Concrete Landscaping Is The Secret To An Affordable But Gorgeous Outdoor Makeover

Do you want your yard to have a clean and polished look? Of course, you do! Landscaped yards offer amazing curb appeal to your home and can increase the value of your home and surrounding homes. Plus, looking out at a beautiful yard will simply give you a feeling of joy and satisfaction.

But it’s all easier said than done, right? Actually, with concrete, landscaping has never been easier.

Time to Reevaluate Your Image of Concrete

When you imagine a concrete patio, do you picture a gray, unattractive slab? Such a sight is standard among many new constructions, but concrete is capable of so much more. In fact, concrete is the perfect low-budget building material. Because it is malleable before it hardens permanently, concrete can be stamped with an imprint or pattern.

The stamps available today do a stunning job of transforming concrete from an uninspiring pool of grey to an incredibly detailed impression of brickwork, cobblestone, tile, and more. Once all of the finishing touches have been added to give the concrete proper highlights and shadows, only an expert would be able to tell the difference. You can have a fancy patio for a fraction of the cost.

But the wonders of concrete landscaping don’t end there!

Concrete Landscaping Features

Concrete ready mix can easily be used to transform your yard and garden into a work of art. Some other ways to include concrete landscaping features in your overall outdoor design include:

• Garden borders that mimic bricks but are actually made of concrete are an easy way to achieve a sophisticated look in the garden. The best part is that once the concrete border is installed, it is maintenance-free; you won’t have to worry about bricks loosening up.
• Retaining walls can easily be made to look like stone walls. Let flowers trail over the side of a retaining wall to add some visual interest to your yard. Or instead of a retaining wall, which usually cuts through a hill and is only seen from the front, create a low stone wall or stone fence out of concrete for the perfect English cottage look.
• Fire pits are fun additions to place in the yard either on an existing patio or on their own little island. A custom concrete fire pit is safe, entertaining, and visually appealing.
• Ponds and waterfalls made of real stone can be expensive, but using concrete landscaping techniques is far more affordable and provides the same visual appeal. Of course, you can add a few real, moveable stones to really sell the image.
• Columns and decorative exteriors can be spruced up with concrete. Concrete can be used to give a stucco-like texture or to give the appearance of brick or stone.
• Driveways repaved with concrete can be customized to virtually any pattern, in the same way as a patio.
• Stepping stones and pathways made of concrete help to “hardscape” your yard and reduce the area that must be mowed.

Did you know that concrete can also be colored? The colorant is a powder that is added to the concrete while it is being mixed, so it is permanent and won’t flake off over time, which is inevitable with painted concrete. This opens up plenty of opportunities to create a vibrant color scheme in the garden.

Go for an earthy tone in your concrete or let out your inner wild side with deep purples and other colors that complement the flowers growing in your garden beds, for example. Concrete can also be customized in the type of finish it has. Opt for a shiny, eye-catching finish by using an acid wash, or leave the concrete as-is for a matte-like surface.

Using an acid wash finish on certain stones on a patio or exterior wall, for example, can help you create a unique pattern in which those stones really “pop.” Of course, you don’t need to use a stamp with concrete at all, and you can leave it to dry smooth or create a brushed appearance for a little bit of texture.

Concrete landscaping involves much more than just pouring a concrete patio, adding a concrete bench to the garden, and throwing in a few concrete statues just for fun. Instead, use concrete as a way for your wildest ideas to become a reality without breaking the bank.

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