We greatly improved the look and usefulness of the outside of this home by tackling the following projects.
Paver Driveway
We started by laying a paver driveway and sidewalk using Pavestone pavers. First the dirt was removed and the ground leveled.
A layer of compacted crush stone was used to fill in the area, followed by sand. When everything was ready, the pavers were laid.
Stained Concrete Patio
Our next project was cleaning and staining a neglected concrete patio on the back of the house. We started by thoroughly cleaning the concrete with Quikrete Cleaner, Etcher & Degreaser and rinsing off the residue.
Once the concrete was dry, it was stained using a brush and roller with Quikrete Translucent Concrete Stain. The final step was sealing the concrete with Quikrete High Gloss Sealer.
Outdoor Fire Pit and Kitchen
Our final project was installing a paver fire pit and grill to make outdoor cooking and entertaining more enjoyable. Outdoor kitchens are very popular these days and can be constructed using stone, brick, or tile.
When installing tile, it’s important to use a quality grout, such as Fusion Pro Single Component Grout from Custom Building Products. Fusion Pro is a professional grade grout can be used on all tiles, is stain resistant, and has built-in Microban antimicrobial product protection.
Watch this video to find out more.
Read our article on Easy Outdoor Enhancements for Your Home to find out more.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Danny Lipford: Hi, I’m Danny Lipford. If you’re looking for ways to enhance your outside, I’ve got some great tips for you.
Start with the ugly—the ugly spot in your yard that you just don’t like. Find out the problem, take care of it. That’s what we did on this particular driveway just a month ago.
Actually, the previous owners allow their teenagers to park right in the front yard, you can imagine how bad that looked. Well, we helped the homeowner out here by grabbing a few shovels and moving a little bit of dirt. Brought in some crushed stone, got it nice and packed.
Put some Pavestone sand in place and these beautiful Pavestone pavers—what a great pattern this is—and very do-it-yourself friendly. The homeowner and I did this entire driveway and sidewalk in only a couple of days. Then we topped it off with some St. Augustine sod and completely transformed this front yard—makes it look a lot better.
But a lot of people are very interested in their backyard, especially their patio, and creating an outdoor living area. So many times concrete slabs will be dirty and dingy and just not very inviting. Well, that’s what they had out back, and we helped them transform it into a very comfortable living area outside. And my daughter, Chelsea, is enjoying it right now.
Chelsea Lipford: And why not, it is very warm and inviting, like Dad said, and it didn’t really look that way a month ago. It was old and needed to be cleaned.
And so the homeowners started with a cleaner/etcher/degreaser from Quikrete to prep the surface and open up the pores of the concrete. So that when they came back and applied a translucent stain. And they—you know—applied it like you would paint, with a roller and a brush.
And it really just, it makes it pop, and it creates like a permanent bond with the concrete so that it’ll be around and look great for a long time.
Danny Lipford: Yeah, I love the translucent stain from Quikrete. And I also love the little fire pit here, which is a great way to grill out there, or you can have the old standalone grill here. Or a lot of people are getting ambitious and creating their own personalized cooking space, ranging from just standalone grills to more elaborate outdoor kitchens using a variety of tile or brick or stone.
And the way you want to make it last is to use what the pros use, and that’s Custom Building Products. This particular one is Fusion Pro, and it’s basically is a adhesive as well as a grout, and this is a great way to go. Custom Building Products has just about everything you need for inside and outside your home on any type of tile or stonework that you may be doing.
