Give your patio a weekend makeover!
Make the most of long summer days and create an inviting outdoor entertaining space with these quick and easy projects
Eating outside is one of the joys of summer and it’s easy to enhance the experience by adding a few crafty touches to your dining space. Everyday items can be painted, upcycled or decorated to create a charming summery spot. Never crafted before? Don’t worry – these projects are a doddle and can all be finished in a day. Choose a scheme with two or three colours that contrast with
your surroundings.
SPRUCE UP YOUR TABLE
Perk up this garden essential with a pretty painted runner.
What you will need
● Wooden picnic set ● Cuprinol Garden Shades in White Daisy, £23.49 for 2.5ltr; Natural Stone and Misty Lake, both £11.79 for 1ltr
● Masking tape
1 Coat the table and seats with three layers of white paint, leaving to dry between coats. Cover everything apart from the three middle planks on the table top. Paint the centre one with Misty Lake paint and the two on either side in Natural Stone. Leave to dry completely.
2 Smooth a length of masking tape along the edges of the stone-coloured planks that meet the blue one, then a second strip 2-3cm away. Paint in-between the tape with Misty Lake paint, then remove the tape and leave to dry fully before use.
PAINT YOUR FENCE
Smarten up your plot and shield your fences with a protective coat of paint. Even if your garden is small, set aside a whole day to get the job done – although another pair of hands will make it go quicker. And don’t forget to put on some high SPF sunscreen before you start!
What you will need
Stiff brush General-purpose cleaner
Bucket
Wood filler Sandpaper
Dust sheets Masking tape Woodcare paint Paint kettle
3in paintbrush
1 Choose the right day – the wood must be dry, so tackle the job when no rain is forecast for a few days. Avoid very hot days, though, as the sun will dry the paint before it’s had time to penetrate the wood properly. 2 Prepare the surface. Use a stiff brush to remove dirt and flaky bits. Scrub away any algae with a diluted generalpurpose cleaner and let it dry completely. Replace any rotten sections and repair any small areas of damage with exterior wood filler (sand when dry, so it’s flush with the wood). 3 Protect the surrounding area. Use dust sheets to cover plants or paving that might be splashed. Trim back any foliage that’s getting in your way and gently detach and pull back any climbers. If your fence posts are concrete,
cover with masking tape. Do likewise with any handles or metalwork attached to them. 4 Do a patch test. Give the paint a really good stir before you start. Check that you’re happy with the colour by doing a patch test in an inconspicuous place before you do the entire fence.
5 Pour some paint into the paint kettle. Brush strokes of paint in the same direction as the wood grain and try not to spread paint too far. Don’t overload the brush and work well into the wood. For end grains (such as the top of fence posts), dab the brush in a stippling motion, to get the product into the wood. Leave the paint to dry completely before applying another coat. Two thin coats give a better result than one thick coat.