Here’s a nifty idea that’s both affordable and virtually foolproof. With some concrete and a little glow-in-the-dark paint, you can have an illuminated pathway in nothing flat, perfect for midnight strolls under a full moon. The beauty of these stepping-stones is that it doesn’t matter how long, short, wide or narrow your area is. You have total freedom to design the stones and the pathway you want. And you don’t need a mold. Just dig, add concrete and walk away. It really is simple. Take a look! What You Will Need 1.Straight-sided spade 2.Wheelbarrow 3.Shovel or hoe 4.Powdered concrete mix 5.Water 6.Trowel or board 7.Glow-in-the-dark paint (powder or premixed) 8.Small paintbrush 9.Water- or oil-based paint, depending on glow powder you choose 1. Dig your hole. Your earthen hole will be the form for your paver. Just dig about 2 inches or more deep with a straight-sided spade, making sure the sides of the hole are as vertical as possible. You can make the hole the shape and size you like, but I find that a 2- x 3-foot stone, in any shape, is a nice dimension for walking. Heidi Hess2. Mix your mortar. Count on using one 60-pound bag of concrete mix (I use Sakrete) per stepping-stone. Pour the mix into a wheelbarrow and add water according to instructions on the bag. Use a shovel or hoe to mix until smooth, and fill the hole as full and high as possible. 3. Level the surface. You can either use a trowel for this or make your own leveling device using a board that is longer than the hole. Using the thin side of the board, pull it toward you and across the hole to level the stone with the surrounding ground. 4. Wait a little bit.It’s a good idea to give your stepping-stones a couple of weeks to set up and cure before you start painting them. 5. Get your glow on. I found glow-in-the-dark paint online at glowinc.com, and it works like a champ. I ordered 1 ounce of the Green V10 powder and mixed it myself with a water-based paint in clear gloss. You can also buy it premixed and ready to go. Keep in mind that a little goes a long way, especially with the powder. Just an ounce made more than enough for me to paint several coats on each paver. For the finishing touch, I found a frog design I liked, cut it out as a stencil, sketched the outline on each rock, then painted it with the glow paint. Several coats intensified the glow. I love my new stepping-stones. They are virtually invisible in the daylight, which is nice, but at night you can leave your flashlight in the drawer and keep your hands free for dragging up that porch table from the shed.
