Stepping "stone" project

[spock]

Latest project complete - old cast iron water meter covers ( 12 to 15 inches in diameter) - scoured, primed, painted and then planted in the back yard for use as stepping stones out to my wife's she shed. She loves the look and they will never break or need replacing. The big one near the deck step is actually a manhole cover weighing in at about 150 lbs. and 24 inches in diameter. In the spring when the grass greens up they will look even better.

Original state:





Some of the covers scoured and cleaned prior to priming and painting:





Covers painted:





Manhole cover next to deck step:



Remainder of covers planted and ready for duty:

[The Growler]

Very cool. I like 'em.

[Ozzy the dog]

Great idea, I suspect it will take a while for someone to walk down them for the first time as they stop to read and admire each one.

[Murphy Slaw]

That's a great idea. They're too darned heavy to use as a Frisbee.....

[RP]

Neat idea, and they'll help hold down your yard in case of a tornado...

[SoCalSurf]

What a great product with an impressive outcome.

I can imagine in 100 years somebody stumbling across these and wondering why there are so many water meters in such a small space.

[Dru Edwards]

Looks great! That paint really brought them back to life.

[spock]

Thanks for the kind words. The most difficult part of the project was getting as much rust as possible off these old discs, accomplished with a drill and wire brush attachment and 3-4 hours of hard labor, and, rolling the obnoxiously heavy manhole cover into place. Painting them was the easy part and the icing on the cake, so to speak.

[Riverwolf]

Very cool idea.
Where in the world does one find old man hole covers?

[spock]

Riverwolf,

As boring as this answer sounds, some years back I was driving along a country road out in the middle of nowhere and spotted the manhole cover laying off the side of the road. With considerable effort I hefted it into the back of my minivan and brought it home, where it sat in my back yard for years until this idea came up. Good things come to those who wait, and can lift heavy things.

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

Very cool idea.
Where in the world does one find old man hole covers?

Just a guess.....maybe municipalities sell-off old, surplus stock that the public can buy? I know this can be the case for buying old street name signs. Worth a call to your town/city hall if such things are of interest.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by spock

Latest project complete - old cast iron water meter covers ( 12 to 15 inches in diameter) - scoured, primed, painted and then planted in the back yard for use as stepping stones out to my wife's she shed. She loves the look and they will never break or need replacing. The big one near the deck step is actually a manhole cover weighing in at about 150 lbs. and 24 inches in diameter. In the spring when the grass greens up they will look even better.

Great idea. Is it just me or did you miss the shed. ?? .

[spock]

KevWind,

In that last photo, the shed to the right is a storage shed, what you can't fully see is the "she shed" immediately to the left. Here it is:

[Ozzy the dog]

Do you have arguments over who has the best shed or so you just pass it off as 'He shed, She shed'?

[spock]

Ozzy, Now that is funny right there - I don't care what you say.