Creating a functional, yet relaxing outdoor living area can require careful planning. You need to consider architectural style, color harmony, traffic flow, comfort and space requirements. An outdoor living area also has some challenges such as providing privacy and creating shelter from the sun and wind.

Creating “rooms” in your outdoor living area is easily done with a concrete patio or concrete walkways. You can lead anyone where you want them to wander outdoors with a pathway. Decorative concrete can give your yard an upscale look for a decent price.

Turning your Patio into an Outdoor Room

Outdoor entertaining has come a long way from just setting up a barbeque grill on the back deck or a picnic table on the patio. Now the most exciting new room in the house isn’t even in the house: it’s the new OUTDOOR ROOM. Creative homeowners are adding gas patio heaters (the kind you see in sidewalk cafes) and even building fireplaces so their outdoor rooms can be used in the winter. They’re arranging special seating areas to entertain guests. Decorating with different flowers, plants, outdoor art, and using large planters as well as arbors, trellises, or other simple structures will help to define the space.

Where To Start With Your Outdoor Patio Room?

So how do you transition from a few pieces of lawn furniture to a true outdoor room? We believe the best way is to start with a central FOCAL point and move out from there. Try centering your outdoor room on the thing that you’ll be doing in it the most — GATHERING for a meal. Think about it like an indoor room. What’s the most important gathering place in the house? Where do people come together for conversation, drinks, and meals? It’s the dining table. That’s why we believe the best place to start is to put an attractive dining table in the middle of your outdoor room and work around it from there.

Choosing The Right Look

Before you select your table, ask yourself which COLORS you want to accentuate. Do you want to reflect the sunny yellows and blues of the French Riviera? Perhaps you prefer the warm ochre reds of Southern Spain and Morocco? Then think about reflecting those colors in the table decorations on top of your table. Accenting the colors you choose in accessories like pots and planters, and complimenting them with colorful CUSHIONS on wrought iron chairs around your mosaic table.

Don’t Forget That Your Outdoor Room Is Outdoors

Of course, you want to make sure that everything that goes in your outdoor room can stand the WEATHER. So look for furnishings and accent pieces that work well both indoors and out. In harsher northern climates, some homeowners will COVER their tables when not in use or even bring them indoors to add color as kitchen tables, accent tables, or even dining tables. Also consider decorating your concrete to add not only color and a wonderful design piece, but also excellent protection that will prevent stains from food or the elements.

Light For The Night, Shade For The Day

Once you’ve established your central visual theme, think about radiating outwards with some unique lighting FIXTURES. You can light the night with exotic Moroccan lanterns or hand-cut metal sconces. Also, consider adding some shade to make your outdoor room more inviting during hot summer days. But, don’t just think about umbrellas. Consider using arbors, awnings, or canopies where you can grow flowers and vines to create NATURAL shade. Then, you can use these same structures to hang your lanterns and lights by night.

An Outdoor Room Can Fit Any Budget

There are many ways to create an outdoor room. You can do it surprisingly AFFORDABLY with just a few simple pieces like a table, wrought iron chairs, and a few basic flowerpots. Over time, you can add fireplaces, stainless steel barbecue grills, and water features such as a fountain or waterfall. Again, the main idea is to start with a central focal point and add other elements that complement it. 

Prepping Your Outdoor Patio To Entertain & Party

When the sunshine and warm weather comes out to play it is time to start thinking about firing up the barbeque and breaking out the deck chairs. Every time it starts getting nice out everyone starts thinking about spending more time on the patio and outdoors in general. Money can be spent on landscaping and new outdoor furniture, but sometimes it just seems like you’re putting lipstick on a pig when you look down at your concrete patio. Are you tired of the dull, cracked, stained concrete surfaces that surround your home? Don’t you wish that you had a surface that is not only beautiful, but durable and easy to clean?

Consider Concrete Coatings as a possible solution. Concrete coatings come in a choice of patterns and colors. A decorative concrete overlay is something unique that will instantly beautify even the most unsightly concrete areas. With a concrete overlay you can turn a plain concrete slab into a beautiful patio, perfect for entertaining and your own personal enjoyment. Also this type of coating can transform a water-stained concrete pool deck into an attractive recreation area. These coatings can waterproof that leaky deck with an impressive decorative look.

The possibilities are endless. Choose from a wide array of coatings that simulate the look of the real thing included: Spanish pavers, tile, slate, brick or flagstone. Decorative concrete coatings are affordable and save you the headache and hassle of removing your existing concrete. There’s no need to go through the complicated concrete removal process when it can simply be coated with a decorative pattern that is elegant and affordable. Coatings can be applied as thin as 1/8″ so that adjacent surfaces can be seamlessly contoured. These time-tested commercial coatings are extremely durable and take extended wear and tear. They hold up to vehicular traffic and years of harsh weather too. The benefits that come with this technology are staggering.

