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How To Stencil A Patio - A Step by Step Guide!

Improving your outdoor space doesn’t have to take lots of time or blow your budget – you can give your garden a makeover with a weekend of DIY and some stylish accessories from our garden décor range.

If your patio is looking a little sorry for itself and ready for a refresh, stencilling a design onto the slabs is a great way to give it a stylish new look. Take a look at this handy step-by-step guide to patio stencilling and find out how to give it a go in your garden!

Step 1: Choose a design

Before you get started, you need to consider the size and layout of your patio to ensure you choose the right design for your space. Measure the overall area and then count how many slabs there are. For smaller spaces, a more intricate design could work better, whereas a simple design will have better impact across a larger space.

Step 2: Gather your materials

For this project, you’ll need:

  • Power washer
  • Sandpaper
  •  Concrete crack sealant
  • Your chosen stencil
  •  Concrete paint primer
  •  Exterior paint in your chosen shade
  • Paint brush
  • Tape
  • Clear concrete sealant

When it comes to deciding what paint you use to stencil a patio, it’s best to get some advice from the experts – ask in your local hardware store for their recommendations on exterior paint for concrete. You’ll also need to prime before painting concrete, so make sure you pick up primer as well.

Choosing the right stencil for your patio will depend on the size of the slabs you’re working with and the overall surface area – there are lots of options online and you can filter by the dimensions of your slabs to find one that fits perfectly.

Step 3: Prepare the patio

Before the painting starts, you need to make sure you’re working on a clean, even surface. Start by power washing the whole patio to remove all the dirt and weeds. Next, check for cracks to the slabs and use concrete crack sealant to repair any you find. You might also need to sand down some slabs to create a totally flat surface. Then paint the whole area with a concrete primer.

When you’ve finishing prepping the patio, leave it to dry completely. Ideally overnight, so the slabs are totally free from moisture before you start stencilling.

Step 4: Decide on stencil placement

Start by lining your stencil up to the edge of your patio and taping it securely at each edge. Dab on a very light coat of paint for your first stencil, then remove the design and stand back to assess.

With the first stencil done, you can work out the placement around it – if you have a simple repeating pattern you can just repeat the process on each slab, but for more complex designs you might want to draw out your plan first before committing with paint.

Make sure you line your stencil up with the same edge on each slab, so it’s aligned correctly every time. And your taping method is really important here – we don’t want any bleeding at the edges! Take time to ensure there are no loose corners on your stencil.

Step 5: Perfect your painting technique

Colour choice is important for this project – although it might be tempting to go for a super bright, contrasting shade, keeping in-line with the natural shades of your garden is often a better choice. Darker, more natural shades like green, grey, brown and navy blue will wear much better than their brighter counterparts, and they won’t show dirt as much either.

Stencilling a patio is precision work, so your top tool is a small paintbrush. Pour your paint into a tray so it’s easy to control the amount you’re using, then apply a dappling technique to really press the paint into the concrete and ensure no part of the stencil is missed. Try to go in with thin layers of paint that you can build up rather than overloading your brush, as this can lead to bleeding and smudging.

Step 6: Minimise paint bleed

If you do paint outside the lines, just use a cloth soaked in white spirit to tidy up any splodges. Don’t worry too much, though – the natural texture of the concrete will make small mistakes pretty hard to spot.

Most bleeding can be avoided with good taping technique – make sure you’re using decorators’ tape, as it has a stronger seal. Carefully removing the stencil and tape while the paint is still wet means there’s no chance the stencil can move around and smudge the paint before it dries.

Step 7: Seal your design

Once you’ve applied paint to each slab and everything is totally dry, it’s time to seal your design to protect it from the elements.

Use a sealant designed for use on concrete, that will protect paint from the weather as well as wear and tear. Apply it using a roller for a smooth, even finish – when your first coat is tacky, apply another and then a final third coat to really lock down that hard work! Let the sealant dry entirely before walking on your patio.

Step 8: Look after your patio

After all that hard work, you need a good aftercare routine to preserve the life of your stencilled patio. Clean it regularly using soap, water and a damp cloth – no more power washing here! Pull up those weeds before they can get established, too.

Stencilled patios are never going to be quite as sturdy as plain concrete slabs, so think about the kind of foot traffic your patio needs to withstand. If you can keep ball games away from your hard work, that will make a big difference to the life of your patio.

But if you do get a few scratches and scrapes over time, it’s easy to touch up your design using the same stencil – just go over the affected areas and re-seal when finished.

 

Author Name
Leanne,
14/08/2023