Steps
Step 1
My patio had several coats of paint on it from the previous owners, 3 coats for sure tho think it could have been 4 or 5 coats all up. The wear tracks in the paint made it look pretty scrappy. I had redone the front doorΒ Front entrance door renovationΒ and wanted to flow through the whole patio. I had meant to do a timber railing but did not have the $$$ (around $800 at the time) to complete the handrail. Its still on the "List" but now higher up it π
I was given a pressure washer, so thought why not give it a go... (think it was an Aldi one)
A decade of ingrained dirt and leaves be gone...
Some of this paint had come up when I was paint stripping the door with chemicals and also it had perished underneath a large flat rubber door mat so the paint had sat wet under it a long time.
Cleaning and hoping it would go easily...
Realising that was a nope...
Much nicer looking but flaky paint was still about and you could see the layers of it.
End of first day (2hrs water blasting everywhere)
Next days effort
This paint concerned me most in removing it...
At this point I was thinking "Have I bitten off more then I should"?
Step 2
At this point I had gone over the lot with a traditional wire brush and also a paint scraper. The paint scraper work well, tho took forever getting across the patio. I figured a power option was in order.
Before the powered option.
I bought a couple of wired drill brushes.Β
They worked nicely but still it was an effort.
Battery drills didnt have the lifespan for hours of brushing and yeah it was slow going. Mood was dipping.
Out came the old Makita drill I have had for 32 years at that point. Hammer action had broken but drill itself was fine π
Certainly it made a difference, my mood lifted!
Much, Much happier
Still patches left but the paint was fixed solidly.
The wear on the wheel. I didnt use the straight brush, just the rounded dome.
One last wash before the painting
The steps were easy in places as the paint came off in huge strips
Other places it clung on for dear life.
Prepped and ready for painting. NOTE paint flakes covered my front garden as they fly everywhere with water blasting.Β
Step 3
Time to paint. I spent a lot of time trying to decide which paint to use, there were "3 pack" styled paint from bunnings, I think there was also a "2 pack" style as well. Both came in around the $300 ish dollar mark and took multiple steps to apply.
I went to an industrial paint supplier and asked them if they had a concrete paint. There was one at $192 but only came in a 10L can...Β So I bounced between types of paint, lengths of time to apply and staying power of the paint. (I read the reviews on the Bunnings site)
In the end I ordered in this paint. The instructions said the paint could NOT be painted on above 35 degrees C. Also should not be painted over other paint. ..... yeah rem this point...
We had a run of very hot days, 38 deg type days So I got up at 7am to start painting before the cut off 35 degrees with the temperature rising.
Before
Before
Before
I taped the threshhold as I wanted to paint the old style dark brown tiles grey as well.
The sun was moving fast, I remember thinking "oh man" will I get it done before the sun heats the concrete.
It was going down nicely, surprisingly easy π
Slow and steady especially with the edges as they were rough brick right on the concrete level. I had a tiny leeway as the previous paint jobs hadnt been too cautious...Β
Flowing along π
Very happy with the painting.
Made it before the heat increased too much.
Next day I went over it and had a look. These spots had turned up. The old paint that was solidly fixed had upturned with the new type of paint I used. I scrapped it off with a paint scrapper and hand wire brushed the surface, then applied a second coat.
Just showing what the new paint did to the old paint.
After cleaning it back.
The steps were the worst parts that lifted. The patio hardly reacted. With the steps I wouldnt say it was shocking it was more a maintenance issue feeling.
Little imperfections
Step 4
After the imperfections had been fixed, I think I did 2 coats only and held off on doing a third. The second coat went down without any issues.
All done π
Really has made a difference!
It rained and the water beaded so nicely! π
Was surprised at the beading, really didnt expect it to that level!
Was very happy with the paint π
A year and a half since I painted the patio and it has held up well. Nothing has lifted and nothing has worn away. The handrail is still to be done but has moved up the "list" to almost the top π The only problem that I have now is my original design that I wanted (straight slats like my privacy screen) hs changed and I want a more open look. π Problem to be crossed when I start the handrail!
