Stenciled Brick Patio

Have you ever started a project and decided midway through that maybe it wasn't such a great idea? That's me. Many times. Lots of Pinterest fails under my belt. Some, including this project, end up turning out pretty okay with no one dying in the process.

My husband originally poured a concrete slab outside so our dog, Stella, would have a place to go out into the backyard without bringing in lots of mud and grass. She really didn't care what it looked like; and frankly, at the time, neither did I. We hadn't really done any upgrades outside, and I wasn't really worried about it. Until, I was.

This is the state of the slab pre-paint.

I didn't want to spend a lot of money or time but I knew I wanted it to look better than this! So, as usual, I consulted with my sister and did a ton of internet research and decided to do a concrete paint. I also wanted to incorporate some sort of pattern or design- nothing fancy -but something that wasn't just a solid color.

I chose to do a brick pattern that I had seen done with a sponge mop. You read that right. A sponge mop. This is what you'll need:

• 2 cheap-o sponge mops. I bought Mr. Clean with a rectangular sponge attachment.
• Gallons of Sherwin-Williams H&C Color Top Water-Based solid colored concrete paint. (mine is Dolphin Gray)
• painter's tape to tape out your pattern
• A willing helper

Before you get started, let me back up and tell you that our patio had a "broomed" finish (it wasn't perfectly slick/smooth). I also power washed the concrete, so it was squeaky clean and then dry. I chose not to use the painter's tape to tape out straight lines. I can be impatient sometimes and I am the queen of "eyeballing" things when it comes to measuring or hanging or whatever. Ask my hub, he'll tell ya. One thing I strongly suggest- DO NOT do this project in the peak of summer. The temperature that day was a sticky one hundred and Hades degrees and it's a wonder neither Brinda nor I had a heatstroke. But she's a trooper, and she loves me, and there may have been some bribery involved. Here's how we rolled (or stamped as it was...)

• One person is the "stamper". (me) I started at the top corner and worked my way across and down.
• The other person is the "reloader". (Brinda) She reloaded paint on to the 2nd mop and had it ready to go when I was ready to switch out.
• Alternate between pressing the mop firmly to the concrete and pressing lightly. This will allow the "bricks" to have a different texture to them. Be careful not to press too hard or the paint will bleed out onto your "grout lines"or possibly under your painter's tape (if you choose to use it). On some, I would press one side or edge of the mop a little more than the other to create imperfections as well. Clear as mud? You can always get a piece of old wood or poster board to practice your stamping technique.

Difficulty level: Medium. It really depends on what design you have in mind. The bricks were pretty easy. The physical labor kept this rating from being "easy".

Time Investment: Depends on how big your area is. We did this in approximately 1/2 a day.

Cost: Less than $100