Spring clean – Cleaning your garden furniture

After the long cold winter we have just endured the garden looks a little worse for wear, but now we are getting some warmer spring like days it is the perfect time to get out into the garden. Apart from cutting back and pulling out the winter bedding plants and cutting the knee length grass, the garden furniture (unless kept in a shed or garage) will be in need of some tender loving care.

If you have plastic garden furniture you will have less work to do, if you have wooden furniture it does need looking after and the spring is the ideal time to do it, ready for the summer.

Plastic and metal garden furniture

If you have plastic or metal garden furniture all you really need to do is either pressure wash them off and dry them or use a bucket of warm soapy water and a sponge or cloth to wipe them over and remove the ground in winter dirt and grime. Check for condition, and check for rust on metal furniture and treat as required.

Wooden garden furniture

If you have wooden garden furniture you need to spend a little time cleaning and protecting them. A lot of garden furniture is simply oiled with teak oil to protect them from the elements. Some furniture may be painted or stained, but whatever they are protected with, a good clean is needed first.

Ideally a pressure washer is the perfect tool for the job, a quick blast from one of these and you will remove the grime, once you have washed the furniture down, let it dry before doing anything else to it. If you do not have a pressure washer, a bucket of warm soapy water and a nail brush and then a good rinse will do.

Check the condition of the furniture, has any of the seat slats rotted over the winter, if so you will need to replace them. The last thing you want is the mother-in-law to come round for a barbecue and sit on a chair and fall through it!

Once any repairs have been carried out you can get on with protecting the furniture, if you have stained wood give it a light rub down with sandpaper before coating it, if the furniture is painted a colour, with a gloss for example, you should treat this as you were painting any wood on your house. Give it a rub down, an undercoat and then a topcoat.

If you have furniture that is oiled rather than stained or painted, allow to dry after washing and rub it down to remove any ‘furry’ bits. Once it is smooth you can oil it with an oil such as teak oil, use a rag to apply the oil, leave to soak in and then apply another coat. Apply 3-4 coats for good penetration and protection. Allow 24 hours to dry before using the furniture.

Once you have cleaned your garden furniture you’re set for the summer. When it comes to the winter, if you have the space it is always best to put the furniture in a shed or garage but if this is not possible consider covering it up for the winter, it will mean one less job for next spring.

How to erect fencing

If you are planning to put up a new fence or simply replace an existing one, it is a good idea to tell your neighbours your plans and ask them to remove any breakable pots or tie back treasured plants and also ask them for permission to go onto their property if required.

You will also need to check the boundaries of your property and make sure you know which side is your fence and which is that of your neighbours. If you are replacing a fence then follow the old fence line but if you are putting up a new fence make sure you mark the boundary before starting. You may also want to check with the local planning authority you are allowed to erect a new fence and the height you are allowed to go to.

Before you buy

Remember that if you buy a 5 foot high fence, the post needs to be 7 feet tall as 2 feet will go into the ground, if you are going to use a gravel board and a 5 foot fence you will need allow for this also for the length of post.

This blog post deals with erecting a new fence with new panels and concrete posts but the principles are the same for wooden posts or metal spikes.

Tools for putting up a fence

You will need the following tools, it may also help to have a friend help you lift the posts and fence panels.

• A Spade
• Gardening Gloves
• A String line
• Fence panels
• Concrete Posts
• A Spirit Level
• Bags of PostFix (pre-mixed sand gravel and cement)
• A Tape Measure
• A Saw
• Gravel Boards (optional)

Getting Started

The first thing you need to do is mark the boundary, use a string line for this. Once you have your straight line you need to work out where the first post will go, this maybe up against the house. You now have to dig the holes and fix the posts.

Fixing the fence posts

You will need to dig holes for each post, each post should be 18-24 inches in the ground, and the hole should be around 3 times as wide as the post, as a guide the hole will be about the spades width and the spades blade and a half deep.

Once you have the correct size hole drop the post into the centre of the hole, upright it using the spirit level. At this point you can secure the post by dropping a couple of half bricks or large stones to wedge between the post and outer edge of the hole. If you have a friend helping you you can get them to hold it upright for you. Now tip half of the dry PostFix into the whole, then add water as per instructions on the bag. Keep checking the post is upright, then tip the rest of the PostFix into the whole and add water. Allow the given time to set. Do this with all the posts.

Make sure the gap between each post will allow for a fence panel, you can either stand the panel in it’s place whilst you fix the next post, or if you are using gravel boards, use these as spacers.

Fitting the fence panels

Once all the posts are fixed and the concrete is set, if you haven’t done so already and you are using them, fit your gravel boards. Next lift the fence panels into place by slotting them into the groove on the posts, you may need two people to do this. You may want to wear garden gloves to avoid splinters.

How to cut fence panels

If you need to cut the width off a fence panel because the gap between the posts are smaller than the panel, you will need to cut the panel down to fit. To do this carefully remove the end baton, then measure between the groves in the concrete posts and mark this on the fence, cut the top and bottom baton allowing for the width of the side baton. Then re-fix the side baton and finally cut down the edge of the side baton trimming the unwanted part of the panel. Your panel should now fit snugly between the two posts.

What is decorators caulk / filler

Decorators caulk is a decorating gap filler, is made of an acrylic and is flexible once dried. It is ideal for areas that have movement but cannot be used like a powder filler and cannot be rubbed down, it can be painted over. It is the best kept decorators secret ever, my wife had never heard about “flexi-filler” as she calls it until I met her.

Notice the spelling also, it is decorators caulk, not cork.

What is decorators caulk used for

Decorators caulk, or decorators filler as it’s sometimes called is used for filling gaps around door and window frames, along the top of skirting boards, gaps around the ceiling and coving line and is ideal for using if there is movement due to it’s flexible properties.

Use decorators caulk for:

• Around Door frames
• Around Window frames (Wood or UPVC)
• Skirting boards
• Ceiling and wall line
• Around coving
• Staircases
• Interior wall corners

How long does decorators caulk take to dry

This is dependent on many factors such as room temperature and humidity, size of gap filled and porousness of where it has been applied. The drying time can be anything from 20 minutes to 2 or more hours. If unsure it is best to leave for a few hours before over painting it.

How to use decorators caulk

Decorators caulk is easy to use, we have written a post detailing how to use decorators caulk on our other blog DIY By Design so there isn’t any need to cover it in depth here.

Why does decorators caulk crack

Decorators caulk may crack if the gap you filled is too large, it may also sink or shrink slightly. If this is the case apply a second layer of caulk over the top of the first one.

If the caulk has cracked or crazed when you have painted it, this could be you didn’t leave it long enough for it to dry.

It isn’t uncommon for paint to crack or craze on top of the filler, this is mostly a problem for emulsions, a simple solution is to paint over the caulk with a non-vinyl paint, such as an acrylic primer.

Update

I have done a review on a caulk that doesn’t crack or craze, I have been using it for a while and the results are good.
Read my Review Of Dunlop Pro Decor Flexible Acrylic Filler Caulk here. And if you would like to buy some for yourself you can buy Dunlop Pro Decor Flexible Filler caulk from here.