Stepping Stones
Cast concrete stepping stones are available in a variety of sizes, shapes and styles in a choice of colours to finish your chosen garden project.
Supplied in pallet quantities typically delivered within 2–3 working days.
Stepping Stones
Stepping stones create a practical surface to walk on when placed within gravel, large stones or lawns. Some stepping stone types, known as paddlestones, can also enhance safety within water features due to the non-slip surface provided by the stones.
As well as adding functionality to your outdoor spaces, stepping stones also boast gorgeous aesthetic appeal. In particular, there are endless styles of garden stepping stones, from concrete railway sleepers to sleek grey stones, as well as buff weathered stones and more, to choose from.
While stepping stones can be used in professional landscaping projects, it is also possible to add stepping stones to your garden yourself as a fun DIY project. This level of flexibility allows you to commit to a more involved design or opt for something you can simply have fun with, such as a budget garden makeover idea.
Stone Warehouse stocks a wide range of garden stepping stones and paddlestones. With UK nationwide delivery available across our site, it’s never been easier to purchase superior-quality stepping stones. Plus accessories such as bulk bags of gravel and aggregate for the rest of your outdoor project.
Stepping Stones For Gardens: An Overview
Stepping stones are decorative stepping stones that facilitate ease of movement across lawns, gravel, larger stones or water features. Unlike traditional paving and edging products, stepping stones do not create a continuous walkway or surface. Instead, stepping stones make us think about each step with purpose in a way that promotes tranquilly and wellbeing in outdoor spaces.
The use of stepping stones is highly popular within landscape design, as they allow for other materials, such as large stones, to be heavily used throughout the garden without losing the ability to move safely across the space. Therefore, stepping stones are highly practical as well as aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
If you’re on a budget, using stepping stones instead of sandstone paving can help you achieve your dream outdoor space for less.
As with regular paving slabs, stepping stones are also available in a great range of materials, colours and styles. This allows you to fully customise the function and overall look of your garden when selecting stepping stones for your project.
These are just some of the stepping stone styles you’ll find on our website.
Circular Stepping Stones
Stepping stones can be used to create visual interest in your garden and circular stepping stones are one such way to do so. As an alternative to patio circle kits, circular stepping stones can create more randomised or sporadic patterns among your lawn or hardscaping materials.
Concrete Railway Sleepers
Concrete sleeper stepping stones mimic natural wood railway sleepers but in a far more cost-effective and durable format. Our garden sleepers boast charm and style in abundance, creating a truly timeless look for your outdoor spaces.
Grey Garden Stepping Stones
If you love the look of grey porcelain paving, then you'll be pleased to know you’ll also find grey stepping stones on our website. As grey is quite a neutral colour, this means you can use grey stepping stones alongside any other colours within your garden without overpowering the design.
Paddlestones
Paddlestones are tumbled stones which have a softer texture. They are ideal to be used within water features for creating a safe crossing as they reduce the risk of slipping. Check out our customer images on our large slate paddlestones to see an example of paddlestones in water. Also, look out for our fish-friendly paddlestones, which many people commonly search for in relation to 'water feature brand filter stones'.
Random Shapes Stepping Stones
If you’re not creating a formal design, you might want to opt for paddlestones with no defined shapes or textures. You will still benefit from the creation of a walkway, but without being tied to rectangular or circular shapes within the finished look.
Rope Coil Stepping Stones
Rope coil stepping stones add character and personality to your stepping stone project. Also, look out for our rope-style edging to complement your design.
How To Use Garden Stepping Stones
The main uses of garden stepping stones are to create a walkway within areas that are difficult to walk on (i.e. large stones) or to add visual interest to lawns.
While far from exhaustive, usage ideas for garden stepping stones include:
- Adding visual interest to lawns
- Connecting different areas of your garden
- Creating a pathway (i.e. across a lawn or larger stones)
- Enhanced safety and accessibility
- Fun DIY project ideas
- Hopscotch stepping stones
- Water features (creating walkways)
In short, stepping stones for the garden offer a creative alternative to paving. All within a very straightforward process in terms of the design and installation.
Top tip: Whatever you plan on using stepping stones for, ensure that when digging out the ground and laying your binding agent (i.e. mortar), the stone needs to be level with the ground. This will ensure a comfortable walking surface that’s also free from tripping hazards.
From £299.50 inc VAT
From £299.50 inc VAT
From £299.50 inc VAT
From £269.50 inc VAT
We’ve answered some of the most common questions about all things step stones for garden below.
If you don’t see your query, the Stone Warehouse customer service team is only a call or a click away. Simply fill out our contact form or give us a call on 01629 636 212.
Or check out our inspiration page, where you can view helpful guides on how to make the most out of your project, featuring garden stepping stones.
How To Lay Stepping Stones
The method of laying stepping stones will depend on whether you are laying the stones on a grassy lawn, surrounded by gravel or within a water feature. However, generally speaking, you will need to prepare the ground by excavating the grass and layering topsoil under the stone. The stones will need to be secured with mortar and the level will need to be checked. Once level, the area around the stone can be backfilled with gravel or larger stones.
How To Lay Stepping Stones In Grass
To lay stepping stones on grass, the first step would be to place the stones where you would like them to go to check the overall placement and spacing. You will then need to mark around each stone so that you can remove the exact amount of grass and topsoil underneath to fit the shape of the stone correctly. Add mortar before placing the stone on top and use a mallet to pack the stone down. Once laid, check that the stone is level with the ground before allowing the mortar to set.
How To Lay Stepping Stones Without Cement
Similar to installing concrete paving, it is highly recommended to lay mortar underneath stepping stones to ensure the safety and long-term placement of your stones. That said, sharp sand can be used as an alternative to provide a reasonably stable bed for stepping stones. If laying stepping stones in a lawn, remove the grass underneath where the stone will go along with a layer of topsoil. You can then add in your sharp sand or mortar before placing the stone back on top.
How To Make A Garden Path With Stepping Stones
Making a garden path with stepping stones involves planning the design, preparing the ground, adhering the stones with mortar, adjusting and levelling out the stones and backfilling any gaps where applicable. Unlike laying a traditional patio, it’s possible to create a garden path as a fun DIY project. Or you can use the likes of concrete sleepers to give more of a boutique look to your exterior walkways. Therefore, the level of involvement and effort is completely up to you.
How To Make A Stepping Stone Pathway
To make a pathway out of stepping stones, you will first need to prepare the ground to ensure a flat and level surface by excavating the ground. Map out where your stones will go, including the spacing between stones. You can lay the stones out to help with this, ensuring a comfortable step between each stone. Consider adding a base material before the mortar goes down, such as gravel, sand or crushed rock. Adding a fabric membrane can also reduce the ability of weeds to grow. Apply mortar to secure the stones in place, tap in and check the level, then backfill with aggregate around the stones. Alternatively, adding stepping stones to a grass lawn can simplify this process, as you will only need to dig out the area around the stone and you also won’t need to backfill.
What is a paddlestone?
Paddlestones are natural stones or slate that have been tumbled, resulting in smoother surfaces and rounded edges to the stones. As a fish-friendly product, paddlestones can be used as stepping stones within ponds and water features. Alternatively, paddlestones can be stacked to build a dry-stone wall or placed within gabion baskets.
