Tools & Materials
Digging shovel
natural-bristle paint brush – 1 1/2-inch
masonry trowel
Gardening gloves
Flat hand file
Plan how many you’ll need by pacing your yard, so the stones will more or less match your stride. To settle them into the soil, use a sharp blade to cut around each one, and excavate about 3 inches. To stabilize the roughly 2-inch-thick stones, backfill with a layer of pea gravel, then of sand. Though you can paint the stones, coating the porous concrete with a clear masonry sealer lets each leaf’s veining be the star.
Step 1
Prep the Leaves
You’ll need a large work area to sand-cast the leaves in batches.
Place each leaf you’re casting facedown. Using a paintbrush and some cooking oil, coat the underside, as shown. This will help you remove the leaf from the concrete casting later on.
Step 2
Build the Base
On a flat work surface, form a roughly 1-inch-thick bed of sand for each casting that is slightly larger than the leaf’s perimeter. Spray the sand with water to help it keep its shape.
Pro Tip: When building your sand bed, make sure the surface is shaped so that the finished paver will sit level with or slightly higher than the surrounding ground. This prevents water from collecting on top of the paver, which can cause cracking in freeze-thaw cycles and promote slippery moss growth.
As you shape the sand bed, tamp it firmly to eliminate air pockets beneath the casting surface. The tighter you pack the sand, the more consistent the underside of your paver will be, which helps it sit flat and stable once installed.
Step 3
Pack with Concrete
Lay each leaf facedown on the sand, and mix up the concrete. Using a flat trowel, cover the leaf with an even layer of concrete at least 2 inches thick, extending the mixture to its edges and pressing the leaf into the sand, as shown. Use the trowel to neaten the outline and flatten the surface. Let the concrete cure for at least 24 hours.
Pro Tip: Cover the paver with a plastic tarp while it cures to hold in moisture. A slow, steady cure produces stronger concrete and sharper leaf detail. For the best results, uncover and lightly mist the surface a few times a day during the curing period.
To check whether the paver has cured enough to unmold, try scratching the surface with a fingernail. If you can’t leave a mark, the concrete is ready to flip over and peel away the leaf.
Step 4
Peel and Reveal
Flip over each casting and peel off the leaf, starting at the thick stem end. Use a wire brush to smooth out any rough spots in the concrete and remove any stubborn bits of leaf left behind.
