summer decorating ideas

Colour Experts And Garden Designers On How Painting A Wall, Fence Or Furniture Can Transform Your Outdoor Space

For best results tackle outdoor painting jobs when the weather is dry and fair. Never paint wood when it’s damp as the paint will blister and flake off, and avoid painting in direct sunlight or when temperatures exceed 30°C. Exterior surfaces also need to be prepared before painting. Treat bare wood surfaces with a knot and resin blocking primer, then prime before painting with an exterior eggshell. Any surface that has previously been painted will need sanding first to remove loose and blistered paint.

SELECTING YOUR SHADE
Choosing paint for a shed, patio wall or window frames is just like choosing a colour for inside. Don’t grab the first pot you see, look at the colour of the plants in your garden and work out what will tone or contrast with those. Also consider other external surfaces. If you have warm-coloured brick walls, then cooler grey-greens work well, but if it’s all-white render, then stronger punchier hues can create a statement. Start with tester pots and look at the colours in different light.

SHED LIGHT

Painted in Willow, £7.99 a litre, Wood Protector range, Protek

Transform a humble garden structure with a coat of paint. Painted in Willow

Antique Rose stain,£15.98 for 2.5L,
Royal Exterior Wood Finish, Protek

‘As a mother of two girls, I’ve been hormonally reprogrammed to love pink. My favourite shade is a deep, dusky rose stain, which is quintessentially English and green foliage stands out beautifully against it. I’ve used it to paint an arbour, providing coloured support to climbing roses in traditional white and cream. It also looks gorgeous painted on the girls’ playhouse.’ Caroline Thornborough Protek

Pigeon exterior eggshell, £21.50 for
750ml, Farrow & Ball

‘I’ve used this multifaceted blue-grey-green colour on my summerhouse – it has a lovely earthy feel. Meanwhile, my garden furniture is painted in strong Hague Blue and all my exterior doors in Green Smoke. Strong greens and blues work well outside as they accent the natural tones in the garden, and add flashes of soft colour in the winter months.’Sarah Cole Farrow & Ball