace in the middle of this long form so trust me and don't skip this step like I did.
00:33I mixed up a bag of ready mix concrete in my wheelbarrow and I slowly added water until it
00:40reached the right consistency. I poured it into the form evenly over the bottom and then I added
00:46some larger rocks to help take up space and add strength. I mixed another bag of ready mix and
00:52then I added a bit more over the rocks. I placed some old metal files throughout the trench to add
00:59even more strength. Anyways I tampered it down with a scrap 2x4 and I smoothed it out with a trowel.
01:06Then I carefully placed my river rock onto the top of the concrete using my pre-planned designs.
01:13This is the fun part. You can get creative and create any design you want and then I let it
01:19dry
01:20for about 24 hours before I carefully removed the form and then I weeded the whole area and I filled
01:27it back in around it and that's how I made a concrete edger for my garden for under $20 with
01:34some
01:34concrete and river rocks. Okay this is the finished result. I am so happy with how it turned out. Let
01:41me know
01:41what you think in the comments and I hope this inspires you to get creative with river rock and
01:45concrete in your garden. Time to run down to your local baker and grab a big old container of cookies
01:51but even though those cookies are yummy what we want is that decorative lid. It is perfect for this
01:57project. We're going to measure it straight across and get about 10 inches. Lay out some cardboard and
02:03we're going to pick a bowl that's round for us to mark and this one is the perfect size. Just
02:09go ahead
02:09and lay it on the cardboard and take a marking pen and get you that perfect circle. Now it's time
02:14to
02:14mix up our cement. The best way to do it is pour a little bit of water in your mixing
02:20bucket first
02:21and then go ahead and add your concrete. Now word of advice do this in a well ventilated area. You
02:28can
02:28tell that it gets pretty dusty. If you need a little bit more water just add it. Now I use
02:33my drill and a
02:34mixing spoodle to put it together. If you need a hand mix it go ahead just do a little bit
02:38at a time
02:39so it's not too hard. Once we get it mixed carefully lay it inside the bucket. You can see the
02:45consistency
02:45here is like some really good pudding. Just put it in. Now once you get the right amount in you're
02:52going
02:52to go ahead and just shake it all up. This allows that concrete to spread and fill all the little
02:58gaps. If you need to add a little bit more but remember just shake it back and forth. Cut some
03:03strips
03:04of wood. This one is going to be full 10 inches across and the other ones are going to be
03:08four
03:08each. So you're going to put the large one first and then glue up the ends of the other two
03:13pieces.
03:14Don't be hesitant to use your finger to spread them out. This is non-toxic glue. Lay it out and
03:20fold
03:20it in. We want to make sure that all the pieces of the wood fit inside the circle. Now take
03:26some
03:26popsicle sticks and some hot glue. You're going to lay this across the top. This is going to be our
03:32clamp
03:32that is going to hold the pieces together while that wood glue dries. Once you get one side done
03:38flip it over. We're going to do the other side also. Exactly the same way as we did the first
03:43side.
03:44Once you get these pieces on it's so strong you couldn't even pull them apart if you tried and
03:50that's what we want. It's time to go ahead and drill them because we want to put these caster legs
03:54on
03:55there. One for each side of the boards. So take a drill that allows those caster wheels to go right
04:02inside and drill it all the way through. See that? It fits great. All we need to do is take
04:07some hot
04:08glue put it in and all four wheels go right in there. Now it's time to take those wood and
04:13the
04:13wheels and we're going to just shake it back and forth. Let it sink right into the concrete. This
04:19is what's going to hold it together. Just keep shaking it and once you get it in there it's going
04:24to hold just great. Let it dry for about 24 hours. Go ahead and turn it back over after that
04:3024 hours
04:31is up. We're going to use a knife and we're going to start cutting away the plastic. Just do this
04:36because once you cut it and be careful we don't want to cut up the side of the concrete. We
04:42need to
04:43get some air in there. That's what's going to release our mold from the concrete. Just keep working
04:49it all the way around the side. Once you get it up look at that. Look at that smooth beautiful
04:54concrete. It looks like it even has a mere finish to it. I couldn't have been more happy. Now it's
05:01time to go ahead and take it outside and test it. Make sure that it spins on those wheels and
05:07we've
05:07got the perfect base for a rolling planter. It works perfect. You can roll it around clean underneath
05:14and it looks great. Take a paper towel and spray it with cooking spray. Take this paper towel and rub
05:19it around your container or molds. Take your powdered cement or plaster and put it off to the side.
05:26Take just about two to three cups of water. Put it into your bowl before you go and add any
05:30sort of dye
05:31or pigment to this. You're going to want to make sure you have extra water that is dyed off to
05:35the side
05:36so you can mix it in just in case you need it. Powdered pigment is best to use since the
05:43color will be
05:43more vibrant and as your stepping stone fully sets the color will become brighter. Add pigment into
05:50your water and mix it. I added just about a tablespoon of pigment into my water since the powdered dye
05:56that
05:56I am using is very very vibrant when it dries. Let the powder fully dissolve and fully mix it in.
06:04You also probably want to mix a couple extra cups of water just have it off to the side or
06:09have extra
06:10water ready to roll just in case. Slowly add water into your powder mixture. Check the packaging for
06:15details on water ratio. Keep in mind Quikrete along with also concretes like that normally measure in
06:21actual weight in comparison to cups or any sort of measurement like that. It can be kind of hard to
06:29determine exactly how much water you should be adding but the consistency for both plaster and also
06:34quickrete or concrete would be very similar. Make sure to wear gloves when you're doing this and also
06:40be in a very well ventilated area. You want the consistency to be pancake batter like so not very
06:47liquidy but it should also still have some texture to it but not be really really solid or have large
06:53clumps. As you can see in this video this is the consistency of what it should look like for both
06:59plaster along with also quickrete. Once your quickrete or plaster is fully mixed scoop some into
07:05your mold and spread it around with your hand. Of course do this with a gloved hand. Fill the container
07:11to about the half inch mark or higher. You don't want it thinner than just about half of an inch
07:17if
07:17you're going to actually step on these. Once you have it filled to your liking tap your container a few
07:22times to flatten the mixture and take out extra air bubbles. After the mixture has sat in the mold for
07:27just
07:27about five minutes take a doily and center it and press it down lightly. Use your gloved fingertips to
07:33press lightly along with also spread it out a bit. Wait the proper amount of time for this to set.
07:40It takes
07:41about 30 minutes for plaster to set and it takes about 30 to 40 minutes for quickrete to set but
07:46not
07:47for it to fully set and fully dry. Pull the sides of your mold slowly to release the stepping stone.
07:55Flip the container upside down and hold the stepping stone in place. It will slowly release. To remove
08:01the doily pull up on one end and slowly start peeling it up. Definitely go slow so you don't break
08:08anything or you don't rip the doily. You can take the doily and clean it and actually use it as
08:14a coaster
08:15as long as you used a dye that was fabric safe. After your stepping stone is fully dry which can
08:21take up to
08:2248 hours bring it outside and line them up. You may notice that the color has brightened up. Please note
08:29Portland cement can support a lot more weight than plaster can. If you are making plaster stepping stones
08:35you're going to want to make sure that you seal them and also use them more so for decoration
08:39in comparison to going and stepping on them.
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