Hello, fabulouses, and welcome back to VIP Home!

This week on VIP Home, I am continuing the work on my apartment patio project by adding a punch of personality to the boring concrete pavers. 

Concrete staining–I remember watching my dad and Aunt Karen do this at my childhood home in Mississippi. It was a messy and tricky project…not to mention that it is also expensive! So, when I asked my mom for ideas about jazzing up my patio, and she recommended concrete staining…I looked at her a bit funny… 

Me: *funny look on face*

Mom: What?

Me: Concrete staining my tiny patio…won’t that be hard and expensive?

Mom: Oh no! You can do it with paint samples–I’ll show you.

Me: Paint samples…like the ones you get at Lowe’s and Home Depot.

Mom: Yes! You pick out the colors you want and then get samples of them.

Me: That simple…huh?

Mom: Well, you will also need some cheap paint brushes and a cup for each different color paint.

After a trip to Lowe’s to get supplies, my mom and I got to work on color-staining my concrete paver patio. 

TIP: Watering down paint samples creates a modified stain. The water makes the paint less dense which allows the concrete to “absorb” the color better. Be patient with this process because as the concrete “absorbs” the color–it will look a bit patchy, but don’t fret. Give the pavers a day to fully dry…then decide if a second or third coat is needed. 

Note 1: Keep in mind that you will have to do touch ups because the paint samples are not outdoor/weathering paints–this is just a simple and inexpensive way to add a pop of color to concrete pavers…not intended to last five years…ten years….

P.S. my mom sealed my pavers with one of her special formulas…I have no idea what it is…it’s like Bush’s Baked Beans, except only Mattie knows *wink*

NOTE 2: Color staining with paint samples is not recommended for large patio projects. If you want to add punches of color to a large patio, call in the professionals for advice or ask a professional at a home improvement store to recommend products and ideas. 

I wanted something bright and  fun+ easy and inexpensive, so this project was perfect for my temporary space.