If you're looking to increase your home's value this year without having to do a complete overhaul, revamping your outdoor living space by installing a decorative concrete patio can significantly enhance your outdoor enjoyment while producing a high return on your home improvement investment.

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Whether you’re installing a new concrete patio or upgrading an existing one, there are plenty of options for customization to suit any lifestyle and budget. Even small details, such as adding a fire pit or outdoor lighting, can make a big difference without emptying your wallet.

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Get the Look of Stone for Less

Love the look of high-end natural stone, but not the steep cost? You can create the same effect with stamped concrete at a much lower price tag. Not only can you choose from a vast array of different stone and brick patterns, you can use stains, powdered pigments, and antiquing agents to color the patio to look identical to everything from travertine to flagstone. See these design ideas.

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Choose Complementary Colors

There are endless decorative effects you can achieve by using acid or water-based concrete stains to spice up the look of a plain-gray concrete patio. But sometimes the best approach is to keep it simple, sticking with colors that will complement your home’s exterior or the surrounding landscape. Natural earth-toned color schemes, such as tans, browns and terra cottas, blend in beautifully with most outdoor settings. See these concrete stain color charts.

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Take It to a New Level

Placing a concrete patio in tiers is a great way to accommodate a sloping backyard and is an elegant alternative to a raised wood deck. A terraced concrete stairway, colored and textured to match, provides a seamless transition.

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Make It More Functional

Can you entertain? Can your family enjoy outdoor dining? Can you relax in a shady corner and read a book? The best concrete patios have zones that can accommodate a variety of outdoor activities, plus enough space for lots of comfy seating and other outdoor furnishings. View this patio sizing chart for furniture spacing recommendations.

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Break Away from Boxy Shapes

Backyard concrete patios don’t have to be big rectangular slabs. In many yards, rectangular shapes are impractical and won’t optimize the space, especially in smaller yards where square footage is at a premium. Incorporating curves in a patio can give it greater visual impact while allowing it to integrate more naturally with your existing landscape.

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Put It in the Best Light

An outdoor concrete fireplace or fire pit can turn a patio into a cozy gathering spot that can be used from early spring through fall, extending the outdoor entertaining season. Along with a fire pit, install landscape lighting so you can enjoy your patio late into the evening, even when viewing it from indoors.

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Refresh the Surface

If you’re building an outdoor room around an existing concrete patio or deck, you can cover it with a decorative overlay in any pattern and color desired. Placing a medallion in the center of an outdoor floor is a simple way to add pizzazz.

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Give It a Weathered Look

With the creative application of an antiquing stain, you can give your patio the veined look of natural textured stone. This method is especially effective when used with integrally colored concrete and a texturing stamp to give the patio a rough stone texture.

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Smell the Roses

Softscaping is just as important as hardscaping in an outdoor space. Surround your concrete patio with flowers, shrubs, and other plantings to soften the edges and add color and fragrance. Concrete planters are another way to integrate greenery into your patio designs.

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Go Undercover

If you want to enjoy your patio, come rain or shine, covering it with a column-supported pavilion or pergola will provide shelter from a sudden downpour and harsh sunlight. Even a simple pergola built with wood slats or lattice can provide similar benefits while serving as a support structure for flowering vines.

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Replicate Wood Planking

Are you fed up with the hassle of restaining and sealing your wood deck year after year? By replacing it with a concrete patio stamped with a wood-plank pattern, it’s possible create the look of a wood deck without any of the maintenance headaches. See more examples of stamped concrete that looks like wood.

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Embellish It with a Border

Set off your concrete patio by adding a stained border in a contrasting color. Colored borders are especially effective when used to outline free-form patio shapes, but also work well with square or oval designs.

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Create Faux Tile

You can give a concrete slab the look of a faux-tile floor by using a concrete saw to cut it into a checkerboard or diamond pattern enhanced by contrasting colors of stain. This elegant look is ideal for formal outdoor living rooms and can often be color matched to an interior tile floor.

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Expose the Aggregate

Exposed aggregate is an old-school decorative technique that’s coming back in fashion because of its beauty, simplicity, and low cost. It’s especially great for high-traffic concrete patios and entryways because it provides a durable, slip-resistant finish.

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Mix Materials

Add visual interest to a stamped concrete patio by setting it off with other materials, such as decorative rocks, a brick border, and stone columns. For the most interesting looks, use materials with different textures and shapes.

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Add a Statement Piece

In the same way that furniture and accent pieces transform your interior décor, you can use a statement piece such as a concrete statue, tiered fountain, or concrete bench to revitalize a mundane backyard patio. Get more ideas for using concrete statuary and accessories to enhance your outdoor space.

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