You are very talented and I can see the hard work. I agree that what you do next should be simple and one color. I like okibujp suggestion. No more colors. I don't think you want a Halloween house year round.

I was looking at that color today in the paint store. Really like it. It’s the color of my foundation around the house. I have hostas on the side of the house. That’s a great idea.

Dave, thank you. So glad you approve ;-)!

So I got the stone for the front and after I laid down one side everything was really dark. I used the same stain as the foundation to see how it would look. Let me know your thoughts

i was thinking maybe a warmer color like the attached might work better. Not sure what color this is. Then do the bricks ina contrasting brown

i was thinking maybe a warmer color like the attached might work better. Not sure what color this is. Then do the bricks ina contrasting brown

I like the lighter one-color walkway. What kind of stones did you use to the left? Why stones and not mulch? Did you put landscape fabric underneath?

Yes fabric underneath. The stone is slate and those expensive, you don’t have to worry about mulch every year

I like the lighter one-color too. Once your grass fills in the bare areas, it will look fantastic. I agree rocks are cost effective over mulching every year.

Why not invite DigDoug into this thread, he is the best at this.

Dig Doug's Designs

I liked the light color until I saw the brown. But I think I like the brown better. You can keep restaining? Do you powerwash in between colors?

I like the brick on the steps, but it may be too much to edge the walkway as well given the pattern you’ve carved into it. Or not. Hard for me to envision. HOWEVER, if you decide to NOT edge the walkway with brick, I think it looks very nice as it is.

You have a lot of energy. You must not have children, hahaha.

Can the brick be made red again?

I like it better one color. Is there brick elsewhere on the house, like maybe a chimney?

I'd say no. I think you should stop painting and work on the landscaping. Painting the foundation brown when the house is dark gray is not necessary and is limiting.

Well, for sure, you are not running out of energy! :)

If the sidewalk needs to be wider, than add something to the width. I liked the brick but I think it would have been nice to have the dark gray in a line from the lowest to the top of the porch steps, not alternately like you had. I don't see the point of a brown sidewalk, but with your yellow shutters it works visually... Cement should be cement colored, and that is what you had. The sidewalk was like a quilt but you did not repeat the sequence and that was throwing you off. You should have had a repeat in the pattern, as a quilt would be. You were using 'quilt blocks', but trying to make it work like irregular stone. You were so close to having it be very effective.

A side walk that is just as wide as the steps is always nice. In your case, if you are not strong on yard work details, I would flange that walk about to the width of your porch around your handrails only.. OR, if you don't go nuts with this...consider making your steps just as wide as your porch. If you don't want to do that much work, than just bring the concrete around the steps to the width of the porch deck, but on the ground level. Than you have a nice place for 2 potted plants if you want, or you just have taken care of about 2 hours in labor pulling weeds and grass out of the corner of the porch where the mower won't go. Raised beds are a challenge to maintain and keep watered. 2 pots, sitting on a nice concrete surface, will always look nice.....as would 2 lanterns, or 2 matching anything.... put your black pots on that surface to the side of your stair rails, may give you enough room for a chair on your porch, or 2 chairs if you like...

Sorry, haven't posted in a while. I need help with a grout/Mortar color for the brick in the steps. It is grey but still looks too bright, like Piano keys.
DarkBrown/Black? The close up picture more reflects the color. Its not as dark as the other picture.

A gray color similar to the bricks along the sidewalk would look better on the porch grout.

The bricks are all the same color

I think we figured that out. But cat was encouraging you to make the grout lines, just as dark a gray as your addition to the width of the sidewalk is. I guess you would do that by either staining the grout in the brick or painting it?? If you go off and make it DARKER instead of the same gray that your sidewalk border is, I don't think that will matter much. Darker will work better than the lighter hue that it is now. ON THE OTHER HAND, you Piano Keys comment, got me thinking? Just paint the ivory keys on those brick and YOU WILL have a conversation piece on the front porch! LOL I mean, it could look really cute.. :)

You are doing an amazing job. Thanks for all your patient updates!!

Well done. Do consider adding a really attractive planter pot on a square of concrete on each side of the steps near the front of the porch.

Again the additional bricks along side the sidewalk are the same color dark brown as the brick on the steps. Does anyone think that black mortar will work or really dark grey?

I would get some colored paper and cut them into strips and place them in the “grout lines“ and see what you like. You are right, the white IS too bright. But I personally worry that black “grout” would be too dark and that it’s all looking too dark.

Sorry, the bricks look gray on my monitor. Make the grout the color of those bricks along side the sidewalk, what ever the color is. The white is way to bright and detracts from the rest of the beautiful work you have done.

The last picture you posted on Sept. 23rd shows up as a light brown for me and the new pictures they look very gray. But they weren’t restained?

I took the horizontal grout line out to make it less busy. But still deciding a color for the mortar.

A dark gray mortar for your sidewalk will enable your steps to stand out and draw guests toward your entry ... and it'll show dirt less.

Just try to get the mortar as close to the current color of the bricks at the step. Make the mortar for your walk match whatever color it is. Mortar lines that contrast are not necessary in your case because you have 3 various shapes going on, and a variety of colors. Just make it easy on yourself at this point, if it is possible. All I was pointing out earlier post, was IF you think you have matched the surrounding surface, and it is a smidgen off to the darker side, that should not be considered a fail. Do not do black, unless that is the primary color of the soil that walks across your porch and sidewalk. It looks on the monitor like a medium charcoal gray and a medium taupe/brown, is what you probably need to aim for? Cohesive unit, or compatible grout to the dominate color of the surface it joins together. Just to simplify one persons' idea. You may shock and awe us, again, tho! :D

I tried a darker color on the mortar and I also eliminated the horizontal mortar line as well

That is a great job! It will look very nice and blend in over time even more. It's really hard to make 2 different base surfaces look the same color. You did a great job!!

Dave-

What vitamins do you take? Because I need to get me some of those! :)

Well done.

If you want the sidewalk darker, there are stains that absorb into the concrete for that.

https://www.google.com/search?q=dark+gray+stains+for+concrete+sidewalks&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj4m-nBzYzeAhVEslMKHUTSBpEQ_AUIDigB&biw=1366&bih=650

And just like that I changed it again