FAUX BRICK on CONCRETE PATIO FLOOR

This is not real brick....

Let me start at the beginning...

This is our back patio......

We used to have the Indoor/Outdoor carpeting out here but when we brought home our sweet Savanna who was afraid to get wet, she would do her business right outside the door on the carpet if it was raining.

So we had to get rid of the carpet....

Now I always hated how the bare concrete looked because when we first bought this house 34 years ago, we weren't sure how big of a patio block we wanted.....


As years went by and I finally decided that I wanted a bigger block , my Dad poured more concrete. Hence all the seams that do not look so good...

Since it has been 2 years now that we are without a pet, I did not want to go back to a carpet as it takes quite a long time to dry after it rains. Several years ago, I saw in a magazine where someone stenciled concrete to look like brick.

So I decided that this is what I would try but put my own spin on it....

I bought Valspar Satin Latex Porch and Floor paint in a brick Red color from Lowe's for $25 a gallon.

And a pack of 2 sponges from the Dollar Tree. I cut one sponge in half.......

I applied the paint to the sponges with a brush and then pressed them down onto the concrete creating a pattern to go by more or less. I then painted with a brush over the "brick" that the sponge made and defined it more and darkened it.

I let the natural concrete serve as the "grout" between the "bricks".....

and this is the pattern that I came up with.....

I didn't think this looked too bad!!!

And this is the first part finished.....

Are you shocked????

I certainly was!!!!

I never dreamed it would come out looking this good......

Joe and I can not get over how it looks......

See the contrast...

Waiting until the next day to finish this section.....

The following day.....

This is really not a position to be in for several hours. My back and knees are still killing me!! But it was so worth it!!

It dried within an hour so I really did not paint myself into a corner! LOL!

Finally finished!!

Now the whole patio block is done!


What a transformation if I do say so myself!


You can't even see where all the sections of concrete were added on....



I just can't get over the difference!


From the back of the yard looking toward the house...

While doing this project, I received a pleasant surprise!

I remembered that my Dad and I wrote all 4 of my family's names ( Debbie, Joe, Jimmy and Joey) in the concrete on one of the blocks.

But I did not know that my Dad had placed a penny, a nickel, a dime and a quarter in the concrete while it was drying in the the far corner of the patio in a symbolic jesture that we would always have money and never have to want for it!!

It brought tears to my eyes remembering all the work my Dad did here for me in this home.
But as I do all these projects, I know he is looking down at me with that tear in his eye that he always had when he was proud of something I did and saying " That a girl!"

I am a Carpenter's Daughter and my Dad never discouraged me from doing things that were usually reserved for Boys!!

I am forever grateful to him for that and I have missed him every day for the last 25 years......

He would be thrilled with how the patio now looks....

The plants in my pots are doing well...




I cut a piece of left over lattice and stuck it in the flower box as a little fence....


And this will be my new header picture instead of the one that I have now with the bare concrete!!

More transformations are coming in my next post which will be posted early next week.

I refinished 2 end tables in my Den along with a few other things.....

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Thanks so much for stopping by today and every day that you take the time to visit with me!

Hugs,
Debbie