How often have you dreamed of having a lovely stone walkway through your Massachusetts yard or garden? Perhaps you’ve imagined how it will look, but have never had the financial resources to carry out your plans. Stone walkways can not only beautify your yard but also add solidity to walking paths with long-lasting practical use. If you’re on a limited budget but still want to create amazingly unique stone paths, consider using concrete stone molds. Outlined below are three simple steps to realizing your dream.

1. Purchase Stone Molds

Instead of buying pre-made manufactured stones, consider buying plaster molds so you can make your own. With concrete molds, you’ll buy the materials needed to make stones and then pick and choose from various coloring and mold designs to get the desired look. This enables you to achieve a truly matchless yard decor without spending a fortune on manufactured stones. You can buy one or two molds or a larger batch depending on the number of stones you’ll need. Measure how many stones you’ll likely need for your path before getting started. Also, determine if you want cobblestone, castle stone molds or another design.

2. Buy Materials

The second step is to buy the materials needed to use your concrete stone molds. Massachusetts Landscape stones can be created using a bag of premix concrete, water and a shovel. Then you’ll also buy special coloring, additive and a sealer to create your “footprint design” for each stone. Or, make your stones plain gray if so desired. You’ll need vegetable oil to lubricate the stone moulds so you can remove the stones easily after hardening.

When you purchase cement molds, make sure the molds come with easy-to-follow instructions. You can order concrete stone molds online and even read the instructions on the Web to see how simple the process is before buying. Some sites offer stone mold kits with everything you need plus 25 or more molds. This makes it a cinch to get started…and you don’t have to attend brick masonry class to do it! Also, be sure the moulds are of good quality and won’t break or crack under pressure when it’s time to remove your stones. Some are made of more durable materials to withstand the hardening and pressure.

3. Lay Your Stones

You can create stone paths in your yard as wide or narrow as needed. Then plant bushes or flowers alongside the stone paths to enhance your yard even more. Place a lovely stone path to your front porch or rear patio. Line your garden with stone paths to break it up in sections. This makes it easier to stroll through your yard after heavy rains, without getting your shoes wet.

Once you create a stone path, be sure to enhance your yard with other accessories such as garden fountains, statues, bird houses/baths, bird feeders, hammocks, etc. Your yard will never look the same, and you’ll feel a sense of achievement after creating your own charming paths with Massachusetts concrete stone molds.

Concrete? Oh no, I don’t want concrete for my patio! I hear this many times from Clients. However, you might want to think twice before dismissing this paving material. Concrete is often considered due to it being relatively inexpensive. While many Boston homeowners may want a different paving for there concrete patio designs, such as pavers, brick or natural stone, it is not always in their budget.

However, concrete can actually look very nice as a paving material choice. You just have to know how to spice it up. Here are some great ways to do just that.

1. Choose a color other than the typical cement color. This can be done by adding color into the concrete mix. You can then have paving that is an attractive color. Beige tones and grays look nice.

2. Use an acid base stain. This will create various shades of color and can actually look like stone. There are many colors to choose from. It is VERY nice. Be sure to hire a contractor who has had experience with this, as the application must be done correctly.

3. Create a geometric pattern. Rather than have large expanses of concrete, score the concrete into large squares. These might be eighteen inches or twenty four inches in size. An added advantage is that construction joints will blend into the scoring. Consider laying the pattern on the diagonal. This adds additional interest and can make the area look larger.

Advantages of Concrete

1. Inexpensive

2. Blends well with other hardscapes in the landscape.

3. Patterned and colored concrete normally do not fight with house colors and materials.

4. Nice colors can be achieved.

Disadvantages of Concrete

1. If not installed properly, can crack over time.

2. Additional procedures should be considered to make it interesting, as mentioned above.

Concrete with the above additions can work very nicely for patios and swimming pool decking.