We wanted a unique patio & didn't want to spend $15-20 per paver"¦ so, we bought 5 sets of these molds & a small cement mixer. We have been working on this patio for over a year"¦. But are almost done! We have to make about 20 more pavers"¦ scrub the older ones (algae)"¦ mortar & clear coat"¦ but the end is near! If you get these"¦ make sure to use a mold release, or it'll be a one time use. We used cooking spray!

This is an awesome product. the pavers have a great texture and look very good. ive been using regular sack mix concrete and adding a coffee can of portland and coloring integrally using about 1.5- 2 cups of iron oxide pigment per 80 lb bag and making the mud like sex on the beach (____ing near water), i find any dryer and theres a decent amount of air bubbles on the face so soup I soup it up. I also vibrate the molds on a table that i set up for this process. I flip them once a day after work. they come out easy i just pop them out, wash the molds with a rag and water, dry them thoroughly, (so the moisture doesnt hinder the release like water on a concrete stamp) mix my mud up, spray them with clear liquid "bubblegum" release (butterfield CLR-01) , fill them up, level them off, and vibrate them. i am making them to cover an area around my brick dog house so they stop filling it with dirt digging. I will be switching from sack mix to concrete sand and portland and making my own mud for smaller aggregate and better consistency, bag mix is actually terrible to work with, the water separates so fast and flys to the top. ultimately I could pour a pad and stamp it out in alot less hours and maybe less cost... maybe.. 4" thick, $160 a yd, $250 for a pump, +$100 for a short load, +$100 for a weekend load..... but bag mix is the most expensive concrete, sand and cement is the cheapest most labor intensive and a truck is rite in the middle if its not a weekend or short load (or both ugh)

Very happy with these molds. The product arrived within two weeks and was well packaged. I started with one mold set last year and was mixing concrete in a 5 gallon bucket. My original plan was to pour enough for a 24x24 patio but decided to put a pool in the back yard this spring.

I purchased a second mold set and a concrete mixer earlier this spring and was able to pour 12 stones a day.

A single mold set will accept a 60 lbs bag of concrete. This will fill 6 stones. I decided to go with 60 lbs sand mix concrete from a local hardware store for a few reasons. It does not have rock aggregate that can ruin the appearance of finished stones but the sand aggregate is strong enough to hold together without breaking. (Sand mix is normally used to resurface driveways and is robust up to 2" thick. The molds are about 1.5 inches thick so sand mix fits the bill perfectly and is relatively inexpensive)
As with some other comments, you will need to mix the concrete as a wet slurry, pour into the molds and shake the mold to remove the air pockets, lightly lifting and dropping the molds on a hard surface does the trick, or you can make a concrete vibrating table (even better)

One 60 lbs bag of sand mix concrete is $5.50. In theory each stone costs less than $1 to make. You can also stain the concrete by mixing dark latex paint in with the concrete/water mix to get a variation of colors. Typically I look for returned paint at the local hardware store as they sell one gallon paint for under 10 bucks.

Keep in mind. This is labor intensive, the concrete mixer definately helps speed up the process. I can pour 12 stones in 20 minutes. You will also need to purchase cooking spray in bulk to coat the molds before each use so the concrete wont stick.

All in all, it is a super product and allows the chance to have a unique patio for a fraction of the cost of purchasing stone at a masonry supplier. I highly recommend and the finished project shows.

This product works as advertised. I bought these to cut the cost of buying actual flagstone to help with erosion.
Directions with product would be helpful but reviews on here helped with that.
I didn't use oil or anything for a releasing agent. They came out out with a little bit of persuasion.
My first batch was a learning curve but have managed to make 4 colors so far with quickrete liquid coloring. An 80 pound bag is a tad to much but anything less is not enough.
From experience so far the stones come out perfect with the right mix of water. Just follow instructions on bag. Also, I shook the hell out of the forms after filling them. No air bubbles after the second try.
Th trays have held up after 4 batches so far. Wash with soap and water after each batch, towel dry and carry on.

I'm amazed by the detail you get out of the product. I have a lot of stones to make and so I opted to make a shaker table out of some tires and plywood. I highly suggest this route for those making a lot.

I used Crack resistant concrete (contains the fiberglass reinforcement) which came in 50 lbs bags this will fill exactly 5 molds leaving the smallest so you'll need to experiment with portions.

I tested my first two batches without a release agent and the second batch had a lot of patches so I used olive oil for its thicker consistency and the third batch popped right out.

So far so good I plan on updating review later after installation.