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!
Let the brainstorming begin! I found that I kept gravitating towards this style stone:
This idea seemed ideal, the right size stone, but it had staggered lines, perfect! Next? Find the stones…
Well I found them alright…
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.)
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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!
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| 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
I'm intrigued with this idea! Did you put anything under the concrete? What about between each block?
Good questions! You do need to level out and solidify a foundation for the pavers, or they will eventually settle all wonky. I laid down a layer of paving gravel, leveled it and tampered it down so it was compacted. I then placed the concrete pavers. To fill the gaps I used “Quickrete” Paver jointing sand. Hopefully that helps, and thanks for stopping by!
Do you think this is feasible for a driveway? And what was the method you used to tamper down the ground and paving gravel? Did you do it manually or use a machine?
Love it by the way! So glad I found your site! Thanks to Gorilla Glue!
Gotta love Gorilla Glue! As for your driveway, I think it is totally doable. I used a hand tamper, but if you are doing a driveway I think you might consider an electric one… for your back’s sake! Thanks for reading!