WITH summer just a few months away, many homeowners are looking to spruce up their patios.
But before you race to the stores to stock up on some paint for a DIY-friendly patio makeover, one woman has revealed why it may not always be the best of ideas.
Taking to TikTok, the crafty Victoria, from Milton Keynes, the UK, shared how she went from a grubby patio to a stunning outdoor space – and then back to a hot mess, all within the space of just one year.
According to Victoria, who decided to zhuzh up her patio during lockdown, she had the idea of painting the concrete with an intricate stencil design.
For this, she showed in the video, the crafty DIY enthusiast started by scrubbing the concrete area clean – the process of which took her ”ages”.
Once the surface was all clean and ready to be transformed, Victoria – who lives in a stunning Victorian house – used a special weathershield paint in light grey.
To spruce it up even more, the savvy woman, who regularly shares home-related content on her page, then went over with stencil and white paint for the design.
After completing the patio glow-up with a patio sealant to ensure it stays intact, Victoria was all chuffed with the Before and After results, saying she ”loved it”.
Sadly for Victoria and her hubby, the joys didn’t last long, as by next summer the paint had already started to peel off ”in big chunks”.
The patio looked especially bad around the edges where the concrete was on full show, leaving a huge ”mess” in her garden.
Horrified by the aftermath, Victoria was left with no other option than ”gluing down artificial grass instead”.
Warning other green-fingered Brits to not make the same grave error, the DIY over said: ”This is why you shouldn’t paint your patio this summer folks!”
She went on in the comments that this won’t happen to everyone – but it’s worth being aware of the potential dangers of a ruined patio.
”Some people say theirs has lasted but I imagine they’re the minority!”
Hundreds have since flocked to comments to share their thoughts, as well as their guesses as to why things might’ve gone so horribly wrong.
One wondered: ”Did you prime it before the paint? And I would of [have] used resin after to seal it.”
Another reckoned: ”Tbh, the artificial lawn looks much better than the paint, not saying the paint looked bad but it feels too grey and not garden like, all worked out in end.”
A third chimed in: ”Ours is painted with Polyurethane paint and it’s lasted almost 3 years so far with barely any spots lifting.”
”Be very wary, the fake grass gets VERY HOT in the summer. Burns feet to walk on,” someone else warned.
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