Off the wall

Got a drab or untidy wall in the garden? Jazz it up with a simple but functional piece of garden art.

You will need: A piece of tanalised plywood 1200mm x 1200mm, timber for shelf 1200mm long, 2 oblong plant pots, tape measure, pencil, masking tape, paint brushes, jigsaw drill, long screws, plants and other decorations. Resene Woodsman Penetrating Oil Stain, Resene Lumbersider satin acrylic exterior paint, we used Resene Raspberry and Resene Sambuca.

Step one
Ensure the plywood and timber are dry before use. Measure the halfway point on two sides of the plywood and draw a line across the centre.

Step two
Apply masking tape across the line. This will divide the two colours. The shelf will be secured over the tape.

Step three
Paint one half of the plywood with three coats of Resene Lumbersider in Sambuca. Resene Lumbersider is self-priming on bare timber.

Step four
Apply three coats of Resene Lumbersider in Raspberry to the remaining half. To dry properly, the temperature must be above 10°C.

Step five
Measure the sides of the pots halfway up their length. use these dimensions to mark two squares on the shelf. cut with a jigsaw then stain shelf.

Step six
On the back of the plywood, drill pilot holes along the centre where the screws will attach the shelf. this will prevent splitting.

Step seven
Once the stain has dried, attach the shelf to the plywood with screws, drilling in from the back. another pair of hands may be necessary.

Step eight
Hang the finished wall in your garden and decorate with plants.

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Resene Paints Ltd – www.resene.com