When we purchased our first home we were relieved to find that the previous owners had already built a decent patio composed of a central concrete slab with paver stones around it. All it needed was a some style and a few key pieces. First on the agenda was a dining area for those warm summer evenings dining alfresco. We purchased an inexpensive table, chair and umbrella set and positioned it in the most suitable location on the clean blank slab of concrete. However there was something missing -- almost like it needed a rug underneath. I brainstormed off and on for a few years and came up with the idea to paint a faux rug. Unfortunately I never took a before-photo of the concrete slab because it didn't occur to me that I would be sharing the process. I apologize. But you can get an idea of how it looked prior in the photo below of it being taped.

Naturally, what came after receiving that ah-ha idea was deciding on a simple, yet pleasing pattern. I think it's safe to say Spring/Summer 2013 were the seasons of the Chevron. Its simplistic zig-zag design could be found in both home decor as well as wearable fashions. And though it was a trend at the time, I could see long lasting potential. I was scouring the internet in search of a pattern and how I could create my own stencil when I stumbled upon this website: Lia Griffith's Handcraft Your Life - How to Paint a Chevron Rug. I downloaded the larger stencil of the two (5' 5" x 7' 7") printed on card stock paper, cut out each stencil and taped them together matching the proper width of my "rug". Once I had the stencil complete I was ready to begin my project.

Step One: Remove all furniture off concrete slab and power wash area. Do not skip the power washing step! Even if you don't own a power washer, someone somewhere will have one to lend you for this simple yet important job. Every little bit of dirt that has built up in the porous concrete will prevent the paint from forming a proper bond and lead to premature deterioration of your hard work down the road.

Step Two: Use stencil and good quality painter's tape to map out pattern. Once outlined, fill unpainted sections with tape. * DIYer's note: Be sure to take breaks in between this task or you may be unable to walk the next day. Also consider enlisting the assistance of a friend, this is a perfect time to catch up and get those tedious tasks done more quickly.

Step Three: With a standard paint roller, prime the areas which will be painted. Per the recommendation of my Home Depot paint specialist, I used Behr Premium Floor Coating, Concrete & Masonry Bonding Primer in Clear.

Step Four: Once primer is dry to touch it is time to paint. With a new paint roller, roll paint onto the proper areas as evenly as possible. I used Behr Premium 1-Part Epoxy Concrete & Garage Floor Paint in a custom color, Araucana Teal from The Martha Stewart Living collection, matching the color I used on both our refinished outdoor buffet and table umbrella.

Step Four: Once paint is completely dry, you may either add another coat or remove tape, I decided on a second coat of paint for a longer lasting finish. My DIY partner came up with an idea of making the painted parts of the pattern glow in the dark. So we raced to Ace Hardware and purchased a few cans of Krylon Glowz spray paint and sprayed all the painted zig zags. Once we sprayed the glow in the dark paint on and removed the tape we realized that because the sun goes down gradually the glow in the dark would not actually be all that effective on it's own. You'd have to charge the paint with some sort of light source. So that being said, it probably would have been best to use a reflective paint instead.