“Smooth Sailing” – Patio Design Ideas in Ennis, TX
Wherever you live, you’ve probably seen plenty of exposed aggregate patios. For those looking for patio design ideas, exposed aggregate is a safe standby.
In this concrete treatment, the top layer of concrete is washed away to expose the stones in the concrete mix. Some people like the look of exposed aggregate and appreciate that it masks stains and dirt.
Others, like these Ennis, TX, homeowners, find the look boring and the stones annoying. Like many Texans, they enjoy going barefoot in their backyard. They wanted a patio that wouldn’t leave indentations on their feet!
After brainstorming various patio design ideas, the homeowners decided that they wanted their patio to have a smooth surface that would be comfortable to walk on, and a unique look that would add style to their backyard.
They opted for a rectangular (rock-free) pattern. We knew that a trowel-down application would fit the bill perfectly.
Using a hand trowel, our guys applied a gray skim coat over the top of the aggregate, covering up all those pesky stones once and for all, and creating a subtle, “barely-there” texture.
Once the surface dried, the guys stained it by hand, using a combination of rich gray and black stain colors. They purposely tried not to make it look completely uniform, as the “imperfect” application of the stain is what gave the colors depth.
This project was unique because usually we score trowel-down flooring before we stain it. The reason is that most homeowners want the score lines to be visible, but subtle.
These homeowners wanted the score lines to stand out in stark contrast to the gray and black surface stain. Once the stain dried, the guys scored the surface to create the large rectangular pattern. Each cut revealed the light gray skim coat underneath.
Once their patio design idea was completed, we sealed the entire floor to protect it against Mother Nature and spills.
Sometimes, homeowners present us with patio design ideas that are, shall we say, somewhat ambitious. It’s not that we can’t do them, it’s just that the cost becomes prohibitive; kind of like “champagne on a beer budget”.
It can be surprising the amount of work some of these floors take to get them to look the way they do. That said, if you want to try something different, we’re game, just let us know. In this case, our client asked us to make the grout lines stand out and it was straightforward, all we had to do was change the timing of the scoring and it came out really nice.
Kudos to our customer for their patio design ideas, they worked perfectly. The color truly pops against the lush green grass, and the prominent score lines play nicely against the rectangular bricks of the home. Let us know what you would like and we’ll make it happen.
