DIY stamped concrete pavers are an easy way to improve your outdoor space, and for cheap!
Forget the expensive rubber molds, because with this patio idea, you can make your own for a few dollars–and have full flexibility in the design.
If you’re wondering where this idea came from, well it came from a failed experiment.
Shortly after I first started working with concrete, I carved a flower design into the foam insulation, with the hope that I could make a tile in low relief with it.
The trouble is, I carved it way too deep and it just didn’t look right.
It was darn-right goofy looking and it went into the pile of failed experiments and it became a thought that I forgot to revisit–until now!
Now here’s why making your own stamped concrete pavers turns out to be such a great material to use for a new patio area.
One of the main reasons is cost. Your options for stamped concrete are either a full stamped concrete patio from poured concrete slabs, or using stamped paving stones.
A poured concrete patio cost is relatively inexpensive, depending on labor costs in your area.
And it’s durable, in fact, concrete is one of the most durable patio materials.
However, to make it more decorative, like a stamped concrete patio, then it’s likely going to be a fairly expensive option.
A concrete patio with purchased pavers will cost a little more than a poured concrete slab.
Especially if you want stamped pavers, though they certainly will add visual interest and increase curb appeal.
But buying pre-made stamped pavers is an expensive option. A cheaper option is to buy your own pre-made stamps to stamp your own slab or DIY pavers are still a little bit pricey.
So ultimately, making stamped concrete pavers with cheap foam insulation board as the mold
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After 20 years of having a lawn that took, I wanted a yard that contributed: to the planet, to local animals, to biodiversity, to my neighbors, to my mental health. With the sage (native plant pun intended) design work, counsel, and collaboration of David Godshall of Terremoto and David Newsom of Wild Yards Project—and a plant-friendly paint palette from color consultant Teresa Grow—another little garden that gives was born.
For those who are looking to buy a home for the first time, the feat can seem like quite the hurdle. With housing prices and interest rates still high, and a competitive market, it’s tough out there! And the number of first-time home buyers are dropping, too, because of those high prices—according to personal finance site WalletHub, 26% off home purchases were made by first-time home buyers in 2022, down from 34% the previous year.
These non-toxic solutions can wipe out the problem of garden bugs without causing much harm to the rest of your yard. Know everything about DIY Insecticidal Soap Recipes for the Garden!
Need an easy update for your backyard? Painting concrete pavers will add some pizzaz to your outdoor space! A few supplies are all that’s needed to create this fun project.
A stroll through a boutique garden store might lead you to believe that filling a garden with happy, healthy plants is only for the well-heeled. But those very plants that have soaring price tags in the store might be yours for free if you are willing to be a little creative. If you are wondering how to get free plants, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for five tried-and-true paths that lead you to free garden plants.
From trying cottage cheese ice cream to adding protein powder and bananas to morning coffee, the internet is ablaze with protein hacks lately—but Trader Joe’s just announced a bit of extra protein in its Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup that you may not want to try.
Probiotics can play a vital role to improve immunity, boost gut health, safety from potential diseases, and promote strength in humans. If used in the right way, they work similarly in plants, helping them to thrive and stay green. Let’s have a look at the best DIY Plant Probiotic Recipes!
Nothing says Christmas more than a poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). Did you know that December 12th is known as National Poinsettia Day? Plant breeders have developed a wide range of colors in hues of white, purple, orange, and pink, but red poinsettias continue to be the most traditional color of the holiday season.
The English-born Capon, a doctor of botany from the University of Chicago who went on to be a professor at California State University, Los Angeles for 30 years, has since retired, leaving time for the revamping of “Botany for Gardeners,” the bestselling title for its publisher, Timber Press, in the U.S. and England.Not only did Capon write it; he illustrated it, too, and even took the plant photographs that further bring the text to life. Capon is also a lifelong gardener, though images of his own place never appear in the pages.“Botany for Gardeners” was born as a textbook out of lecture notes for a botany class Capon taught for many years to non-science students, so it’s thorough—but not the kind of dense, full-fledged botany text that will scare you away.In fact (even 20 years later), it just keeps drawing me back in, especially for tidbits like these. Did you know:That litmus, the dye used to indicate acidity and alkalinity, is
“Last year [2012] at the overwintering sites, the area occupied was at only 60 percent of its previous low,” she says. “It had been declining, but that was astonishingly low.”The migration-monitoring program Journey North also reported lower stats in 2013’s cold spring. And though the numbers were only preliminary when we spoke that fall, University of Minnesota’s Monarch Larva Monitoring Program seems to indicate that “we’re at about 20 to 30 percent of our average,” Oberhauser says, acknowledging that these drastically lower numbers might be a “new normal.” But she’s not sounding defeated, by any means.A big positive: A lot of people are interested in monarchs. “Though it will be difficult to make up for all the habitat we’ve lost, we can make that ‘new normal’ as good as we can.” (Ways to help are father down this page.)what going wrong for monarchs?MONARCH
Before we get started, the BirdNote backstory: In 2002, the then-executive director of Seattle Audubon heard a short public-radio show called StarDate. “We could do that with birds,” she thought. In 2005 the idea became a two-minute, seven-day-a-week public-radio “interstitial” (short program) that recently caught my ear. I asked BirdNote to help answer the recent questions you had asked me. (In case you missed installment 1, we tackled How do birds make themselves at home—even in winter? Week 2 was about birds on the move: the miracle of hummingbird migration, and on flying in formation. Week 3: on daring behavior, such as when a mob of small birds chase after a bigger one, or a woodpecker drums on my house.)Parts of Ellen’s answers below are in 2-minute audio clips to stream (all in the green links–or you can read the transcripts at those links if you prefer):Q. How long do birds live? Can you give some examples that hint at their lifespans?A. A