Haha, boiling water is my go-to as well—though I learned the hard way to avoid flip-flops during weed tea time. Cardboard trick sounds genius...finally a use for that mountain of boxes in my basement. Rustic charm is definitely my new patio aesthetic.
Boiling water works, sure, but honestly it's a bit of a temporary fix. If you're really going for that rustic charm vibe, why not consider laying down some reclaimed bricks or stone pavers? I recently did this for a client who was drowning in cardboard boxes too—ended up using them as a weed barrier beneath the stones. Looks amazing now, and way less hassle long-term than constantly boiling kettles...just sayin'.
"ended up using them as a weed barrier beneath the stones. Looks amazing now, and way less hassle long-term than constantly boiling kettles...just sayin'."
Haha, I feel personally called out by the boiling kettle comment—I spent half of last summer running back and forth from the kitchen to the patio with steaming pots of water. My neighbors probably thought I'd lost it. 😂
But seriously, your reclaimed brick idea sounds fantastic. I recently tackled my first-ever patio reno (total newbie here), and I went with reclaimed bricks too. Honestly, best decision ever. It was a bit intimidating at first—had no clue what I was doing—but once I got into it, it was actually pretty fun. Plus, there's something really satisfying about giving old materials new life.
I didn't know about the cardboard trick though...wish I'd heard that sooner! I ended up using landscape fabric, but cardboard sounds way cheaper and eco-friendly. Definitely keeping that in mind for next time.
Landscape fabric's convenient, but honestly, cardboard breaks down pretty fast—especially if your area's rainy. Ever thought about layering newspaper instead? It's thicker, lasts longer, and worms seem to love it...bonus points for healthier soil underneath.
"Ever thought about layering newspaper instead? It's thicker, lasts longer, and worms seem to love it..."
Honestly, newspaper sounds good in theory, but last summer I tried it and ended up chasing soggy pages all over the yard after one windy storm. Looked like my patio had a paper mache explosion, lol. Maybe I didn't layer enough or something? Anyway, I've had better luck with burlap sacks—cheap, breathable, and worms still hang out underneath. Plus, no surprise headlines stuck to my shoes...
