We painted them with multiple coats of grey textured masonry paint. It gave the steps a much more professional and neat look than just the bare concrete as after angle-grinding them, they were still uneven colour.

The design strips can make it look more authentic if you choose the right tone strip. I thought you meant do the floor in a straight lay like a ships deck. I think it also depends on the actual floor chosen ,I personally don’t find that they match in terms of what looks realistic

I’m no building expert but there are two things that I feel can be used to create a budget patio. Decking or gravel. Softwood decking is cheap, easy to lay by a decent DIYer, but rots after about 8-10 years. Gravel is cheap and anyone can lay it, but it will be a bit lumpy underfoot. Another choice could be concrete paving. Cheaper to buy than say, sandstone or porcelain but will need laying by a landscaper. A competent DIYer could lay it, but it is essential that a hardcore (type 1) base is laid and a wacker plate used, then a cement bed should be laid before the paving is laid on top. Depends how competent you are. If you miss out any of the steps then the paving could move and become uneven with time and it will never look smart. I’m no expert, but my brother is a builder so I’ve learnt this from him! If you have back problems then I think laying any sort of patio could be an issue. I had my garden paved with sandstone in 2016. The area was about 12’ x 50’. The cost was £2000 - £900 for the paving, and the rest was labour and grouting. I would imagine that prices have gone up a lot since then? Landscaping is a skilled job and that is why it can be costly. Here’s my brother using a wacker plate and the second pic is some of the garden paving he laid.

Hi Betty, it came in kit form, so a sturdy plastic pond inside and then you build the wood surround around it following their instructions, and then I painted all the slats. Quite a lot of work but I love watching the fish, so very restful! Look forward to seeing the raised bed when it’s all done.