Dirt Patch To Puppy Patio - Easy DIY
2 Materials
$60.00
2 Days
Easy
When we moved into our house many years ago we had a nice lawn in the back yard but we also had dogs and it didn't take long for our nice yard to be not so nice. Several years ago we put up a fence in the back to keep the pups out of the grassy area when we needed to. But there was a small area that we left for the pups. As you might guess we were never able to maintain any grass in that spot. Sorry I don't have a before pictures but presumably everyone knows what dirt looks like :-).
This year we got new puppies and of course this made the mud/dirt pit even worse. We thought about just putting pavers in the dirt area but I just couldn't bring myself to take away their one small patch of "grass." Even though they are still at a very chewy age we decided to give indoor outdoor carpeting a try.
This year we got new puppies and of course this made the mud/dirt pit even worse. We thought about just putting pavers in the dirt area but I just couldn't bring myself to take away their one small patch of "grass." Even though they are still at a very chewy age we decided to give indoor outdoor carpeting a try.
The first step was to even out and level the area a little bit so I dug it up and and spent some time with a hoe and a rake smoothing out the ground. Then I added a layer of sand for a little more leveling. As fortune would have it I just happened to have the sand bags that I use in the back of my truck for extra weight during the winter months so 0 dollars spent so far.
We bought a piece of indoor outdoor carpeting for around 30 to 40 dollars sorry I can't remember the exact cost. The carpeting is made to be used with adhesive glue which wasn't an option for us, so the first problem was how to secure it to the ground and the second problem was how to keep the edges from fraying.
We figured that these 10 inch garden spikes would work to hold the carpet in place. They were about 30 to 40 cents a piece and they are made for holding the metal strips of garden edging in place. They are actually called edging pins. I wasn't sure how difficult it would be to hammer them through the carpeting but as it turns out it was very easy.
The carpeting is made of plastic so I figured that the best way to keep it from fraying was to melt the edges. I have a small stencil cutter but I think that wood burning tools would also work. This is a small tool so it was very easy to use but it did take quite a while to go all around the four sides of the piece of carpet.
For some final touches I painted a couple of rocks and added the pups water bowl and toy box.
They seem to really like it and after several months of wear it still looks great and has stayed in perfectly in place.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 23 comments
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Great idea !
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The odor might be the only Reason I wouldn't do the out side plastic. rug.
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This is a great idea! I know exactly where to put mine. What kind of burning tool did you use?