Have you ever painted your patio?

[Knobblybobbly]

Our patio is about 40 years old! We can’t really replace it this summer (for obvious reasons) but I figure we could paint it, at a temporary measure.

Have you ever done this? Any hints or tips?

Only need it to last a year or 2.

Tip - don't.
Outside footfall plus weather will make it look awful in no time at all.

Have you used a pressure washer on it to see how it cleans up?

Watching with interest as I’ve been thinking of doing this. My patios are all those horrible old concrete slabs... I can’t imagine painting them could make them look any uglier.

• black garage floor paint was what I was planning to use.

If you're on facebook, check out the group Gardening on a budget. There are loads of people doing this just now, as well as stencilling their patio.

Is the garage paint weatherproof?

I don’t think it will work well and you’ll have to replace them.

I stencilled some of the slabs with ordinary interior paint. It's quite faded 3 years later but it doesn't look any worse than the slabs do. Ours were a right mess though to start with with grout etc spilt on them from when we were doing building work and about 20 years old.

I wouldn't garage floor paint won't be designed to withstand the weather. And has potential to become dangerous when wet or frosty.

Its probably up there with painted tiles which just never look great.

I'd be more tempted to give it a good scrub with diluted bleach to clean it.

We're currently working on our patio which was very neglected from previous owners.
The stone slabs were filthy and lots of weeds coming through.
We have a jet wash so did that, then got some Sika sand sealant for the gaps and filled that in. This alone has made such a difference! Also painted the fence a nice grey and got some new patio furniture, it looks like a new place!

You asked for tips though. From my googling prior to painting: pick a colour that is similar-ish to the colour of the slabs. Grey-blue or brown-pink etc. Then it'll not be so obvious when it fades. Don't paint it all over. The concrete needs to be able to dry out after it rains and it will bubble and lift the paint. Plus missing bits as it flakes off on a continuous colour will look awful. I wouldn't actually use garage paint. It will flake and chip and look too blocky rather than sinking into the slabs.

I've been looking into putting some kind of stain on the slabs but not sure if that's doable yet, DH and I are complete novices!

I attach a picture. It doesn't look great by any stretch of the imagination, but it cheerer it up before we could afford furniture to cover it!

@pinkstar01 does that sealant really stop the weeds coming through ?

Just a thought - you could pressure wash through a stencil. It should give the effect of painting but without the chipping...

@lekkerkroketje
What paint did you use? I like that.

I’m considering painting mine with lime.

Don’t. Just don’t. Our last house had a painted patio, after a year or so it started flaking and looked awful. We were selling the house, viewings were starting the next week so I decided to jet wash it and get rid of the paint. Unfortunately it just uncovered multiple other layers of paint, chess board style. FML. In the end we had to quickly paint it grey ourselves just to make it look acceptable. I would never ever paint a patio!

It was wipe clean satin kitchen paint left over from trying to improve the cupboard doors of the kitchen that had been installed in the same decade as the patio! In some variety of millenial blue-green eau de nile. It looked a lot better the first year, and might look better if I scrubbed it.

The kitchen got gutted when we realised that our marriage wouldn't survive the lack of a dishwasher, so we've spent the last few summers staring at the ugly slabs instead of going on holiday as a result.

I think it would probably jet wash off too, thus solving AGreatUsername 's problem. I think proper thick garage paint would be a disaster. Indoor paint is a few steps up from pavement chalk.

We were intending to power wash it first, haven’t done it for a few years. But the slabs are literally what was put down when the house was built so very old and dated. I just figured if we painted them to look nice for this summer, then next summer get a new patio. Pinterest makes it look beautiful!!

On Pinterest most are using Masonery paint then sealing it.

What about power wash then an outdoor rug? I am looking into these, Dunelm seems to do a range of waterproof ones.

Outdoor rug could be a goer.... I’d worry about maggots/worms underneath though?

Just hang the outside rug over the garden furniture if you are worried.