A patio can be one of the best places for a home owner to relax with family and friends. It is durable and very little maintenance is required It also increases the value of a home considerably. To top it all a concrete patio can come in several attractive designs.
Maintaining a lawn may be quite time consuming and takes a lot of effort. When it is dry you have to water it. When it rains you have to cut it to prevent the grass from growing out of control. If you do not like gardening, you can enjoy the permanent beauty of the designs of nature on your patio. Not only that, your outdoor area gives a feeling of spaciousness and neatness.
You can choose from a variety of eye catching designs. Dyes of different designs can be used to mark imprints on the wet cement and they remain there for a long period. There are a variety of choices like bricks, tiles and marble with which you can decorate.
Providing color in the concrete is done by using dye in the preparation stage. The concrete is poured and the desired design added by stamping it onto the base when still wet.The result can look very stylish.
Some patios may have decorative material such as colored glass. You can spread them out throughout the area or use them in the borders only. If you want a border color different from the rest of the area, you use a different dye for it. A very attractive look can be achieved by keeping the patio plain and then adding a single design somewhere on a prominent spot. Something like a bird will add a touch of nature. The design or pattern will probably be determined by the size and shape of the area.
Depending on you taste, the floor can be of single color or it can be multicolored. Opposing dark shades can be used successfully. Different colors can be dyed in at different corners of the patio. A chess board pattern is a very popular design.
Staining is another technique that may be used. Staining is not as permanent as ordinary dyed concrete, because it tends to fade a bit over time and has to be redone from time to time. This is understandable in an outside area permanently exposed to the weather.
People looking for a very unusual effect can try a technique known as stenciling. You cover a spot with a stencil, apply dye to the area end remove the stencil. In that way you can achieve almost any design or texture you want. You can also go for the acid method where the concrete is stained with acid and coloring. Some breathtaking colors and effects can be added. Acid stains are permanent and will not fade like staining.
A concrete patio does not have to be a grey and dreary place. A relaxing hour or two outside talking to family or friends in the clean openness created by a patio has always been special. Create a look that reflects your personality and make it even more so.
Leisure areas can be easily decorated in a house using decorative polish concrete.