Tags
Board game, Concrete etching, Concrete Patio, DIY Scrabble, DIY Scrabble board, Do it yourself Scrabble board, Game, Garden games, Lowes, Outside games for children, Outside games for kids, Scrabble, Stained Concrete, tile, Word game, Words and Trivia
With summer coming up and two little girls to entertain and keep mentally engaged, I am always on the prowl for fun games. Kerry of AZ Soap contacted me through my submissions page asking if I would be interested in seeing the Scrabble board that she incorporated into her concrete patio. Hmmm…YES!! I was immediately interested.
I adore word games and play Word Warp incessantly, even with children. Scrabble is similar, in that all ages can participate. And, playing games together as a family (I think) is important. It teaches them sportmanship – how to win and lose gracefully – and it lets us connect in a fun way.
So, let’s take a look at Kerry’s Scrabble board:
Ten years ago I clipped a photo from Sunset Magazine of a backyard scrabble board
Three houses and three states later, we made a plan to enlarge our existing patio. I pulled out my clipping and showed the foreman. He said, sure, no problem. His workman laid forms to create a 5 X 5 foot square in the living room area of the patio.
The problem was how to make the grid? Their solution was simple and low tech. They used rope pressed into the concrete, applied pressure. Repeat. Voila!
They stained the squares to match a scrabble board.
We made tiles out of linoleum and mailbox letters from Lowes.
Now, Kerry started from scratch, but if you already have concrete, you can paint a board on like this:
What to do if you don’t have concrete and don’t want to bother with concrete? You could also buy a section of vinyl flooring and paint the board on that. Why not go crazy and paint a chess board on the other side?? Just make sure you use a great primer first and seal both sides of the vinyl after.
on thehomefrontandbeyond said:
Love it – scrabble is my favourite game in the world-would love to have it on my patio
ADetailedHouse said:
Me too!! I don’t have any concrete, so I’m going to have to lay a slab, but I want to build a pond first. I promised my girls that would be first!!
Our Crowded Heart said:
I love it! I was thinking of painting the patio with black satin exterior paint to create a chalk board effect for the 1, 3, and 5 year olds at my house! I may have to add a scrabble board somewhere as well. Thanks for the idea.
cravesadventure said:
What a Creative Idea – thanks for sharing! Have a Great Day:)
julie rowan zoch said:
S H A R E – 8 points!
paulaacton said:
Love this shared on fb
Parenting ReWIRED said:
This is just wonderful!!! Love it.
Born To Organize said:
Fantastic! Great idea and beautiful implementation.
cbraunc said:
WOW! WOW! WOW! I love scrabble, and I need one of these…thanks for sharing. Very Cool!!
supertucksmama said:
THIS is so cool! Love it!
Boomdeeadda said:
My 76 year old mom-inlaw used to kick my butt, that said, still my favorite game…that’s so cool
Oster's Mom said:
Awesome!
Life and Ink said:
This is awesome and as I am in the process of tearing up my backyard to totally redo it, this post is also very timely. I am going to include this very design in my plan. It is form AND function and very, very unique. Thanks for sharing!
A Write Relief... said:
I absolutely love this idea! If I can somehow incorporate this into our house renovations I will certainly send you a picture of our finished result. Thank you so much, I am inspired!
flyingwildgeese said:
I especially like that it looks beautiful and integrated into the rest of the design even when not in use.
theeverydad said:
Great idea! It sure makes it harder to cheat when the letter tiles are that big though…
Leanova Designs said:
Awesome
UK Art Fan said:
Really nice idea. I’m already thinking about where we could implement!
Thanks
Ruth2Day said:
that is brilliant!
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storybookapothecary said:
that’s so cool!
Booksphotographsandartwork said:
I do have an ugly concrete slab just perfect for that. But it’s always too hot out and no one to play with. Maybe I will think of something else.
mpmckibbon said:
Our family members are Scrabble-maniacs. What a great idea! Love it!
peersncareers said:
Love this! Want to add this when I live in a place with a yard!
kimi said:
This is cool! I want to make a big portable outdoor board now. AWESOME! kimi
randalldeanscott said:
This is pretty awesome!
Deni Lyn said:
I think this could be the carrot I need to waive in front of my husband to do a little spruce up in the yard!
Another (portable) option would be to use paint and recreate the board on a piece of drop cloth/canvas. This way it would be portable to the beach, woods, pool etc for vacations or anywhere else you fancy playing a BIG old game of Scrabble. . .in person. . .not on your smartphone. 🙂
ashliec said:
this is really neat! the perfect shady outdoor activity!
The Open Suitcase said:
I may take a few days off from work to do this – fantastic idea and a wonderful site!
Titus2Homemaker said:
Or you could tile it.
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