Welcome Guys!
I miss Summer! I love, love, love it! I am not one of those parents who gripe with all that "can't wait for school to start" business. You can keep the homework, lunches, and sports. I can't get enough of the freedom. However, my DIY addiction takes a back seat to the kiddos and the one good part of Fall is I can finally get back to business over here. First "step" (no pun intended) was to finish our front landing. Check out my faux brick makeover!!
I painted it guys!
Okay, the background.
Our home has 6 brick steps to the front door. At the top is a plain old cement landing. Because our house is north facing, (which is great for a sunny backyard) it makes for an extremely dank front yard sometimes. (Think shade and lots of mold). The landing out front turned brown and moldy, and I have struggled with trying to make it less dingy for years. I immediately thought a brick pattern would tie in the steps and be perfect here!
After a good power-washing, I decided that I had to have chevron brick somehow.
Look at this amazing inspo...
and the whitewash on this one... I am drooling here...
source: Pinterest
Unfortunately, we couldn't just add brick veneer to the stoop (can I say stoop in NJ?) It would cause a half inch lift on the landing and of course an expense I just don't think is a priority over here for the spouse.
What was my only option? Stencil it of course!
So here's all the details and what you need to do this:
1. Stencil... this is the one I bought
Get it here.
2. Craft paint
I used regular acrylic paints in a variety of "brick" colors. I chose ones that coordinated with our existing brick stairs and mixed them together to match what we have. (This would be so much easier if you could just paint any brick color you choose rather than having to match.)
3. Car wash sponge (to apply the paint)
4. Paint roller if you want to try it, but I preferred the sponge.
5. A good sealer - I love and use Varathane Floor Finish for everything. I used it to seal the stencil on my powder room floor and have been really happy with the protection.
I would love to see yours if you do this!!
Thanks for stopping by!
I miss Summer! I love, love, love it! I am not one of those parents who gripe with all that "can't wait for school to start" business. You can keep the homework, lunches, and sports. I can't get enough of the freedom. However, my DIY addiction takes a back seat to the kiddos and the one good part of Fall is I can finally get back to business over here. First "step" (no pun intended) was to finish our front landing. Check out my faux brick makeover!!
I painted it guys!
Okay, the background.
Our home has 6 brick steps to the front door. At the top is a plain old cement landing. Because our house is north facing, (which is great for a sunny backyard) it makes for an extremely dank front yard sometimes. (Think shade and lots of mold). The landing out front turned brown and moldy, and I have struggled with trying to make it less dingy for years. I immediately thought a brick pattern would tie in the steps and be perfect here!
After a good power-washing, I decided that I had to have chevron brick somehow.
Look at this amazing inspo...
source: Pinterest
and the whitewash on this one... I am drooling here...
Unfortunately, we couldn't just add brick veneer to the stoop (can I say stoop in NJ?) It would cause a half inch lift on the landing and of course an expense I just don't think is a priority over here for the spouse.
What was my only option? Stencil it of course!
So here's all the details and what you need to do this:
1. Stencil... this is the one I bought
Get it here.
2. Craft paint
I used regular acrylic paints in a variety of "brick" colors. I chose ones that coordinated with our existing brick stairs and mixed them together to match what we have. (This would be so much easier if you could just paint any brick color you choose rather than having to match.)
3. Car wash sponge (to apply the paint)
4. Paint roller if you want to try it, but I preferred the sponge.
5. A good sealer - I love and use Varathane Floor Finish for everything. I used it to seal the stencil on my powder room floor and have been really happy with the protection.
The paint stains the cement pretty quickly, so work carefully. I went over the lines a few times and it doesn't wipe off.
Finish off with a good sealer to save all your hard work from the wear and tear of weather and traffic.
It is not perfect, indeed. I am really thinking about white washing it, but that would mean I have to do the "real" bricks too, so I am on the fence there!
To stencil the edge, I just used one of the bricks from the stencil repeatedly.
I would love to see yours if you do this!!
Thanks for stopping by!