After completing the In Ground Trampoline, it was time to tackle our next outdoor project.
If you have been following me a while then you know we have been steadily adding to our yard throughout the years. Having 1.2 acres was what we thought we wanted until we had to landscape it! The backyard is still a work in progress. One of the first projects we did was a patio extension with grey concrete. The new concrete met up with an old concrete walkway we had leading to our garage. The concretes did not match and needed to be fixed. I decided to try a painted concrete walkway, follow me on my journey!
Supplies
- Nap Paint Roller
- Smaller Paint Brush
- Concrete Etcher and Cleaner
- Painters Tape
- Concrete Primer
- Concrete Paint of Choice
- Concrete Sealer
- Outdoor Scrub Brush
I picked up most of my supplies from Home Depot because it is down the street from my house. There are several companies that sell different color varieties and types of outdoor concrete paint. I chose two colors for the concrete because originally I planned on doing a stencil.
Stencil vs. Taped Design
The stencil on my walkway was an epic failure. The concrete was far too bumpy and the stencil bled everywhere. While the stencil would probably look alright touched up, I am far too much of a perfectionist to look at the wonky stencil everyday. Switching plans had me scrambling for a direction.
After several online searches, I decided to paint an outdoor rug design. If the design did not work out, in my head I had decided to just leave the walkway one color and be done with it!
If you have the patience and ability to look over error a stencil for outdoor concrete might work for you. It was far too laborious and unfinished for me.
Prepping the Concrete For Paint
First, you have to assess your walkway. My walkway had never been painted or sealed before this project so I had a blank canvas to start with. If you have preexisting paint you need to get power wash and chip away pealing paint before starting your project.
Next, I filled in any cracks and chips on the walkway with premixed concrete I had in the garage. I wanted to start off with a fresh and new looking walkway. After the concrete dried, I followed the directions on the Etch and Clean Bottle and cleaned the entire walkway with a scrub brush.
After the concrete was cleaned I waited 24 hours before applying the primer coat. Once the primer dried for a day, I added the first coat of paint. I started with grey as my base color and applied 3 coats.
Painting The Design
After the base layer of paint dried for 24 hours, I placed my tape down where I wanted the design to go. My design inspiration for this project came from a google search. I saw several inspiration photographs for painted outdoor carpets. Since the stencil failed miserably, I decided to give the painted carpet design a try. I applied two coats of black paint for my design. Once, I removed the tape, I touched up the paint design.
The tape had several areas that bled through so it took quite a bit of time to touch up each area and make sure it looked good.
Once all the paint was dry I applied two coats of paint sealer.
End Result
This project was the trial run for my painted concrete greenhouse floor. I learned a lot during this project. First, I will never try a stencil on concrete again unless it is a completely smooth concrete paver. In fact, I have plans of stenciling some concrete pavers as a walkway to my car to tie into the concrete walkway so stay tuned! The stencil has to be put to use somewhere!
Second, while black looks great it shows all the dirt and water stains. For high traffic areas I would suggest a lighter colored paint.
Painted concrete is a lot of work but the end result is worth the sweat! I would definitely do this project again and will be soon for the greenhouse! Stay tuned for my next project!
