Faux Tile Project

Well, I am still working on my back patio.

I told you last week that I was wanting to do something different to our concrete patio floor.

Here is what it looked like…(after I took all the furniture off)

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The concrete has a lot of stains on it, and it looks really bad.

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So my hubby and I discussed our choices:

1)  Paint it.

2) Tile it.

3)  Stain it.

The hubs didn’t really want to do option #1 because he was worried that the paint would begin to chip in a couple of years.  Plus he doesn’t really like the look of painted concrete.

Option #2 is the one we both wanted, but it would be the most expensive.  It would have cost at least $300.00 for my husband to do the work himself.   So of course that option was out.

So then we began to consider option # 3…Stain it.

One of my favorite bloggers in blogland, Richella, from Imparting Grace, suggested in the comments of this post last week that I stain my patio to look like tile.  (What?  Huh?)

I have never seen it done before, but I started researching the idea online, and it can definitely be done!

Isn’t she a genius!  What a great idea!

(See why I love your comments, ladies!  I read each one and appreciate them so much!)

When I ran the idea by my hubby, I could see it peeked his interest.

He definitely thought it was doable.

Score!  Thank you, Richella!

So we started the project this weekend. 

And here is where we are at:

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I ran out of the half inch tape I was using, and I have been to seven different stores looking for some more with no luck!

So I am going to see if I can find some tape in the “big city” tomorrow so I can finish taping the patio.

The plan is to stain the concrete.  Then when we remove the tape, it will look like grout lines.

What do you think?

Is it going to work?

I was terrified to pick out the stain color at Lowe’s.  I am praying that it will look good. 

We’ll see…

I am planning to finish taping tomorrow and hopefully applying the stain too.

If all goes well, I will be able to share the results on Thursday!  (fingers crossed)  And I will be sure to include all the steps we used in the project.

In the meantime, be sure to enter my giveaway from Chantelle Nicole Designs.

She is giving away a $40.00 gift certificate to her store. 

I am absolutely in love with her jewelry!

Click HERE to enter!

Have a blessed day!

Traci

35 Comments

  1. Just saw your post on Twitter….I can't wait to see the results! Is your concrete smooth? Our back patio is slightly textured, so I wonder if the staining would work.

    On another note, we are hoping to get stained concrete countertops in our kitchen soon. I have a friend who has a concrete-staining business.

  2. I am so glad you are doing this project. I want to stain my concrete too but I am just too chicken. Best of luck with finding the tape and starting the staining. Did you have to do any thing to clean the concrete first? I can't wait to see your results.

  3. We stained all of our inside concrete. We can't afford wood floors right now. We got our stain from Lowes and on the stain can it says for the floor to be completely dry before applying the stain, but in the pamphlet I picked up it says for it to be wet. We tried both in different areas and I like the look of the concrete better when we wet it first. It soaks in better and looks more stained than the dry floor with looks more like a paint. Just a little tip!

  4. I might put a clear sealer of some kind down over the lines first to make sure the lines don't bleed through once you add the stain….can't wait to see the results!!!

  5. What a lovely idea for a patio redo! I would have NEVER thought of something like that…not in a million ideas. I can't wait to see the outcome on Thursday. Your husband sounds so sweet. What a good hubby to help you in these areas and take such a loving interest in your home. He sounds like a blessing! And you're a blessing too! Thanks for the post : )

  6. It's looking great! I can't wait to see the finished product! If you can't find the tape, then let me know. I will check the Elizabethtown area and surely it could get it to you in the mail by the next day.

  7. How big are your squares? I have seen it done with really big 'tile' squares and it looks great. I think the bigger they are they bigger the space looks. But it's hard to tell through just a picture. I'm sure you'll do great.

  8. You're so sweet, Traci! Thank you for the linky love!

    I'm very excited to see how your project comes out. You and your hubby are amazing!!

  9. Can't wait to see how it turns out! Richella is brilliant! (love her!)

    You're just the project girl, aren't you? (hee hee)

  10. Oh, Traci, I'm so glad you are doing this! It's going to look fabulous. I've seen so many great stained concrete projects & I'm sure you've read all the directions. I love the look, perfect for a space like this.

    I would love to even rip up my carpet from my downstairs, which is on concrete & stain that. But, that's another day, another project.

  11. Traci, I'm just chiming in :) My patio looks so stained and a few cracks, too. I was also considering staining it, but scared to really do it! So, I can't wait to see how yours turns out :) to give me some inspiration & courage!
    Blessings,
    Sindy

  12. We wanted to stain the inside of our house when we built it but no one around here was doing it at the time, so we opted for wood floors. I'm kinda like you with your back porch floor but struggling with what to do on my front porch. It has deck boards and lacks the look of the traditional front porch that I would like. Stain? Paint? What to do oh what to do! Can't wait to see your after pics! I'm sure it will turn out great!

  13. I haven't done this myself, Traci, but I've seen a finished project like this and it looked great. We have cement around our in-ground pool and we have to use a power washer to clean it up. Very tedius job; staining would be a good option.

  14. This is going to look so good! I know it! I love the way you've placed your 'grout' on the diagonal. Can't wait to see the finish.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

  15. I love that idea! I bet it is going to be nice. i love your home and i dont see how you have the time for all your lovely projects. i do adore them though. I am sure the patio will come out great!

  16. I tried staining my basement floors last year. We used the acrylic stain from Home Depot. I had a lot of issues. I ending up stripping off the stain and than staining it with Hi Yield Copperas. That ended up not working because of the stuff my husband used to seal the cracks. I had gray lines all over the floor. I restained with a acrylic stain over the floor. This time it came out nice. I ruined the process trying to put a sealer over the stain. It was Lowes wet look sealer. We ended up doing laminate floors. I spent a month on my floors.

    I am sure you it will turn out better for you but I would find a piece of concrete similar to your patio and test the color first. My color was seriously different than the picture in the store.

    http://culdesacchic.blogspot.com/2009/07/basement-floor-gone-wrong.html

  17. OOOOH! I LOOOOVE that you are doing this! I cannot wait to see how this turns out!! Our back porch has the ugly, stained concrete, too, and WOW I'd love to do something with it. WOOHOO! I'm cheering you on from here!!

    His,
    Mrs. U

  18. I think it will definitely work! I actually knew someone who had a stained concrete floor in their house that was stained to look like giant 24 inch tiles. It was cool (except for the footprints you could always see, but outside you can just hose them off!!

  19. I think it will look beautiful! I love the look of stained concrete so much, I've thought of doing it indoors. People make some beautiful artwork from stained concrete!

  20. Good Morning!!

    Actually, we did this to our front porch. BUT, we used a power saw with a masonry blade to cut grooves into the concrete to form 18" blocks. Then we stained and sealed the concrete. It turned out fabulous. The lines are uneven in a few spots where the blade skipped, but the concrete is very old and that is what caused that to happen. BUT, it turned out exactly the way I wanted it to and I'm sure yours is too!

    You can see mine in the archives on my blog. I painted the Compass Rose on it afterwards. I always have to do the "unexpected".

    Thanks for sharing your project with us! I am anxious to see the finished project!

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