Wonderwall

Painting your fence or wall in a deep, dark tone helps the boundary to retreat and make the area leading to the fence appear larger. Choosing a shade that contrasts with green, such as the smoky blue Resene Safehaven, also makes any greenery in front pop.

In this unassuming and narrow courtyard garden, painting the corner panels in stripes adds drama, visual depth and a surprise element of whimsy. An easy way to select tones for the stripes is to use colours suggested by the Resene fashion fandeck or the Resene palettes.

Use Resene Lumbersider for a waterborne low-sheen paint with maximum durability outdoors. Resene Lumbersider is also formulated to adhere to fresh timber surfaces, so no need to bother with undercoat.

You will need

• Resene Timber and Deck Wash
• Scrubbing brush and bucket
• Resene Lumbersider in colours of your choice. I used Resene Lazy River, Resene Raindance, Resene Safehaven, Resene Moby and Resene Bismark
• Paintbrush
• Resene The Range fashion fandeck

Method

Step 1: Apply Resene Timber and Deck Wash and scrub. Rinse well with water.

Step 2: Starting from the top of each board, paint the contrasting Resene colours one at a time. Apply each colour over an area 1-3 boards wide. If you find the paint is drying too fast in the heat, add Resene Hot Weather Additive to slow dry time.

Step 3: Use a symmetrical colour pattern, or try a randomised but balanced pattern of stripes.

Step 4: Allow paint to dry before applying a second coat and touching up any drips or splashes on horizonal timbers.

Eco tip: Wrap your paintbrush in a reusable plastic bag while you take a break or overnight, to save washing up.

Words and styling Sarah Heeringa. Photography Amanda Reelick. 2022

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