We love a home makeover – especially when it’s affordable.
A single mum from London utilised her creative skills to give her dull garden patio a makeover, and the result is an impressive space perfect for late night lockdown drinks.
Nicola French, 38, who has always been a fan of Moroccan and bohemian interior, wanted to give her own garden a twist on this style.
With the help of a stencil brush and some cheap paint, the thrifty mum-of-two spent three days painting the grey tiles in her garden into a mesmerising black and white pattern.
‘I’ve always been into the boho-chic and Moroccan style so I thought I would try and combine the two,’ said Nicola, who works as a lunch supervisor at a special needs school.
‘The first thing I did was jet wash the patio, removing any dirt and letting it dry.
Then by hand, using a large paintbrush and the white masonry paint, I painted the patio tiles, waited for that to dry, applied a second coat then placed the stencil at my starting place.’
She bought the stencil from Amazon for £37, while the brush cost an additional £3.50.
Meanwhile, the Sandtex masonry paint was ordered from B&Q and delivered to her door for £46.
She said: ‘Taking a little of the black masonry paint, a piece of cardboard to remove any excess paint from the stencil brush and a stencil brush in a stabbing motion, I applied the paint to the stencil and filled in the pattern, then removed the stencil.
‘I matched up the pattern from my stencil onto the next tile and repeated the process.’
The entire project cost just £116 – not including the patio furniture, which Nicola already owned.
Nicola said: ‘Once completed, and when the patio is dry, apply a clear paint sealant using a paintbrush to seal the paint and protect it from wear and tear.
‘The paint brand is Sandtex, but you can use any masonry paint, and it cost £46 for both black and white paint from B&Q.
‘The stencil was £37 from Dizzy Duck Designs, the stencil brush was £3.50 from Amazon and the patio sealer was £30 from eBay.
‘I had the outdoor furniture from Next, cushions from Etsy, buddhas from Wayfair and table lamp from eBay already as I have been building up the collection over time.’
The mum, who lives with her son and daughter, is all of them love the end result.
She said: ‘As a family, we do have some challenges.
‘My son has severe autism. I also have a daughter and I’m a single parent, so the garden really has helped provide a lovely space we can all enjoy.
‘The painting and stencilling took three days, but that was single-handed – if you can get other people to help, it would obviously be a quicker process.
‘I’ve really enjoyed every moment. Yes, it was backbreaking work but it was so worth it. The kids and I love it!
‘Anybody could create something like this too – you don’t have to be DIY- minded! Just brave.’
If you fancy copying Nicola’s excellent work, here is her top tip: use masking tape to hold the stencil in place.
To prevent the paint from bleeding through, the stencil brush should also be touch dry.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/08/10/woman-gives-patio-complete-makeover-just-116-materials-13107913/
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