How to Cozy Up Your Patio For Fall and Winter Entertaining
If you’ve had a busy summer on your backyard patio, now is a good time to take stock of how it has handled those months of fun in the sun.
- Is the concrete stained and cracked?
- Is this the last summer for the patio furniture with sun damage and wear and tear?
- Are you giving up on the patio until next summer?
If you’ve never considered ways to transition your patio to the ideal spot for cool weather entertaining throughout fall and into winter, now is the perfect time to prepare for gatherings with hot cider, S’mores, and the sweet, smokey smell of an outdoor fire. Having a patio for all seasons is easy with these five “how-tos” from Concrete Craft®for warm fellowship with family and friends all year long.
Enjoy your patio every season of the year with easy upgrades that will let you gather in comfort
Start with an indestructible floor
You can go from an uninspiring gray cement patio to authentic-looking flagstone or cobblestone with a hand-cut and custom-colored decorative concrete finish. A stamped concrete hardwood pattern can give a rustic, country vibe to your great outdoors with realistic reclaimed wood or wide plank designs. Decorative concrete finishes like stained concrete, stamped concrete, and hand-cut designs can cover stains, cracks, and imperfections in the slab. Our suite of MasterProTM finishes has options from simple concrete stains to restorative overlays and a real river rock overlay, PebbleKoat by Concrete CraftTM. Every finished surface is extremely durable, guaranteed to withstand all kinds of weather, and not chip, crack, or stain, so you truly have a patio for all seasons!
RenewKoatTM revives a tired and worn patio with a real cement overlay to restore its original beauty in record time
Enjoy effortless seating with seat walls
Additional enhancements to get your patio ready for fall include seat walls to expand seating capacity or to add definition in open spaces. Encasing all or part of your patio with seat walls creates a more intimate setting as well as adding interesting texture and style. You can crowd the patio with furniture and bring out folding chairs, or you can enhance your patio with a permanent seating solution that adds beauty and year-round functionality to your patio. Faux stone seat walls integrate beautifully with rock fireplaces, fire pits, or outdoor ovens, creating functional seating and serving areas. All-weather cushions in fall colors of pumpkin, rust, brown, and dusky blue brighten up the patio and create a barrier against the cold, making the capstones more comfortable for sitting.
Seat walls can define areas while providing extra seating when a crowd gathers so you don’t have to lift a finger carting extra chairs around
Reface, don’t replace, that old fireplace
In cooler temperatures, a cozy fire brings people together and outdoor fireplaces are favorite hangouts as the temperature drops. If your outdoor fireplace, barbeque, or pizza oven is showing its age, vertical concrete resurfacing can make it look brand new with faux stone finishes like Mountain Drystack, hand-scored limestone, flagstone, and more. Our vertical concrete resurfacing systems can be applied over brick, drywall, plaster, concrete, and wood, transforming a long-suffering fireplace with a new face of the authentic look of rock, stone, or wood for about half the cost of real materials. All your guests will see is its new beauty, only you know it’s fabulous faux! Doubling as a barbeque, use the fireplace to grill hot dogs, burgers, and chicken kabobs, and to pop popcorn, keeping the fun and the mess outside.
A resurfaced fireplace creates a welcoming atmosphere for grilled treats while enjoying hot adult beverages around a crackling fire
Build an outdoor kitchen
If you have a sheltered patio or live where the winters aren’t extreme, a full-blown outdoor kitchen may be just the thing for alfresco dining any time of the year. An outdoor kitchen can take on different forms. It can be a simple setup with a gas grill, mini-fridge, a sink, and unifying countertops. Or it can be much more expansive and high-end with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, multiple grills, a pizza oven, a full-size fridge, and storage cabinets. Customize the space to what your family enjoys and see how many chefs develop as outdoor cooking becomes the norm at your house from teen build-your-own-pizza parties to gourmet grilled salmon and chilled Chardonnay for the grownups.
An outdoor kitchen is a full-service recreation area for just family or ideal to supplement indoor space for entertaining large gatherings (Outdoor shutters courtesy of Budget Blinds ®)
Provide protection from the weather
A key feature of a year-round patio is sheltered from inclement weather, whether it be the sun or the cold. Permanent patio covers, retractable awnings, umbrellas, canopies, and free-standing patio covers in wood, aluminum, vinyl, and canvas can make your patio user-friendly day and night by blocking sun, rain, and wind. Movable umbrellas can be adjusted as the sun moves and outdoor drapery panels can be opened or closed to block sun, wind, or rain so you can stay outside as long as you please.
Top off your patio update with covers and umbrellas that ensure outside comfort for all your favorite activities
The end of summer doesn’t have to mean the end of outdoor, backyard fun. With a durable decorative concrete patio that’s impervious to weather, easy to clean, and resistant to moisture, mold, and mildew, you can move effortlessly from season to season. Decorate your patio with appropriate furniture and prepare for fall with outdoor rugs, patio heaters, a storage chest of cozy blankets, and a stock of firewood for the fireplace or fire pit. Contact us today or go to www.concretecraft.com to find the Concrete Craft location nearest you and request a free in-home or virtual* consultation to see about updating your patio before cold weather sets in. You’ll love the seasons, even more, when changing temperatures don’t spoil the fun by driving you indoors.
*Virtual consultation may not be available at all locations.
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