How to make foot print stepping stones?

[Nik_M]

Good Evening 

I am trying to find out how to make cement stepping stones that adults will imprint with their feet or hands as a memorial for out family as my dad is terminal and would love to have something that will last qld elements in the garden space. What type of cement and how long after mixture is made would we need to press feet into to create the imprint? 

[EricL]

Hello @Nik_M 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about making footprint stepping stones.

I propose building a timber square frame 400 x 400 using the tall side of a Specrite 70 x 35mm 0.9m Short Pine Run Of Mill or similar. Spray the inside of the frame generously with Boston 400GM Heavy Duty Lanolin Spray 78634. This will serve as a release agent preventing the concrete from binding with the timber frame when you take it off. Place the frame on top of a plastic sheets and you can then start mixing your concrete, I suggest using Easy Mix 20kg 55MPa Super Strength Concrete or similar. You can also put some Rio bars inside the timber frame if you wish to make the stepping stone stronger. 

Once you've mixed the concrete start filling the frame and use a flat piece of timber to screed the surface flat. You can use a Dunlop 80mm Concrete Edger to give the steps edge a nice finish and a Craftright 280mm Plasterers Trowel to get a flat surface finish. In regards to imprinting the surface, the waiting time can be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes or when you notice that the surface of the concrete is no longer wet. Another method is to press your thumb on the surface and if the concrete does not collapse on itself its ready to be imprinted on. 

My best advice is to try to level the surface very well before imprinting the surface. Allow the concrete to fully cure so that it reaches maximum strength then remove the timber frame and seal the surface with a Crommelin 1L Natural Finish Penetrating Sealer And Water Repellent.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to pour a concrete slab by @tom_builds (the techniques used are applicable to your project)

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Jason]

So sorry to read about your father @Nik_M.

I hope Eric's advice was helpful. Please don't hesitate to post again if you need further assistance. We're here to help.

Jason

[Noyade]

Sorry to read about your dad @Nik_M 

A very worthy project indeed. I originally had this in the ground but when council warned me of the block's upcoming sewer project I lifted it out and mounted it vertically. One thing I noticed with the imprints is they were poorly delineated from a distance, so rightly or wrongly I painted the impressions.

Just a coffee thought on a rainy day.

Cheers.

[Nik_M]

Thank you so much to try really helpful advice.