Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

DIY Driftwood - Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

Stenciling Patio Pavers with
Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Stain

The Vision

Stenciling Patio Pavers – Another Great Use for Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

I have this patio envisioned in my head.  It’s about 15’x20′ and made of Arizona flagstone with all its beautiful color variations.  There will be a 2 ft high stone retaining wall and that will be topped by bluestone slabs for sitting and showcasing plants. Behind that is a wall of 3 ft tall boxwood or similar shrub.  This envisioned patio is #1 on my wish list. Unfortunately, it’s about #8 on the priority list.  But I definitely needed something inexpensive and fairly easy to create that would serve until my dream patio can be built.

The only picture I could find of the cement patio pavers before I started experimenting. This friendly little rabbit would greet me every morning as soon as she would hear me open the sliding door.  She knew I had carrots. Made my heart smile. To know what happened to “lil bit” is to know we also have a bobcat that frequents the yard. Where we once had 5 or 6 rabbits – we now have none. I now know better than to feed or name the rabbits. Sigh…

Let the Games Begin

My mind went to Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish and how it stains just about everything it contacts including concrete, cement and stone.  There is something in the stone that reacts with the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish and turns it the color of spicy brown mustard.  I have no idea what but I knew the color would not wash off like paint.  And then I realized if I could use a stencil with the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish I might be able to create something unique at a cost that was fairly inexpensive.   Soon my backyard became a research project filled with different stenciled patio pavers and various watered down dilutions of the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish. The stenciled pavers were all over the yard like some bizarre game.

Some of the older pavers I turned over and used for experimentation and some ended up in the patio along with newly purchased cement pavers.  All were purchased from Home Depot but I see them at Lowes and Wal-mart.  They come in different base colors and I chose the lightest, whitest ones.  The cost is about $1.89 per paver for a 12″x12″.

I spent the next 3 days testing and stencilling patio pavers. After trying numerous stencil designs, I settled on this one although Amazon has a quite a selection of great Tile Stencils Available on Amazon

. Choose one to fit your paver size.  Some go all the way to the edge and are suppose to match up with the next paver.  The one I chose allowed me to add a border and it had a cottagey/vintage vibe which I liked.

The Hard Part

Since there had already been pavers down and the area was somewhat level, I did not have to dig into the ground or put down gravel, etc. before replacing the pavers.  Nor did I use a level (which I regret).  I did have sand on hand to help get an “eyeball” level.  After all, I did not want a big project or a lot of expense – just a fairly quick intermittent solution until my “Dream Patio”.

I used sand purchased from H. Depot specifically for pavers and drove it into the seams with a stiff brush.  I did this for a few days as the sand kept settling and more was needed. 

And finally, once the sand had settled, I used Miracle Sealants H20 Plus Penetrating Sealer to give the stenciled patio pavers a waterproof topcoat that would help deter stains.  If you have ever used similar pavers, you know that they stain rather easily especially if you use flower pots.  I was impressed by how well the sealant worked. 

Final Project

The pavers are deliberately different shades of the same color.  The darker ones were done with the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish at full strength (1 packet and 1 Cup of water – there are 2 packets per Single Pak). And then I started adding an additional Cup of water (1 packet and 2 Cups of water) and finally 3 Cups of water. Three cups of water ended up being too pale for me. I like the ultimate translucent, watercolor look achieved.  This technique does not give you “fine” lines.  In my creative mind, I likened the look to some ancient Grecian tile floor uncovered in an archeological dig.  It’s been worn and weathered and has tons of character. Perfect for a shabby chic or cottage style garden.

And I started getting ideas for stenciling patio pavers and the different ways I could use them throughout the garden.  More on those later in another blog.

Total Cost for Stenciled Patio Pavers using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

The total cost is about $150.00 for a paved patio approximately 3′ x 6′ and that included about $75.00 for 18 pavers from Home Depot; $20 for a 12″x12″ stencil; $12.99 for the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish; $4.89 bag of paver sand; $32.00 waterproof topcoat sealant and a fun day sitting in the garden stenciling patio pavers.