10 Doable DIY Projects for Your Outdoor Space

SPRING PATIO SPIFF-UPS



By Laura Gaskill

With advance planning and perhaps a few friends to help (bribe them with dinner out), you can make a big difference in your patio in a single weekend. Arranged from fast and easy (hang lanterns, make a repurposed table) to more time- and labor-intensive (create a canopy, paint the floor) projects, these DIYs are sure to offer something to suit your time commitment and style.

by Leslie Hayes Interiors »

1. Make a quick table.Cluster a trio of ceramic garden stools together and top them with a glass tabletop for a nearly instant outdoor coffee table.

by Kirkpatrick Design »

2. Warm up a look with candles and solar lights. Enhance the ambience at night by setting out lanterns filled with votive or battery-operated candles, solar garden lights and string lights. Try surrounding your seating area with lights, light up the pathway or place lights in the landscaping along a fence line.

by Sandy Koepke »

3. Enhance your seating area with a backrest. Use a small curtain rod with decorative finials to re-create the look of this eclectic patio seating area. Just be sure to measure the hanging height of your rod with someone seated there — you don't want it so low that it will be bumped into. Finish by sewing fabric ties to a rectangular cushion and hang it from the rod.

by Key Residential »

4. Try a wall planter. Jazz up a big, empty wall with a wall-mounted garden. Use store-bought planters designed for this purpose or fashion your own using found materials. More ideas for vertical gardens

by Laura U, Inc. »

5. Add style and privacy with outdoor curtains. Outdoor curtains can be pulled closed to block unsavory views, provide privacy from close neighbors and shade you from the sun — and even when open, they add to the ambience. If you have any sort of framework or roof on your patio, you can attach curtain rods. Be sure to choose hardware and curtains meant for outdoor use for the most durability.

by K&D Landscape Management »

6. Repaint outdoor furniture. Give your old patio furniture a lift with a bright new coat of paint. Even metal furniture can be repainted — look for a paint designed for use on metal, such as Rust-Oleum. Don't feel like doing it yourself? Have your metal patio set powder coated at an auto paint shop instead.

by Bondanelli Design Group, Inc. »

7. Create a chic new floor with gravel. If the only space you have to work with has a floor made of cracked concrete or unsightly asphalt, consider covering it up with a few inches of compacted, crushed gravel.

by Zack Benson Photography »

8. Build a unique planter from cinder blocks. Architectural photographer Zack Benson came up with the innovative idea of using stacked and glued cinder blocks to create a cheap and easy DIY succulent planter. You can find more information about this project on his blog.

by Newport Balboa Design »

9. Filter the light. Unfurl rolls of bamboo trellising over a pergola or similar structure (free of plants) to form a roof that will protect you from the sun. If you can climb a ladder and wield a hammer, this should be a pretty doable weekend project. Attach the bamboo using a heavy-duty staple gun or by hammering in U-shaped nails.

10. String up a canopy.Whip up a lovely, albeit temporary, outdoor roof by tying lengths of lightweight fabric to bamboo stakes, fence posts or even a nearby tree.

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