apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

preferred the before. that $5 could have been used to dress up the railings with some climbing plants and a doormat.

Faux brick? I think it would have been nicer to paint the stairs a complementary or contrasting color to the house.

must agree, liked it better before...climbing plants on those old railings would have been lovely.

also preferred the before. this looks tacky, esp with the generic looking iron railings.

the after is great!!!

I like the after - it's clever and looks well done. But then, once I've already thought to paint my front steps, I might be inclined to go for something a little more "quirky"...

Cute in the photo, but I wonder how that looks close up, and how it will look in a year when the paint starts wearing away.

I'm with amt230 on this. I do not like this change at all. I can appreciate the owner wanting to get creative, but imho, it's a change that shouldn't have been made.

I much preferred the before...

I bet if the photo showed the whole entrance, the after would shine better. The before was just blah cement. I think it looks great and shows real ingenuity!

yea, idk about the 'after' either....

painting with Oops paint? great idea!

but

creating a faux brick pattern with paint? eek...not for me.

I would love to have seen a beautiful pop of color, personally. But the pattern looks very carefully done so bravo to them on that!

People are so easy to think that paint would fix their problem. With the Chicago winters they have, I would like how that porch looks after all the paint has cracked and peeled. It is not about us being negative, but think a little bit further than 'right now'.

I have a disdain for all cheap porches, I live in Astoria NY and I see this ALL the time, cheap labor, cheap materials, no thought, it all looks cheap. I hope one day you have the money and digg out the entire concrete slab in your front door and build something nice and thought out, if you like to look of brick, go for the real one, painting it won't do it. I agree with all the posters above, the railing looks awful as well.

quality craftsmanship does not mean the end result is attractive. sorry, but yuck!

Some impressive taping skills!

I would've liked to have seen a more interesting, equally bold and graphic pattern though. The faux brick looks OK in the photograph but I'm wondering how it looks in real life.

um - the before was much better. sorry folks.

No way. I think this is hot.

Mad props for faux brick.

I like the after better -- great job, and the low price is very impressive!

put me down for the "before," too, please.

I think it's a good use for $5.

I would've probably gone with that stain stuff that you can apply to concrete. And then some Flor tiles on top, cut to size to the steps.

But that's just me.

I think I would prefer a solid color...but then again, I'm lazy and don't have the patience to layout a faux brick pattern

Brilliant idea, brilliantly executed! I'm usually not wild about "faux" finishes, but this one is so quirky/ironic/tongue-in-cheek that it's a definite winner! (wonder how much it would have cost to have a *designer* do it?)

I like it! The tape work is very very impressive. If i tried this the bricks would look like they were melting or seconds.

I hope it holds up for them, it is great inspiration, I could see someone repeating the same process perhaps on an indoor area that doesn't see much foot traffic, like a fireplace or something. might hold up better indoors.

thanks for sharing

I wish I had that sort of meticulous attention to detail. Wow.

I think this looks like a lot more than $5 was spent. According to the accompanying post it's already lived thru one winter. Really good job.

Awesome!

While I could have lived with the "before" stoop with a good power washing, this shows ingenuity and thoughtfulness. I'd have to resist getting "quirky" too, teeze; restraint isn't exactly my middle name! I expect this suits the home and style of the owner. The herringbone landing is extraordinary!

i like it. nice job.

I've seen far, far worse - and for $5 it's pretty darned great!

Clearly, it's a matter of taste because I think the after looks better. Though I am not crazy about painting concrete.

You did an incredible job taping it off! I think I am probably more impressed with the taping than anything.

I think it's great...it looks real...the best part is that you only spent $5 dollars...anything else would of costed more...kudos!

Man, why is everyone being so harsh? I think it's a fun project for $5. And at $5 who cares if it's not permanent?

YIKES!!

I was hoping for a sexy charcoal stoop with some rad planters (poppy red or canary yellow?) full of succulents stepping all the way down the stairs.

this makes my eyes hurt.

I love it. Retro and very well done. Good job.

I prefer the before - throw in a couple of potted plants. But I do appreciate the creativity and I can see how this can be used in other areas with different effects. Good idea.

Looks Great!

That looks awesome! It looks like real brick, and for only 5 dollars. Adds so much to the curb appeal.

Great job!

I once disposed of pain without puting to great uses such as this, the shame ;-[

Well done! Final judgment reserved for whether it looks as good in real life, but I think the result is really sharp-looking.

I think it's well executed! Nice job!

My mother did this on her back patio using brick red paint and a large sponge. In a year's time it was pretty faded and peeling, and they eventually replaced the concrete completely. I think it looks nice and could last in a high-traffic area like this if it is touched up regularly.

Nope, nope, nope. To me, it looks like the stoop equivalent of those horrible faux-home covers they used to put on the 70s: concrete applied over siding to "imitate" stone houses, brick houses, etc. Even worse, the faux stone vinyl stuff. Ugh. (All of you who still have this stuff on your houses - TAKE IT OFF!)

This just screams, "Look! I've got a fake finish on my stoop!"

The concrete was much better alone.

(Though yes, excellent work on the taping and grids.)

Beyond that, the paint will start to chip the first night the temperature goes below 32 degrees. By spring, it will be ruined.

Sorry, but my little apartment and Mary B C are right -- the fake finish is a howler! I had an uncomfortable feeling in my gut, clicking through from the 'before' photos, and was sadly spot on. There are many ways to channel creative energy and talent in a home, but this project is not a good example of them.

I like the idea, and the execution is skillful, but it looks blah and boring. I'm pretty sure if that was my stoop I'd get tired of looking at it in a week. And will it age well?

If I was going to paint it I'd rather do it white or a nuetral colour and/or stnecil something on it.

Uuuugly.

he said it held up well over winter!
and i'm pretty sure if you didn't know it was fake you couldn't tell.
jerks.

I like it!

I think it's cool and fun, and very well done. For either the before or after, though, I think I'd like to see some more potted plants tucked in, and a door mat.

i agree that the money would be better spend elsewhere...though i've gotta give props to whoever did all that taping/stenciling. lots of work. but it looks really fake and a little tacky to me...