Sunday Project

sunday

Stuck for ideas this weekend? Get your DIY fix and delve right in with our quick and easy ways to update your home for less project

For more pics of Emily ’ s gardenJUSTproject (and just gorgeous interiors in general), check out£10her Instagram page @emilysmith30

Patio power

BEFORE

Here at Real Homes, we love a paint makeover. So when our art editor, Emily Smith, transformed her patio into a colourful terrazzo-style delight, we simply had to share it. She ’ s turned her bland grey slabs into a playful pastel feast for the eyes, and we couldn ’t wait to find out exactly how she did it...

You’ll need:

n White masonry paint n Masonry paints in different colours – you could use tester pots n Paintbrushes in a few different sizes n Protective Water Seal

What Emily did:

1. ‘I got the husband to do the prep work, jet washing the patio and giving it three coats of masonry paint. We used B&Q’ s GoodHome self-cleaning in pure brilliant white.

2. ‘I used Valspar tester pots mixed in with their masonry paint. I chose British Shorthair, Silver Bonnet, Bonjour and Eraser Pink. The light grey I mixed up from leover paint.

3. ‘To create the terrazzo paern, I bought a pack of four paint brushes with different sized heads. I added splodges of paint while changing the brush size up all the time to keep the shapes different. Rolling the brush head on the floor gave a great effect, but I would recommend kneeling on a pillow!

4. ‘Once it all dried, I sealed the patio with Everbuild Water Seal.

5. ‘When I finished, I used leover paint to give the garden furniture and plant pots a bright new look with just a few coats. ’