Faux Concrete Rug

Hello! So, if you’ve been following along with our courtyard makeover, you might have been waiting to find out how I painted the concrete under the table to look a rug. It wasn’t to hard, just a tedious but we love the way it turned out. And, if I stop liking it I can paint over it anytime. That’s the thing I love about paint. So, what’s the best way to paint a faux concrete rug? Here’s what I did.

When I started on this courtyard I knew that I wanted to build a square table for the space. Something about my inner insanity is that I really like squares. And squares inside squares are just the best. I really didn’t want a rug up here, but I did want it to look like a rug. Rugs are expensive! So, I decided to paint a faux concrete rug.

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Materials Needed

Power Washer

Valspar Fast Prep

Quikrete Bonding Adhesive

Valspar Solid Color Concrete Stain*

Valspar Semi-Transparent Concrete Stain*

Stencil

White Paint

Concrete Sealer

Paint rollers

Paintbrushes

*Valspar stains are available at Lowes for a much lower price. You will need to have the color added at the store. I included links to show what it looked like.

I started by cleaning the patio with a power washer. Then I scrubbed and knocked loose any leftover dirt. The guys over at Quikrete told me that the prep work is the most important part. You want the paint to really stick to the concrete, so spend some time making sure to get it cleaned. You don’t want your paint sticking to the dirt that will peel off. After I power washed it, I used Valspar Fast Prep and a stiff bristle brush to really clean any leftover dirt off.

Next, I used some Quikrete Bonding Adhesive. I mixed it with some water, then just rolled it one. Easy enough.

I waited until the first coat was tacky to the touch, then painted a second coat.

Once that became tacky to the touch, I started the painting. I used Valspar concrete stain. I started with the solid color stain. I got the nice guys at the hardware store to mix it up to be “midnight blue”. I rolled it on, trying to make sure I filled all the cracks and holes. After it dried I added a second coat. After that second coat, I went back and filled all those little cracks and sides.

Now, for the fun part. I got my Deco Art Dangles stencil and white paint and got to work. I was worried it would look too “messy”, but doing it this way with a roller is what gave it that textured look.

I didn’t worry about making it perfect, just make sure to even the paint out on the roller before you start rolling it on. Once you get the first one on, move the stencil to where you want it to line up and repeat. Do this for the whole area.

Once I got the white on, I knew I wanted it toned down a bit. After it dried, I again grabbed some Valspar concrete stain but this time in Semi-Transparent of the same color – midnight blue. I rolled a coat of that right over the white.

And that’s how I did it! Now, it was time to seal. Just like the prep, the seal is super important for maintaining the paint. I put about 3 coats on and just rolled it on once everything was dry.

And then I have my rug!