How to upcycle a wheelbarrow

Turn that rust bucket of a wheelbarrow into something flash, shiny and oh-so handy.

You will need

Old wheelbarrow
Spanner or screwdriver, as appropriate for your wheel barrow
Electric drill with wire-brush attachment, or a hand held wire brush and sandpaper
Soft cleaning brush and soapy water
Medium-sized paintbrush and stirrer
Resene ArmourX Rust-Arrest anti-corrosive primer
Resene GP Metal Primer
Resene Enamacryl gloss waterborne enamel paint tinted to Resene Double Resolution Blue

Top tip: If you’d rather send your wheelbarrow into semi-retirement, why not plant it up with a bed of potted colour?

Instructions

Step one
Remove the wheel and disassemble, as required.

Step two
Using the electric drill with wirebrush attachment, remove any loose debris or flaking paint, then lightly roughen or sand any painted surface.

Step three
Clean the barrow and wheel with soapy water and a soft brush. Rinse, then leave to dry.

Step four
Stir the Resene ArmourX Rust-Arrest anti-corrosive primer. Spot prime any rusty spots on the barrow. Allow to dry as per the recommendation on the paint can.

Step five
Stir the Resene GP Metal Primer. Paint the barrow and parts with one coat of primer. Allow to dry as per the recommendation on the paint can.

Step six
Stir the Resene Enamacryl gloss waterborne enamel paint. Apply two coats to the barrow and parts, allowing two hours between each coat.

Step seven
Once the final coat of Resene Enamacryl is dry, reassemble the wheelbarrow and be proud of the new lease of life you have given your tool.

Top tip photo...
A semi-retired wheelbarrow planted up with a bed of potted colour.

Words and photos by Paul & Narelle Denmead

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Resene Paints Ltd – www.resene.com