A Little Paint is All it Takes to Totally Transform Your Patio

It’s summertime, and, if you’re lucky enough to have a backyard, chances are good you’re spending as much time outdoors are you are in. And maybe all this extra outdoor time is giving you the urge to revamp your outdoor space. Lately I’ve been seeing a whole series of projects that all feature the same budget-friendly — and incredibly eye-catching — way to add a little wow factor to your backyard.

The solution? Paint your patio. A lot of builder-grade homes — both from past eras and this current one — feature concrete porches or patios. They’re practical, sure, but not very pretty. Painting them, especially in a bold, eye-catching pattern, is a great way to add a little pizzazz to your outdoor space — like adding a giant outdoor rug, but less expensive and lower maintenance.

Dabito, from the blog Old Brand New, used a stencil to paint the covered patio of his New Orleans home. The patio, once an unremarkable space, now bursts with color and pattern. Dabito admits that the project was a little time-consuming, but it was much cheaper than using tiles.

Laura from A Beautiful Mess did something very similar with the patio of her Nashville home. The simpler pattern made this project a little bit less time-consuming (but no less eye-catching).

This patio painting project, from Elsie at A Beautiful Mess, replicates the look of expensive concrete tile at a fraction of the price. The lines that define the tiles were made with a Sharpie paint pen.

This project from Little Green Notebook involves a little less painting, because the concrete itself forms the background of the pattern. This also gives the resulting patio floor a welcome touch of texture.

From Zevy Joy, here’s a painted pattern with a bit more of a traditional feel. Although the concrete is completely covered, its texture still shows through a bit even after it’s painted, giving the resulting patio floor the look of concrete tile — without the steep price tag.