Save Your Old Bricks & Use Them To DIY Your Own Unique Outdoor Decor

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For garden enthusiasts, the yard is an extension of our home, reflecting our personal style and interests. We see glass orbs nestled among groundcovers, lanterns dangling from shepherd's hooks, and all-weather flower pots scattered throughout the landscape. To elevate your outdoor decor, try a DIY project that requires only bricks, paint supplies, and your own creativity.

If you've built your own brick planter, laid garden edging, or done your own masonry project, you likely have extra bricks sitting around. Clean the bricks off and then hand paint them to look like books in a stunning transformation. While we've seen people on social media replicating their favorite tomes, you can even come up with your own cover for a fictional book. Create your own bestseller without ever writing a word.

Bricks that have been sitting outside for awhile are likely dirty from weather exposure. Thankfully, you can clean them with common household products. Since bricks are porous, misting them with water first allows the cleaning solutions to be more effective. You can thoroughly spray the brick with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water. Wait several minutes, spray the brick again, and follow by gently scrubbing with a masonry sponge or soft brush. Then rinse the brick with a solution of baking soda and warm water, and give a final douse with warm water. Another option, similar to cleaning moss off a brick patio, entails mixing 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach with a gallon of warm water and sponging that onto the brick. Scrub with a soft brush and then rinse with warm water. Wear protective gear when working with bleach.

Once your brick is clean and dry, now comes the fun part. Instagram user @playful.petals starts off with a base coat of white spray primer, like KILZ mold and mildew primer. This product works well on masonry projects in areas that receive a lot of moisture, like the yard. Depending on the book cover you have in mind, you can use a white primer, which also works for your book pages. Otherwise, opt for a color that is predominant in the book cover.

When the primer has dried, you have several options for decorating the book cover and spine. Either invent your own image or replicate one of your favorite books. Lightly sketch the image with a pencil before filling it in with acrylic craft paint, like Apple Barrel's acrylic paints. If you are wary of your drawing skills, use carbon tracing paper to transfer a rough sketch onto the brick, or print out an image of the real cover and affix it with Mod Podge, as TikTok user @jeffmackay did. 

Use a tiny brush or extra fine Sharpies when working with lettering or intricate details, and don't forget to add lines for pages along the top, bottom, and right edges of the brick. If you're feeling extra creative, paint a thin ribbon bookmark emerging from the top pages and curling over the front cover. Keep in mind that the uneven surface of the brick will add slight imperfections to your painting. To protect your work from the outdoor elements, spray the entire brick with several thin coats of Rust-Oleum Crystal Clear enamel gloss.