My patio hadn’t been cleaned for 25 years – I transformed it for £50 and people can’t believe the difference
A GREEN-fingered Brit has showcased how transformed his 25-year-old patio for just £50.
According to Garry Hartgrove, his outdoor slabs hadn’t been cleaned for a quarter of a century and were in dire need of a “facelift”.
He shared his impressive transformation – which is now a pattern of grey slabs in varying darknesses – on Facebook group Gardening On A Budget Official.
“I wanted the finished job to suit the character of the old bungalow and not to look too new,” the DIY whizz wrote.
He found all of the information for his project – which has been called “amazing” by fellow green-fingered Brits – through some clever Google searches.
The entire project cost approximately £50, with some parts of it only taking 30 seconds to execute.
To start, Garry jet washed the whole patio – which is home to his outdoor dining set and a number of plant pots.
Then, he repaired any nicks on the slabs with a mix of soft and sharp sand, cement and water.
“Before painting, slabs must be completely dry… as in, no rain for at least a couple of days,” Garry instructed.
“Use only the best brand of paint.
“Dulux, Sandtex – these allow slabs to ‘breathe’ and will let trapped moisture escape, but keep rain out.
“I used masonry paint.”
His first coat of paint was a light grey diluted with 10% water that soaked into the concrete.
He covered all of the slabs, including joints, with this paint.
The second coat of paint was undiluted and, thanks to the first coat, stuck to the slabs “much better”.
Garry opted to have some of his slabs darker than others, which he achieved through diluted black masonry paint.
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“Colour the slabs with black masonry paint with a water ratio of approximately 1/15, so it’s like black water,” he penned.
“This is best applied with a small washing-up sponge.
“Drag the paint over the slab, avoiding joints.”
He described this process as “very easy” and claimed that it only takes 30 seconds per slap.
You can add a second coat to make it darker, or even a third if you’re feeling adventurous.
According to Garry, he still hasn’t decided if he’s going to put any sealant over his DIY paint job.
“As of yet, I have not,” he wrote.
“I’m thinking that if colours do eventually fade, I can fairly quickly re-colour them.
“If sealed, I won’t be able to – although sealing will help prevent fading.
“I’m undecided.”
Garry was inundated with people telling him how “amazing” his DIY job had turned out, with many people beaming: “What a transformation.