• These surfaces are non-porous and can be made slip-resistant

• Pigments used are mixed completely through the materials to ensure the color stays true

• A clear sealer protects against fading from ultra-violate rays

• They are low maintenance and long lasting

When applied over old or new concrete, concrete coatings are a perfect solution to a longstanding problem. They are ideal for driveways, walkways, patios, pool decks or any concrete surface you wish to improve. So if cracks, stains or crumbling concrete are depreciating the value and enjoyment of your home, look into having them coated. 

Pool Deck Resurfacing…Who Says You Need New Concrete?

Pool deck resurfacing is something homeowners face when they want a pool deck that has an attractive, durable surface that does not become slippery when wet or develops cracks after a short period of time. Some try methods such as stamped concrete or spraying on concrete-like substances. However, these tend to lack durability, involve messy tear outs or end up costing the homeowner a bundle. With Silverline Systems, you can get pool deck resurfacing that is light years ahead of the competition thanks to a variety of surfacing options with many benefits.

At Silverline we are experts in a variety of concrete surfacing options. Simply put, we are the premier concrete beautification company in the Treasure Valley and have an experienced crew of installers who perform each job by hand. One of the first things people notice about a concrete surface from Silverline is the stunning effect it has on the appearance of their pool area. This is important for homeowners who want to have the look, and feel of something other than just plain grey for their pool deck. This also works for driveways, sidewalks, and patios as well.

One important factor that applies especially to pool deck resurfacing is that a system installed by Silverline is not slippery like real stone or stamped concrete. Summer is here and people use their pools a lot, so there are always people getting in and out of pools. A slippery surface has led to accidents before, but with one of our systems, this will not be a problem.

Overlay systems from Silverline are trowelled by hand giving it a great look and wonderful texture. Also an overlay by Silverline Systems is durable and can last a long time. It has a 5800 PSI rating, meaning it is twice as strong as concrete. Compare this to stamped concrete, which has a 3500 PSI rating. You should never have problems with cracking unless there is a significant substrate issue.

Also, Silverline Systems can provide concrete coatings for your pool deck which give a wonderful decorative look that simulates the look of granite or quartz at a fraction of the cost, yet with even more durability and slip resistance. We can cover just about any existing concrete surface. Concrete coating is a wonderful, long lasting, and durable way to beautify and protect your pool deck and even coping.

The work our installers do for pool deck resurfacing will astonish you. They look at each job as if it were a work of art. Our workers do the job by hand, allowing for a more detailed finish and one that is custom-fit to your specifications. They trowel, carve, color and grout with their own hands to give you a pool deck that looks great and will hold up over the years. 

Pool Deck Concrete & Resurfacing Is Best

We recently spent some time at a friend’s pool and they had just had their concrete covered with a decking material, while it looked beautiful there were two problems.  The first issue was it was hot, I mean third degree burn your feet hot!  The second issue was that when wet it was super slippery.  Silverline has coated many pool decks and can solve both of these problems.  We can add products to our coatings that make them slip resistant and they are much cooler on your feet than concrete alone.  Not to mention that our coatings had color and design to your pool!  It has also to protect your concrete from all of the elements and is affordable, especially when compared to other options.  So if you have a patio deck that could use a coating please call us today to schedule a free estimate.  Someone from our team will come to your home, assess your needs, show you some samples and give you an exact estimate for the job.

Decorative Concrete Creates Unique Outdoor Look

Chances are you have some concrete in or around your home. Whether it is a driveway, garage floor, patio, outdoor living area, pool walkway or even interior floors, concrete is a fairly common material. However, it isn’t always the prettiest. Luckily, there are now decorative options for your home, indoors and out.

Decorative concrete used to be reserved for expensive homes, exclusive estates, or commercial buildings. However, now it is more cost efficient than ever to add decorative accents to your concrete. Whether you have a patio, fireplace, garage floor or driveway, there are plenty of artistic decorations available.

Depending on your desires, your concrete can be transformed in a variety of ways. Stains, dyes, stamps, textures and other tactics create unique masterpieces from plain concrete. Unlike many decorative features, decorative concrete is long-lasting, resilient, and easy to maintain.

If you are looking for a way to add a custom look to your home without adding a large expenditure, look no further than decorative concrete. Silverline Systems can give you plenty of options to create the right look for your home.

Eco-Friendly Tips for Your Backyard Landscape:

· Strategic Planting

· Incorporate Recycled Materials

· Practice Water-Wise Landscaping