Walk This Way

Tips on making the backyard livable By Shelley Sakala

The longest walk you’ll ever take is the walk across your backyard in the Summer without  ip  ops. Your patio or pool deck reaches heat levels that would make your car dashboard jealous.  at’s life in Phoenix, for sure! Many Arizona backyards include hardscape such as bricks, pavers, concrete, stone or tile. Any of these hardscape materials can look amazing while providing you with a highly durable surface. But they all share the same drawback:  ey get hot!

As Phoenicians, we understand this is part and parcel with summer in the Valley. But standing on your patio shouldn’t feel like walking across hot coals at a motivational corporate retreat.  anks to scienti c advancements, coupled with the relentless pursuit of staying cool, we now have more options than ever before for making backyard spaces a little more livable.  is is welcome news for people who love spending the summer barefoot—or for anyone with kids or dogs in their backyard. Any product that protects feet and paws from getting burned is worth looking into.

With this in mind, here are five DIY ways to dial back the surface temperature

in your backyard:

Deck paint

Transform a plain concrete surface into a good-looking, heat-reducing lounge area. H&C Cool Feel Deck and Walkway Coating is a water-based coating that rolls on like paint and provides protection from water, pool chemicals, stains and UV rays. It can be tinted to hundreds of di erent colors. $67 a gallon at Sherwin-Williams.

Wood overlay tiles

Turn a hardscaped surface into a wood deck with real wood tiles that snap together like Lego. Customizable, stainable and removable. Perfect for apartment or condo balconies. 9 square feet for $25 at IKEA.

Surface Temperatures on a 100-degree day:

• Brick 150 degrees • Concrete pavers 120 degrees • Flagstone 115 degrees • Travertine 110 degrees

Runner rugs

Outdoor rugs are a foot-friendly solution to making rough surfaces comfortable while mitigating the high ground temperatures. HomeDepot.com features hundreds of indoor/outdoor runner rugs, including several that measure a whopping 22 feet long! Prices start at $78.

Shade

 e easiest way to cool your hardscape is by not letting it get hot in the  rst place. Good ol’ fashioned shade can be a real game changer in your backyard.  e options are limitless and include solutions such as patio umbrellas, awnings and pergolas. Try the Ohuhu Sun Shade Sail. It’s a home version of the popular shade solutions you see on playgrounds. Each 8-foot-by-10-foot sail comes with heavy-duty rope and a stainless steel hardware kit for mounting and hanging. $39 on amazon.com.

Soft landing

If you don’t mind stepping up your budget, you can install commercial-grade foam  ooring (think of the surface of a splash pad). Your pool deck will be transformed into a safer, so er, cooler place to hang out.  e increased traction helps prevents slips and falls, and the cushiony material makes for so er landings whenever a tumble does occur. It’s UVresistant, anti-fungal and antibacterial—the perfect surface in a cootie- lled world. Starting at $15 a square foot at greatmats.com.