pleasure in simple things

I feel like I’ve organized and revamped just about every little nook and cranny in my home over the time of our COVID-19 isolation.  I think spending so much time in the house has motivated a lot of us to get our places organized and looking good!

It got to the point where I really had nothing else I could tackle without investing money (that I didn’t have).

The one thing I started thinking about was the small rectangle (2 ½ x 4 foot) of concrete I had outside one of the house entrances that looked less than appealing to me.  At one point, I had a mason look at it to discuss my idea of covering it with some type of stone to improve its look.  I was discouraged from doing it because of possible drainage issues.  Of course, I didn’t want any water problems, but it still always bothered me to look at that cement!

With so many projects completed and nothing in the queue, I decided to revisit that piece of concrete and figure out how to make it look a little better!  I decided I would paint it since it had some worn off paint on it and I wanted to neaten it up.

Instead of using solely a solid color, my plan was to use a stencil to paint a simple brick pattern.  I have stenciled many things, but never concrete.  I was willing to give it a try.  I figured it couldn’t look much worse than it already did and most of the finished product would end up covered by a doormat anyway.

I used three colors of paint – gray, beige and white – utilizing some leftover concrete paint.  I wanted to paint the gray first and then stencil the ‘bricks’ using mixtures of gray and white.  The gray would serve as the ‘grout’ color.

I checked the weather and picked a day to start the project when there would be a 3 day stretch without rain so I would have plenty of time to complete the project before any bad weather.

I started by using a putty knife to scrape off any loose pieces of paint.  It seemed the paint that was on the cement was very uneven in application so that there were some thicker sections that were peeling off.  After doing a quick scrape, I swept off all the loose pieces of paint in addition to any dirt, leaves, etc.  Then, I applied my first coat of paint with a small roller using the gray concrete paint, covering the entire surface.

I waited until the next day to apply the ‘bricks’ with the stencil.  This was the fun part!  I used the white as well as a mixture of white and gray to create a tonal look for the ‘bricks.’  I used three different colors that I mixed on paper plates – using the white and gray.

Using blue painting tape, I positioned the stencil in place.  I started painting early in the day since I knew I would need to wait each time I repositioned the stencil after painting a section.

I started from the section by the door first, starting with the stencil in the center.  I waited a couple hours before moving the stencil each time.

After I had the stenciling completed, I waited until the next day for my last step.  I painted a wash (a mixture of half beige and half white paint) over the entire surface and rubbed with a soft cloth.  This muted the colors of the ‘bricks’ and made the new paint coordinate perfectly with my house color.

An easy project!  The hardest part is buying the concrete paint – finding a small quantity.  Most places don’t sell quarts of concrete paint and buying anything larger is crazy for a small project like mine!  Using leftover paint is the way to go for a small project, if you can manage it.  Of course, a larger quantity would be needed if you were painting an entire patio – which could easily be done!

I am very satisfied with my result!

I hope you may be inspired to tackle one small project at your home!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie