Cheap 'n easy gardening - paving

I dislike anything that takes a lot of preparation. That and things that cost too much. And to top that off, I want value, ya know, quality for a reasonable price.

Well, as I have been searching stores for ages to find something to use for all the paths and a patio I intend to create sooner rather than later. Sure, there are the grey concrete squares, but they're so.. blah. I may be cheap 'n easy, but even I do not like blah. But, then I found it! What is "it"? Quikrete Walk Maker. I had seen it before in the store, but disregarded it, not wanting to deal with the hassle of pouring my own concrete and having to wait between each use. However, I got a closer look and I realized I would NOT have to wait for the concrete to set. You fill it, smooth it, pull the mold of and lather, rinse, repeat. I fell in love..

The product comes in four varieties, and I have seen them online for upto $35-40! At local stores I only found the Country pattern, but I liked it just fine, so no problem there. I found it at my local Lowes for around $12.

From several reviews around the web I learned that you get 3 24"x24" squares out of 2 80 lb bags of concrete. Those bags run around $4 a piece. The beauty is, I can do 3 squares and call it a day. I can buy a few bags at a time when the budget allows it. Nice!

I look forward to giving it a shot. I will be sure to share the end result.. or well, the result of a few molded squares. I don't think this little project will be done soon. One bag at a time...


(Images are from the Quikrete website.)