An $880 Transformation Turns This Cracked Driveway into a “Palm Springs” Patio

ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER

HOME TYPE: House

PROJECT TYPE: Outdoor Spaces

STYLE: Coastal, Colorful

SKILL LEVEL: DIY

RENTAL FRIENDLY: No

Paint does a lot to transform indoor spaces, but it can go an especially long way in outdoor spaces. Three paint projects livened up this 1980s porch, for example, and bold yellow paint zapped tons of energy into this home exterior.

In Lena Bareket’s driveway makeover, paint projects helped turn a patch of concrete into a cozy area for having coffee and chatting. “Because it’s gated, and right off the kitchen, it seemed like a great spot to make into a cozy patio,” Lena says. “When I put the patio furniture out there, it helped, but the ambience wasn’t right without refreshing the space more.”

She did three DIY projects to complete the space. “I think of it as my Palm Springs-inspired patio,” she says.

A painted brick wall creates a colorful backdrop.

Lena and her husband, Mike, taped a geometric design on the side wall and painted it in Behr’s Watermelon Slice, Kauai (a tropical green), and Buzz-In. The white was leftover from a previous project. “

For anyone taking on a similar project, “I definitely recommend mapping out the design ahead of time,” Lena says. Because she was dealing with rectangular bricks, she drafted different designs using an Excel spreadsheet.

But before she got to the fun colorful stuff, Lena had to actually prep the brick wall for painting.  “I had done painting projects before for interior rooms, but this was my first time sealing holes in brick and cement and painting brick and cement,” she says. It cost her about $150 for the primer, caulk, a caulk gun, paint, tape, a paint roller, and sealer.

A stenciled floor looks much better than the cracked cement before.

Lena also worked on a project to repair the cracked flooring and make it a little more easy on the eyes. “I reused a bunch of materials from the wall paint phase, but needed more brushes, the stencil, and the paint itself,” she says. She painted over the floor first in a faux cement paint, and then used three of the square-shaped stencils from this Amazon set to create her tile-like design.

“The cement paint looked pretty watery, and no matter how many layers, sometimes the brush strokes could be seen,” Lena calls. “I used a foam brush to pat into the stencil, and did a couple layers, which helped brush strokes from being too visible,” she says.

Lena’s best advice for doing a project like this? Take your time. For example, she painted the cement layer first and then stenciled a few months later when she had the time. (After all, she’s a mom of young kiddos!)

Grass panels create a private, cozy feel.

Lastly, Lena added grass panels to the gate for privacy. “Zip-tying the fake grass to the metal carport gate was an easy one-afternoon effort,” Lena says.

All told, her efforts took several months and about $880, but the “after” is so worth it. “It’s great for catching up with friends outside after dinner or having a patio to go out and chat on without a lot of toys around,” Lena says of her revamped patio. “The painted wall is a lot of fun, and the pop of color makes me happy; it also makes a great backdrop for photos.  The stenciled floor looks so much like tile, everyone is always fooled … I also painted our other backyard brick wall with a different pattern but using the same colors, which brings a fun and colorful throughline to our outdoor space.”

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

Further Reading

We Asked 5 Contractors Which Kitchen Reno Trend Homeowners Regret Most, and They Basically All Agreed

We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Pottery Barn — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need

See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room