Garden and Exterior Decorating for Summer

This week is national gardening week, we’re well into Spring and fast heading towards Summer. With the bank holiday coming up now is the time to spruce up your garden space and make it somewhere you can relax over the warmer months and into the cosy evenings.

Keep it traditional with neutral wood shades or be a little brave and add in some splashes of colour. A freshly painted fence, railings or door can create a beautiful backdrop for your gardening projects as the flowers are all starting to bloom and the tree’s shine green once again. Pastel shades work well with the British sunlight and can make a space glow, don’t be afraid of painting a bench, fences or plant pots and pebbles in a light pastel blue or pale yellow. The daylight can also mean you can get away with some darker shades that you wouldn’t use inside as there’s more light, use accents of darker colours to compliment the pastel shades or be even more daring and create some custom patterns for a truly unique space.

Dulux recommend the Cuprinol Garden Shades page where you can find an array of design ideas and colours to spark your inspiration. The Cuprinal Youtube account, Dulux Instagram page and Ronseal Youtube are all bursting with tutorials and inspiration to help you imagine how you could transform your garden. From hanging herb planters to a snazzy childrens playhouse the possibilities are endless. Reclaimed wood makes great home made furniture or planters, recycled tiles can breathe new life into old wooden tables and even strips of guttering can be used to create mini window boxes or planters pinned to fencing.

Whether you’re interested in a full al fresco fine dining experience or a traditional party BBQ in the sun, you can make your outdoor eating area whatever you want. Outdoor fabrics can be found in an array of colours and patterns, available from budget high street stores like Aldi and Matalan right up to John Lewis and online stores like NotOnTheHighstreet.com. Placemats, seat covers, blankets and lounge pillows can all be found in outdoor fabrics so pick a few to match your colour scheme making your space as cosy or as invigorating as you desire. Merging the colour scheme from indoor to outdoor can help blend the two spaces together, alternatively you could use contrasting colours to make the outside space pop against its neighbouring interior.

Outdoor lighting for the evening can transform a space yet again, once the glow of the sun has dropped beyond the horizon, outdoor copper fairy lights can set the mood for a romantic evening under the stars, fire pits help get the party roaring or lanterns and candles can create an ethereal bohemian mood. Switch between all three depending on the day, company or occasion.

Tips for painting wood:

• Prepare the wood. For garden furniture, windows, fascia’s and any other smooth wood the safest way to prepare is to sand off the old paint or varnish, if you’re working with a large area then an electric sander would be quicker and easier. Hot air guns or paint strippers are another option but must be used with great care and attention, don’t turn your lovely garden furniture into a summer bonfire! If the wood has rot the area can be removed and plugged with new wood or cleaned down and treated with fungicidal wash. For fences and wood in good condition a simple pressure wash may be all that is needed to clean down ready to paint. 
• Seal. Where necessary, such as for sheds and wooden window frames, caulk or putty can be used to create a waterproof seal. Smooth down once applied to create a nice even finish.
• Wash the wood before painting to remove any remaining dirt or sawdust. Make sure it’s completely dry before painting.
• Prime. To get the best results from your top coat it’s important to prime the wood. Ideally using the same brand as the top coat. Follow the instructions on drying time before starting on the top coat.
• Paint. The majority of quality paints will need multiple coats, there are one coat options available for wood but they aren’t recommended if you want the finish to stay fresh for a long time. Make sure the paint is completely dry before applying another coat, this can be helped by leaving it in the sunshine as the UK sun won’t be hot enough to blister and damage the paint, just dry it faster.

Reviving metal garden furniture and decorations:

• Remove and replace rusted screws and bolts. If they’re hard to get out then WD-40 and a light tap with a hammer should loosen them up.
• Remove fungus and algae with a fungicidal wash or sterilising solution to kill off the spores. Wear heavy duty gloves and always follow the instructions.
• Sand down with abrasive sand paper, a steel brush, paint stripper or sanding drill to remove old paint. Wear gloves and a mask as this can cause lots of harmful dust.
• Clean the item with hot soapy water to remove all dust and grease. Rinse then wipe down with acetone or rubbing alcohol to ensure there’s no residue left on the metal.
• Fill any rusted holes with epoxy filler, once it’s dry sand down to a smooth finish.
• Prime. First make sure you have the right paint and primer for the type of metal you wish to paint. Always read paint instructions as a primer may have to match the paint to be used successfully and without any chemical reactions.
• Paint. Apply the first coat of paint then let it dry completely. Lightly sand the piece down to help the next coat stick. Then apply a 2nd coat. Follow instructions on how long to leave it between coats and how many coats it may need. Spray paint is good for intricate metal work to get into all the small nooks and crannies.




🎥: Make a break from tradition with this vertical garden idea.

A post shared by Dulux (@duluxuk) on Apr 30, 2018 at 9:19am PDT