How to Paint Fake Flagstone on a Patio
Boring concrete patios can be turned into visually interesting surfaces with faux painting techniques that mimic the color and texture of flagstone pavers. The result of this creative camouflage will be a better looking patio that comes at a fraction of the cost of real flagstone as well as a smoother surface that reduces puddling in wet weather. This is a project that several people can work on together not only to speed up the process but also to achieve a more realistic look. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Concrete stain or brush-on concrete colorants
- Optional: concrete surface preparation or etching liquid
- Disposable latex gloves
- Gardener knee pads
- ¼-inch thick Tempered Hardboard "stone" templates
- Saber saw
- Artist charcoal
- ¾-inch artist brushes with natural bristles
- Paint trays
- 5-gallon plastic mixing buckets
- 1-gallon plastic mixing buckets
- Mixing sticks
- Natural artist sponges
- Empty spray bottles (trigger or pump)
- Heavy duty outdoor sealant
- Outdoor roller brushes (smooth nap)
Instructions
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1
Study examples of flagstone pavers at a landscape center. Flagstone comes in several colors, including greys, blues, browns and yellows. Select the base color for your faux painting project based on the color of your patio furniture and home exterior for a coordinated look. Consider purchasing a few flagstones for reference.
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2
Shop for concrete coloring agents at home improvement stores or online. Concrete stains and colorants come in many hues. Choose one for your major "base" color and two complimentary or contrasting colors. A dark brown or umber tone is also needed as is a white, off-white or very light beige tone. Read the application instructions carefully
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Clean your patio surface. Use a power sprayer to remove deep-down grime. Let the patio dry thoroughly unless the colorant instructions call for a wet surface. Use a concrete etching solution or surface preparation if your colorant manufacturer recommends its use.
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Stain the entire patio surface with your base color colorant. Use a heavy-duty outdoor roller brush set, with a smooth roller to apply the stain. Let it absorb into the concrete surface.
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Trace up to six different sizes and shapes of flagstones on tempered hardboard and cut them out using a saber saw. Refer to your real flagstone examples or photographs of flagstone online when designing your six stone templates.
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Lay one of these flagstone templates down on the concrete and trace around it with the charcoal pencil. Start in the center of the patio, not at the edge.
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Remove the template and trace over the charcoal line with an artist's "liner" brush, using the darkest color in your palette to create a ¾-inch to 1-inch thick faux "grout" line around the faux stone.
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8
Select a different stone template and space it next to the outer edge of the grout line formed for the first stone. Trace the outline with charcoal and then paint it in with the dark colorant. Repeat this with the other four stone designs in your collection, making sure to turn or flip the templates and "fit" the stones together in a logical pattern. Work from the center of the patio out to the edges.
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Fill in any grout lines so they are solid and continuous from stone to stone.
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10
Spritz on a contrasting colorant on a faux stone using a spray bottle and then dab at it with a semi-dry natural sponge. This will smear and remove the colorant so the base color peeks through slightly. Work one stone at a time with this first contrasting color to give the stone "depth." Apply a second contrasting color in the same way, being sure to overlap the colors here and there.
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Tear off a small piece of natural sponge, slightly damp, about the size of silver dollar. Dip this sponge in the very lightest color in your palette and dab highlights on the surface of the stones sparingly.
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Stand back and view the work. If the contrast colors or highlights look too obvious or unnatural "take down" these colors by dabbing more of the base color on top of the contrasting colors. You can also "take down" all the stones by diluting some of the base color and applying a wash of this color over the stones.
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Apply concrete sealer over each stone using a brush or sponge, avoiding application of the sealer on the faux grout lines.
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Tips & Warnings
Guard against prolonged skin contact with some of these concrete stain products as they can be somewhat caustic. Use latex gloves and knee pads.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit strasse image by Tubeless from Fotolia.com
