Welcome to my blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I believe that everyone can have a beautiful home without spending a fortune! One of my favorite things to do is find creative ways to re-purpose things I already have on hand, or have picked up at yard sales and thrift stores. Join me as I share with you some of my favorite ideas for crafting and decorating, as well as travel adventures, and fun things that I pick up on my treasure hunts! Much of my work is influenced by my love all things French, nature, and of course shabby chic! I have gotten so many creative ideas from you very talented bloggers out there, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to you as well!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Turning and ugly concrete slab into a faux stone patio

From Drab to Fab
How I turned an ugly concrete slab into a faux stone patio

Hi everyone, today I am reposting one of my very first blog posts from 4 years ago. (Wow, where did the time go?!)
I've had a major case of bloggers block this past week, and since I couldn't come up with any ideas for new things to write about, I thought I'd share with you one of my most visited entries, since most of you probably have not seen it.
Still waiting on spring here, but it does help to look back at photos of our yard and my gardens!
So, here is my faux stone patio, hope you enjoy!!

Today I thought I would share with you how I transformed an ugly, cracked concrete slab into a pretty, faux cobblestone patio.  My hubby & I take great pride in our yard and flower gardens, but there was this one problem.  A very ugly problem!  On the side of our house was a really nasty, cracked and uneven concrete slab that was a real eye sore, not to mention an embarrassment.  One day last summer I had a brainstorm.  Why not paint it to look like cobblestones?  Now, I had never done any faux painting before, but I figured anything would be an improvement over its' sad, sorry state!




First off, hubby gave it a good power washing, then leveled it up & repaired the crack.  I am so thankful that I married a handyman!!  I went to Lowe's, and the man in the paint department recommended a concrete stain.  I picked up two different colors.  I would have chosen more, but they only came by the gallon, and that would have broken my budget!  I also picked up the concrete sealer that he suggested.  The concrete stain directions said to damped the concrete before using.  I should have followed my gut instinct and applied it dry, but I thought I better follow the directions.  Well, when I put the base coat down, the wet concrete just absorbed all of the stain!  You could hardly see it!  Frustrating!  Keep in mind that I did all of this on my hands & knees!  Anyway, after a day of so of letting it thoroughly dry out, I reapplied the base stain.  Then I outlined my "stones" with chalk, working in one small area at a time.  Since I wanted more than two colors of "cobblestones", I took several colors of exterior latex paint that we already had and mixed them with the concrete stain, so I had an entire palette of colors.  Then the fun started!  Over the course of a few days, I painted all of the stones, followed by two coats of concrete sealer.  I was so happy with the result!  It turned out alot better than I thought it would.

I wish that I had a before picture of the bench.  It was unpainted, weathered and very tired looking!  I mixed up a few colors of paint we had on hand til I came up with a shade that I liked.  Isn't it amazing what paint can do!  I then "accessorized" with a few plants and garage sale finds.  I can hardly believe that this is the same piece of concrete!  Now I can't wait to faux finish something else!

I am linking this project up to Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special 
and Metamorphasis Monday
and Tools are For Women Too

23 comments:

Karen said...

Nice job!

Needled Mom said...

Wow...that looks amazing!

Melissa said...

That is beautiful! I want to help my son and his wife do this to their patio. How did your husband fix that huge crack? He did an awesome job, and so did YOU!

Mel said...

Whoa! That looks fabulous.

Mom2fur said...

That looks amazing. You sure do have a lot of patience!

Unknown said...

Impressive. Looks really nice.

Recaptured Charm said...

Utterly Fantastic. Very creative and inventive of you. It really does look amazing! How you'll enjoy that this summer!
Lisa

Titti @ Shoestring Pavilion said...

Now that's a great patio, what an improvement! Great job on the painting :)

Patricia @ 9th and Denver said...

Love this patio! Great job painting the slab of concrete. I like the idea of adding color to the stain for more variation. Good tips!

mary beth said...

That looks fabulous!!! I was wondering where that crack went! Great job...cant' wait to see what you faux next!

Sharon@Keeninspirations said...

Wow! Amazing transformation! Great tips! Thank you for sharing.

Ann @ makethebestofthings said...

Gorgeous! It really makes your patio stand out in a good way! Good tips, too!

~ ~ Ahrisha ~ ~ said...

Such an amazing improvement! Great job.

debbie said...

beautiful!! I have a huge enclosed front patio with a cement floor and something like this would be ideal,, although I'm not so sure I could do it. Thanks for the inspiration.

Josiah's Mom said...

How cute! I just wish you had more close up photos.

René said...

Wow! You are going to enjoy that pretty space now!

Life in Rehab said...

That looks wonderful! Please let us know how he repaired the crack!

Marie said...

Hello sweet Donna - I'm a new follower of your fabulous blog via Met Monday (catching up from last week!). Love what you've done to your patio! So COOL! What a great idea.

I'd love for you to come by for a visit - having a giveaway!
http://emmacallsmemama.com/2010/05/bff-giveaway/

Blessings,
Marie

Rory from Tools Are For Women Too! said...

This is great! Thanks for sharing on Modern Craftswoman Monday! See you next week! Rory

Anonymous said...

I love it! Great idea!

Tru said...

You must have some artistic talent. If I would try to do that, it wouldn't look near as nice, more like a pile of rocks. I guess i'm to linear thinking. I may try copying your pattern though.

Anonymous said...

This is awesome. My husband and I just made an offer on a house I am super excited about. The only thing is this ugly concrete slab off of the downstairs back door. This is my top idea I have found so far to make it lovely! Thanks!

Donna (Timeless Settings) said...

A great transformation!

Donna