Create an outdoor living space that you will love to use by setting up a beautiful and comfortable backyard patio. Once winter is over we love spending those warm and sunny days being outside as much as possible. I have been working hard to make our backyard a functional and beautiful outdoor living space that we can really enjoy together; something that is an extension of the inside of our home. All our backyard beautification started with a major upgrade to our backyard patio.
Before Our Backyard Patio Upgrade
Here is a look at what we started with. Before tackling the backyard, we had already done all sorts of inside remodeling projects like a complete DIY kitchen renovation, but our sad, boring backyard was begging for a little bit of life and beauty to be added.
Our old patio was made from pavers and wasn’t properly graded. It is hard to tell in this photo, but it sloped towards the house. Whenever it rained, water pooled against the foundation of our home. Not good!
In addition to needing to fix the grading issue, I wanted the new patio to be higher so you can step out straight from the slider, and I wanted our new patio to be bigger as well.
Pouring Our New Concrete Patio
I DIY many things, but I also have no problem hiring a professional to come in as needed. We got an amazing deal when hiring out to have our concrete patio put in, and I could not be happier with it.
First, they removed all of the old pavers. I will reuse these for various projects around the house, including borders for my flower beds. The whole family got involved with stacking and moving these old pavers out of the way.
Once the old patio was out, there was a lot of work and steps that went into preparing the ground, setting the forms, pouring the concrete, not to mention all the sweeping and finishing. Pouring a large concrete patio like this is a lot! They did such good work, and I’m so glad we didn’t try and DIY it.
Most importantly, they brought in dirt to build up the area where our concrete patio was going so that it would be higher. There will be no more stepping down as you walk out the slider. And they graded it properly so it has just a bit of a slope away from the house (like it should have in the first place). No more water pooling up against the house.
Even when empty, our new, backyard patio already looks and feels so much better, and I love the new bigger size.
Adding Backyard Patio Furniture
You can’t have a comfortable outdoor living space without some comfortable furniture for your backyard patio. I originally planned on making a concrete outdoor sofa using cinder blocks. But, the reality of military life is that we will not be in this home forever. I decided that I would instead purchase an outdoor sofa that could be disassembled and brought with us to our next home.
After lots of searching, I purchased this outdoor sectional and we love it!
The sectional arrives in several boxes, and some assembly is required, but I have a hack to make it go even faster.
Grab the little, free Allen wrench that comes with your outdoor sectional, or whatever furniture you may be assembling. These locking pliers will make it a cinch to hold onto the Allen wrench during this next step.
Next, use your sawzall to cut off the angled end of the Allen wrench so you are left with just the long, straight portion.
Then, you load that into your drill just like a drill bit. This will make assembling your backyard patio furniture so much faster.
My other tip for assembling furniture and making it last as long as possible is to add just a bit of wood glue into the screw/bolt holes.
Then you put your pieces together and attach them with the provided screws and your handy Allen wrench drill bit that you just made.
For more seating on our backyard patio, I also ordered these acacia wood Adirondack chairs. They come in a four pack and are such a good deal. They look great with the sectional, and are incredibly comfortable to sit in.
Sealing Outdoor Patio Furniture
The Adirondack chairs that I purchased came unsealed, and I wanted them to last for a long time, so I took the extra step of sealing them with a clear sealant to protect them from the sun as well as water damage. I used Thompson’s WaterSeal for this project.
I started by just pouring some of the sealer into a container, then brushing it right onto the chairs, being sure to get in all the little nooks and crannies.
I soon realized there was a better and faster way.
I took all of the furniture out to the yard so I didn’t end up with any stray sealant on my new concrete patio. Then using a basic outdoor sprayer, I sprayed the sealant right onto the chairs. I still had to go over it with the brush to smooth it out, but this was so much faster than dipping a paint brush over and over again.
Even though the outdoor sectional already came sealed, I went ahead and applied the sealant that I was putting on the Adirondack chairs, just to make sure that this backyard patio furniture lasts for as long as possible.
Even though the Thompson’s WaterSeal is clear, it did darken the chairs slightly. It actually made them the same color as the sectional.
Decorating Your Backyard Patio
Now that all the hard work of assembling your patio furniture and protecting it with sealant is done, it’s time for all the fun stuff to finish your dreamy backyard patio!
Even when fully assembled this sectional is made of several different pieces which is great for easy set up. I love that it could even be split apart if needed.
It was easy to position each piece of the sectional right here at the corner of my backyard patio, and then add the appropriate cushions.
And I of course had to add some throw pillows. I really wanted this backyard patio to be just as comfortable and beautiful as the inside of our home. A true expansion of our living space.
To add some greenery around my backyard patio, I started with these gorgeous, fluted outdoor planters. I wasn’t going to be using real plants or actual soil, so I needed to weight these pots down so they didn’t blow away. A couple of the pavers we removed from the old patio did the trick.
Then I added some mulch.
Finally, I added this gorgeous faux fern. They look so good that no one will even guess they aren’t real, and you never have to water them or worry about keeping them alive.
And of course we needed to have a fire pit. This one is awesome. It’s wood burning, but smokeless. I can’t tell you how amazing it is to not smell like a bonfire when we are done with making our s’mores. I can’t recommend this outdoor fire pit enough.
After adding the Adirondack chairs I was done. Such a beautiful place to hang out and relax together as a family. It has also been the perfect place for hosting on a summer evening.
Cleaning and Protecting Your Backyard Patio Furniture
Having an outdoor sectional with white cushions, I expected that it would get dirty from time to time. Between the kids, the dog, and even occasionally some loose chickens, these cushions will of course need to be cleaned occasionally.
You can zip off the covers of the cushions and wash them, but I have found one of the best ways to clean them is with a pressure washer.
The pressure washer works great on the cushions and for cleaning the patio too. I even used it to bring my old fence back to life.
I invested in a cover to keep all those cushions clean when we aren’t using the sectional. So affordable and worth every penny. The cover will also help prolong the life of the cushions and sofa by keeping them protected from rain and sunshine.
Sources
- Outdoor Sectional
- Adirondack Chairs
- Large Square Throw Pillow
- Long Striped Throw Pillow
- Tufted Throw Pillow
- Thompson’s WaterSeal
- Outdoor Fire Pit
- White Fluted Planter
- Faux Boston Ferns
- Sectional Cover
Looking for another project that will majorly upgrade your backyard oasis? Try building this DIY Hammock Stand for the ultimate relaxation spot, or check out the Garden & Yard section of my blog for all kinds of outdoor inspiration.
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