Paver Patio Makeover

 Have you wanted create a beautiful backyard patio,  but the cost was a hindrance?  Well,  I have been there, and this is what I did.





It's no small secret that  I would prefer to work on INTERIOR home decor, BUT my Sister is a talented horticulture landscaper and  gave me the push I needed!

   Here was my  problem,  but it had potential. 

Let the brainstorming begin! I found that I kept gravitating towards this style stone:

 

Pretty sure the gazebo would take up my ENITRE back yard,  but I loved the look of the stones. 

  

 This size stone paver was a  more realistic option. It would be more to scale with my size yard. However, I didn't love the straight uniform lines.  I wanted my patio to have a little bit of variation.

 This idea seemed ideal,  the right size stone,  but it had staggered lines, perfect!  Next? Find the stones...

Well I found them alright...

 

I found some beautiful stone pavers that would be perfect.  Problem?  To complete a small  9'x8' patio it was going to cost  $336 in stone alone!  Hmmm....  It was hard to justify spending nearly $5.00 per stone, when there were concrete pavers with the same dimension for only $0.99.

   I  actually  walked right past these concrete pavers the first time. I had seen these bad boys in action and they always looked dirty to me.  They also had a brick red option, but that didn't interest me at all.
After  brainstorming for a while I decided to try an idea out.  " I wonder if I can stain these ?"

  Turns out you can, happy day!

If you want to give it s a try ,  this is what I did :

   I started by configuring  what layout I wanted.  I  knew I did not want these to be laid out in perfect rows.  I wanted there to be a little bit of variation.  So, I cut out pieces of paper, and played around with different patterns.  ( I know it is hard to tell from the pictures,  but the gaps in my pavers  do have variations to create a pattern.
    Once I had decided on the size and shape of my new patio  I got to work on staining/painting the pavers.
 I would suggest,  dividing your pavers up,  for instance, I needed approximately 70 pavers,  so I divided them up into 7 piles of 10 pavers.
 I painted/stained 10 at a time. I would do one full  set of ten in the same manner (COLOR, intensity, TECHNIQUE.) With the idea that   I would have a variety of stones.

Color:
 I used a variety of stains,  I used  3 different  color stains. ( Basically  any  that I had on hand.)  Some  pavers are all one stained color, others I layered with several colors. I also used some paint as well. I found that if you mix it with a little water it will act more like a stain.)

 

Technique: 

  Think  late 80's early 90's  faux finishes.  For example using plastic bags, sea sponges,  thick bristle brushes. Using a variety of techniques I simply  went to  town on these concrete pavers. 

 I wish I could say there was a trick to this,  but there really isn't.

 Don't be afraid to layers techniques and colors!  Biggest  mistake you can make is  covering the entire paver. You want the "stones" to  have a pattern on them, not  just be a flat color. 

 The possibilities are endless!  Here are just a few possibilities to get you started. 

Faux Finish Techniques

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  (This picture doesn't really do a great job showcasing the colors,  but you can definitely  see that there is a variety of colors.)

 I wish I had taken more pictures of the actual process of laying the pavers, alas I did not.  So,  I am emphasizing the idea of a "paver makeover"
However, when laying my own patio,  I did reference a great tutorial I found over at "The Rodimels Family"   Make sure to check it out!

It's coming along! (  I was using the hose to outline an idea for where the garden would be. )

Ultimately  I was very please with how  the stones and the patio turned out!  I was successfully able to create the look of a stone paver, for the cost of a concrete block.  Happy day!

 FYI:    These pictures were taken a 1.5 years after I stained them, and we live in Florida where it rains OFTEN. Suffice to say the stain seems to hold up pretty well!

If you are considering a patio revamp,  take a second look at the cheapy concrete pavers.  You would  be surprised at their potential!

 Take luck,

  Corey