Painted Concrete Patio

We’ve all seen them by now, fabulous painted floors that resemble costly concrete tiles in classic worldly designs. I for one have taken notice and It’s been on my to do list for quite some time.

I’m gonna keep it completely real for you guys. When you run a business from your home, it tends to take over and it had completely taken over this space. One day it seemed like a good place set up the table saw to cut wood and the saw just never left, it became the wood cutting room. That invited other projects… I’ve completed more than one or two painted pieces on this floor and when I paint a piece I like to share a little with my surrounding… if you know what I mean. Needless to say, the concrete has been pretty stained up.

Summer is coming and enough is enough. I’ve got visions of a cool shady spot to sit and watch the kids splash in the pool and yes, it has to be pretty! After searching and changing my mind a few dozen times, I finally settled on the Florence stencil design, purchased from Dizzy Duck Designs on Etsy. It came is several sizes, I ordered the 60x60cm. With a bigger space, 310 sq ft, I felt a larger pattern would appear less busy. This makes for a 24″ tile.

Here’s the tricky part, choosing the perfect paint for the job. I honestly always envisioned using a chalk style paint, it’s what I use on all my painted furniture and I’m a huge fan. But the thought of enduring the extra step of applying a top coat was less than desirable to me. Lucky for me Wise Owl Paint recently released their new One Hour Enamel paint line and no top coat necessary! Here’s what it says on their website.

Although it is geared more towards cabinets and doors, I’ve seen a few other painter use it on tile with beautiful results, so I’m all in!

Alright… I’m gonna say it, that four letter word that no one likes to hear… prep! Yes, it’s important, especially with painted floors… if you want it to last that is. I borrowed a power washer from a friend and gave it a good washing. You can also rent a power washer from your local hardware store, this seemed like the most logical way to get things cleaned up. Once the floor was dry, I gave it a good solid coat of Wise Owl Primer.

Once the space was primed, I allowed a few hours for good dry time and rolled on the first coat Wise Owl One Hour Enamel In Carbon.

My patio floor measures 310 sq. ft., one gallon covered the entire space with approximately a quarter of a can left, which lines right up with what the can states at 400-450 sq. ft. coverage. Once the paint was dry, I decided two coats would look best. However, I failed to order enough for the second coat, so the first coat had about week to cure waiting for my second paint order to arrive.

By this time, my two dogs have been walking around on floor and its gotten a little dirty, so I gave it one more quick wash before applying the second coat. This brings up a great point… one of the major advantages of choosing the One Hour Enamel is, within in an hour it was dry and I was able to let the dogs out for potty breaks (the patio is the only way out into the backyard).  Through out the entire process if I found leaves, dirt, or dog hair was collecting, I used our compressor and blower attachment to keep things clean.

Time for the fun part, lets get our stencil on! My patio already had a “line” where two separate slabs were poured and joined. I chose to start here, in the middle of the line, that way I could avoid ending up with a broken pattern over the line. If you don’t have a clear place to begin, I would recommend measuring out to the center of your space and using a chalk box to create a straight line to follow. Once you have that first line of pattern down, the stencil matches up and keeps things in line from there.

I used a 3 inch trim roller for stenciling the lighter color in Bone, rolling over the pattern from the outer edge into the center of the pattern to cut down on the bleed through. Be sure not to over saturate your roller by off loading extra paint, this also helps cut down on the bleeding. By the time I had gone over the entire pattern, it was dry enough to make another pass over. I used a small artist brush to smooth out any messy lines where paint may have bleed too much for my liking.

It’s a good idea to keep your stencils clean free of paint build up thought the process, this will help keep your pattern lines crisp. When I found the paint was starting to get too thick, I simply let it dry and pealed it off.

Not counting the one week break between paint orders, I finished this projects over the course of four days… I took lots of breaks! The process can become somewhat mundane, but I am trilled with the overall outcome!

And we are still making updates, new ceiling fans going in. YAY!

Now the search is on for the perfect furniture… nothing is ever done.

All of the Wise Owl Paint products mentioned in this post can be purchased right here on thewhiteplum.com under the shop tab.

 Thank you ~Susie