Sunday, May 17, 2009

DID-IT: phatty-oh-patio

We did it: da patio redo! When we moved in, our backyard patio was an unappealing mix of concrete slab, bricks, and mismatched stepping-stones. After the brick layer was removed, we discovered more concrete slab underneath. In order to fit our 14 ft long swimspa, our contractor had to extend the patio by pouring yet another four feet of concrete. Yech! We hated the idea of our backyard turning into a concrete ocean, not to mention that the original concrete was cracked, rough and had a sun-bleached brick pattern on it. Our long term plan is to someday replace all the concrete with sleek interwoven pavers or tile. Our short term solution, however, had to be quick, easy, and DIY! Nothing says fast fix like fresh paint. Here's how we turned our blech concrete slab into our phatty-oh-patio in four steps.


1. CLEAN UP. We used a leaf blower to get all dirt & dust off the slab, then used a long-handled scrub brush to apply concrete cleaner/etcher.





2. PRIME. Using a long-handled roller, we applied a concrete primer/bonder. It goes on clear.





[2.5 RUN don’t walk to the ice cream truck! It’s important to take breaks in hot weather. Sorry for the blurry pic, I was running to get my waffle cone!]





3. PAINT. Use specialized concrete paint (we got ours at Home Depot) and have it tinted to your fave color. Roll on generously.





4. DÉCOR. Add gazebo, furniture, rug, solar lights, and plants.




Here's a few close-up shots:



10 comments:

Jennifer said...

Your sister sent me here. It was great to meet you today. Have a safe trip back home!

Great job on the patio. It looks quite inviting.

Good idea to stay sufficiently cooled with ice cream when working in the hot sun ;-)

Staria said...

BEAUTIFUL!!! It's like a HGTV dream!!

J - Pacha Mama said...

Thanks for the kudos. Next time you're in Florida, come over for some lemonade, K?

Anonymous said...

We're going to be painting the concrete floors in our basement. Yours look great! I love the color you picked.

Me said...

Love love love the patio! You guys did such a great job and I can't wait to visit it in person! :)

Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog said...

Great job! While I looked at the after photos, I thought you were lucky to have a concrete slab-porch. You definitely made some smart choices with the space :).

Unknown said...

You guys - this is so awesome! Saw it from YHL! Love it!

Lavender Lily said...

found your blog through Young House Love...great patio makeover, I'm so inspired!

The Caffeinated Librarian said...

Saw this on Young House Love and I just had to drop by and say how fantastic your patio looks! What an amazing transformation!

J - Pacha Mama said...

Gracias for all the comments. It makes our day :)

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