Can you paint paving slabs

[MagentaPolenta]

Has anyone ever painted the paving slabs in their garden and did it look ok and last well? If so any recommendations for paint to use?

I wouldn't think it will be particularly successful. Masonary paint would bond but is soft and would wear through, floor paint is tough but may not bond properly or could peel off on the weather.

Yes, look on the Frenchic paint FB forum. Lots of success stories there (though I've never tried it myself)

iamhayleystuart.com/2019/05/08/how-to-stencil-a-concrete-patio-or-path-in-your-garden/

This might help. Obviously you wouldn’t have to do a pattern!

Oh and if you check her blog there is one on how the patio looked a year on.

A concrete stain would be better.

The problem with the linked posts is that masonary paint is soft and will scuff off quite quickly when walked on. It will look like for Instagram and horrid five minutes later!

That’s what I’m worried about, it looking even worse after a few months. Seems it’s not a popular choice so suppose it can’t work that well.

Though actually @Betty98 it does look like they’ve done a lot of it on that page and sealed it. Will watch how that goes. Thanks

I've just googled "outdoor floor paint' and a few products popped up. Looks like they are mainly epoxy based, some require use of an etching product first. I've never used them but they seem to be made for the purpose so may be promising after all.

@NameChangedToProtect1

This is the “year on” post...

iamhayleystuart.com/2020/04/21/my-stencilled-patio-a-year-on/

It’s hard to see how bad the whole thing looked and how quickly it scuffed but it definitely suggests it might be worth giving it a go.

She does say in the blog that she sealed it.

We painted some round stepping stones style paving slabs which were on top of gravel so that we didn't have to put shoes on to reach our outside bins or water plants in our yard.

Used cream coloured basic Wickes leftover masonry paint. They didn't get a lot of wear as they weren't stepped on every day, and looked pretty good for about 2 years. The problem was when the paint started to flake off and I just painted over them without sanding down, it looked rubbish as was really obvious where the flakes had been.

So I think small areas look ok, but wouldn't look good on big patio. You'd have to prepare the surface really well to get a smooth finish and it's the maintenance that would be an issue I think.