a good paste-like consistency. Buy a hoe and mix it in a wheelbarrow. Much easier to mix this way and you want to get it really good and mixed. Also buy a good trowel for spreading and smoothing the wet cement in the mold. I have two square molds so I can leapfrog my pavers. One dries while I do the other. It's a lot of work, but I think it will look good when I'm done and it will save me a few thousand dollars. I'm going to spread the paver sand in between the lines when it is all done. It's about a 12x15 pad and my paver molds are 1x1, so it's going to take me a few weeks doing a little at a time. Oh well. Worth the savings cost to me. It's looking good so far.