How to Paint a Porch or Sidewalk

Having a cracked old porch or sidewalk can make your curb appeal seem drab. There is a solution to your ugly cement. You can paint it to give it a fresh new feel. Painting patterns, murals, and other designs are great ways to liven up your exterior. A good way to camouflage all the imperfections of a porch or sidewalk is to do blocks. Using a car wash sponge you can create a stone paver's pattern.

You will need sandpaper, scrub brush or sandpaper, scraper, broom, car wash sponge, sidewalk paint or exterior paint in two colors, paint roller, paint brush, and a couple of paint trays. Another very important thing you need to have is H&C Shield-Crete Acrylic Clear Glaze. You can find this at Sherwin Williams. It is an Acrylic Clear Coat and will help protect your sidewalk or porch from the outdoor elements.

The first thing you need to do is to remove everything from your porch or sidewalk. You will also need to clip any plants or grass that could be touching the area you wish to paint. If the area you are painting has existing paint you will need to remove it with your scrub brush, sandpaper, or scraper. Make sure and take your broom and sweep the area clean making sure there is no sand, dirt, or other debris. You could even take your garden hose and wash the area, but be sure you let it completely dry before painting. When the surface is clean of any debris you are ready to apply the base coat.

Get your sidewalk paint or exterior paint and pour it into your paint pan. Roll on the base coat over the entire surface with your paint roller. You can use a paintbrush for corners and for cutting in along edges. Once your base coat dries completely you will need a secondary color for the stone paver pattern. Once again you can use sidewalk paint or exterior paint. Pour the desired paint color ( for the blocks) in a clean paint pan. Take a damp car wash sponge and dip one side of the sponge into the paint. Dab or pounce the sponge flat onto the surface. Make sure you start at one end of the area and work to the other end. Repeat the pattern over the entire surface. You should let the paint dry completely before you apply the clear coat over it.

After the paint is completely dry, take a paint roller and apply the acrylic clear glaze. You may need to apply two or three coats for extra protection. Make sure you let each coat dry before applying a new coat. Following these steps will help you achieve a charming porch or sidewalk.

Resources:

Sherwin Williams Concrete Stains

H&C Shield-Crete Acrylic Glaze