How to re-vamp your garden furniture

Is your garden furniture in need of some TLC? Then make the most of the Bank Holiday to tackle those DIY jobs around the house & garden.

On a bit of a whim one August Bank Holiday, because, I had that one extra days holiday, I decided to be one of those DIY geeks, set myself a mini project & make-over my garden furniture. As you do.

My ageing garden bench was looking decidedly lacklustre & in need of some colour to cheer up the corner of the garden.

I had recently acquired a plant potter from a work event painted in Cuprinol Garden Shades forget-me-not which is a lovely cheerful bluey-lilac shade.

I decided this was my happy colour & I wanted to paint my bench. Basically, all I needed was another plant potter to position either side of the bench. It’s all about symmetry, right? Obviously, there are a few other bits & bobs you need before cracking on with a DIY paint job, so, here are my top pieces of kit for painting wooden garden furniture:

Tools for the Job:

1. Cuprinol Garden Shades – Forget-Me-Not

Currently priced at £19.99 each for 2.5 litres at Screwfix.

2. Paint Brushes

You can’t go wrong with the No Nonsense set of 5 synthetic paint brushes from Screwfix at £7.99. They come in 5 sizes, which make them perfect for getting into those nook & crannies or the Harris Trade Fine Tip paint brushes at £11.99 are fab to use.

3. Garden cane

Set aside a clean garden cane or stick for stirring your paint.

4. Wooden Planters

The ones I bought from B&Q are currently £20 for the 33 x 33 cm size.

5. Sandpaper & blocks

Thankfully my Dad always has sandpaper & blocks readily available as a true ‘Weekend Warrior’ DIYer. However, you can buy a roll of sandpaper for £10.39 from Screwfix.

6. Newspaper & Cardboard

Save old newspapers or cardboard boxes to cover & protect your paving. If you’re anything like me, the paint will get everywhere – especially when you’re trying extra hard to be neat & tidy.

Onto the fun bit… the colouring in!

Painting Wooden  Garden Furniture:

1. Check the weather

Sounds simple, but before you take on an outdoor painting job, make sure you check the weather & have a few dry days ahead of you so you can give your paint job the chance to dry.

2. Clean Furniture

Depending on how dirty or dusty your furniture is, it’s best to wash down the wooden furniture with some soapy water or get a brush to remove those pesky cobwebs.

3. Prep Area

Find yourself a good flat piece of the ground whether its pavement, the lawn or in the garage.  I chose my paving slabs outside the kitchen & covered them with cardboard & horse feed sacks which I’d cut open to get max space coverage. & make sure you wear an old t-shirt & trousers so you don’t get splattered with paint.

4. Preparing Wood

Depending on the state of the wood, you’ll need to give your wooden furniture a quick sand down. According to my dad, this is so there is a ‘key’ for the paint to take to. Sandpapering is also a good workout for the bingo wings – bonus!

5. Painting & Patience

Now’s the fun part! Firstly, make yourself a good brew to have while you work.

Before applying your paint, use a stick or clean garden cane to stir your paint, which will make sure you have a lovely consistent colour.

Choose a suitable sized brush & start applying your chosen paint. Don’t be too hasty & load the brush up otherwise it gets globby & paint will go everywhere. For the first coat you’ll need about an hour whilst applying your paint to every nook & cranny of the bench. Painting the plant potter didn’t take as long – more like 10-15 minutes as I was only painting the outside.

Once you’ve applied the first coat of paint, leave your garden furniture to dry for about an hour, enough time for your knees to recover & make another cuppa!

I found the garden bench needed 3 coats of paint as it’s an older wood, whereas the plant potter only needed 2 coats to reach my ideal shade of blue. This is where the patience is needed & a few more cups of tea!

6. Voila!

I love my re-vamped garden furniture, it really brightens up the corner of my garden. All I need to do now is buy some plants for the planters this Bank Holiday!

What do you think? Do you have any DIY projects coming up? Or if you have any questions about re-vamping your garden furniture – get in touch!