Jennifer's Mosaics 16" Hexagon Stepping Stone

Good shape and works well to make stones

This mold is very easy to use. It take approximately 1/2 of a 40 lb bag of fast drying concrete mix. I coated the mold with a light coat of Vaseline before I poured the cement into it. I was creative and added a large, deeply veined water lily leaf from my garden. I placed it in the bottom of the mold, face of the leaf downward. Then poured the concrete. I made a rather loose mix of cement. I allowed the mold to sit on a level spot for 24 hours. I placed a piece of plywood on top of the mold and flipped it to remove the stepping stone. I was so pleased to see a perfect stepping stone with the leaf still embedded in the now top of the stone. I gently peeled off the leaf and there was the perfect impression of the water lily leaf! Beautiful! I am going to color the lily part with a thin green paint so it accents the veins of the leaf. Then I will seal the whole stone with something clear. I am in the process of making another stone today. This time I am using boston fern leaves. I'll update in the future with more ideas.Update 7/31/15.... I have made several stones using this mold. I have embedded oak leaves, ferns, hosta, etc. All turned out wonderfully. The fern leaves were a bit delicate. Any sturdy leafed plant would do nicely. I collected the various leaves while hiking in different locations. Each leaf was saved as a remembrance of that location. What a better way to recall a moment than to embed it in stone! My garden walk has become a beautiful walk of mementos.

We live in a 1950s house and I needed to match some existing original vintage hex pavers. I could only find one source and for what I needed, the cost was prohibitive. I've made about ten so far with this mold and I couldn't be happier. It is sturdy so I expect to be able to make the rest without the plastic failing. I'm able to make 3 with an #80 bag of crete. I wipe a little motor on to facilitate de-molding, but I've tried it without any and it worked just as well. Make sure to tap the edges all around to get rid of air bubbles and to make sure all of the mold is filled. I float the concrete with a small piece of 2x4 and let it sit for 4 to 5 hours. I carefully de-mold and let the paver cure in the sun (always a good idea to put some water on it while curing so it doesn't dry out too fast). I'm able to make 3 a day, so I'll be finished soon! Including the cost of the mold, I will have about $60 into the project, not the $500 the stone company wanted.

This is mold is easy to use and is made with a quality hard plastic! I messaged the seller to have them ship it earlier as this was for a special gift. The seller responded right away and shipped it within 24 hours. It arrived on time! Thank you!

The very first stone was perfect. Then the quality on each next stone went downhill. See it for yourself stone 1 vs stone 18. Constantly sticking at the edges no matter how much Vaseline do I put. Also the mold itself will get scratched up over time and will result in marks all over the surface (which is is not a big deal for me). More concerned about the edges. Real bummer. I will have to get another mold like this to complete my project.

The molds are nearer 15-1/4 inches than 16 inches. They are at least 1/2 inch smaller than the molds I purchased 15-20 years ago. I will need to modify some patterns to fit my new molds.

I have several of Jennifer's Mosaic stepping stone molds that are well over 10 years old and they are holding up nicely. Granted I don't pour that many stepping stone but one circular one I have used several times and it's still like new. The new mold that has arrived looks to be the exact same quality as the ones I already have and I expect it to last just as long.

Yup. What I needed to make the mean woman happy. I bought two molds and have started on my wife;s meditation patio. Putting stained glass into the stepping stones and have started working her meditation bench.