Book Club Book Review: The Alice Network By Kate Quinn

My Book Club's pick for the month of August was this new release novel The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

This novel has two exciting stories being told in parallel chapters, one from 1915 in World War 1 and the other in 1947 at the end of World War 11.

Based on the true tales of 'The Alice Network' of female spies in wartime, there are two main female characters who tell their stories - a young Eve who was recruited in France as a spy in World War 1 and then Charlie a young American girl who travels to London to search for her cousin who disappeared at the end of World War 11.

These two stories eventually connect and along the way you are taken on a wild journey of the horrors of war, self discovery, love and revenge.

I really admired the strong female characters and the way they did their part for the War. Learning the untold stories of how women made an impact in the War and held their own in a mostly male dominated time period made this story even more enjoyable to read.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in female spies during the War.

I give this book 5 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Ryan Gosling for this read

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[Image via Dymocks]

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Book Club Book Review: The Dry By Jane Harper

My Book Club's pick for the month of May was The Dry by Jane Harper.

It took me a little longer to read with our little Miss A's arrival thus why this book review is a few months late! Hopefully I'll find the time to get back into my reading list soon as I have a few new release books I'm dying to read and review.

This is an Australian outback murder mystery set in a rural drought affected town called Kiewarra in Victoria.

The main character Aaron, now a Federal Police Investigator, was accused of a murder 20 years ago and reluctantly returns to his home town to attend funerals of his former best friend Luke and his family.

The story quickly unfolds as Aaron tries to solve two murders - one from the past and one from the present.

This is a really fast paced mystery, with realistic characters which really made the story believable, and an interesting storyline from both the past and the present.

It took me a couple of months to finish this book as I was only able to read a chapter here and there but it was an easy story to pick up from each time and was a really easy book to read.

I recommend this book to Australian crime readers.

I give this book 5 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Ryan Gosling for this read

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[Image via Dymocks]

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Book Review: Gizelle's Bucket List By Lauren Fern Watt

This is a book review of Gizelle's Bucket List - My Life With A Very Large Dog by Lauren Fern Watt that was published by Simon and Schuster on 7 March 2017.

Lauren Fern Watt is an author (this is her first novel) and travel journalist who has a great website Bucket List Adventures you can find here. Lauren was born in Texas and now spends her time between Nashville and Los Angeles.

This is a true story and memoir told by 20 something year old Lauren about her life with her pet dog a 160 pound English Mastiff called Gizelle and the adventures they go on.

Lauren moves out of home and takes Gizelle with her to College and then onto a tiny apartment in New York City, they job hunt together, go through boyfriends and Lauren grows from a teenager to a young woman along the way as they tackle life together side by side.

Their story is written by Lauren in a diary style of their adventures together, a girl and her dog, best friends and companions. It's a lighthearted and easy read, although there is sadness as to why Gizelle has a bucket list, it is written in such a way that embraces and sees the good and simple things in life between a girl and her four legged best friend.

Being a fur mum to a rescue dog myself I was drawn to the cover of this book instantly and it reminded me in some ways of Lily and the Octopus another brilliant read for dog lovers (you can read my review here) and it has also be likened to the movie Marley and Me.

I recommend this book to dog lovers who like reading memoirs.

I give this book 4 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Ryan Gosling for this read

Gizelle's Bucket List can be purchased from the author here or Simon and Schuster

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Simon and Schuster to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

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[Image via Bucket List Adventures]

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Cookbook Review: I Love Soup By Beverly Le Blanc

This is a book review of I Love Soup: More than 100 of the world's most delicious and nutritious recipes by Beverly Le Blanc that was published by Nourish Books on 13 September 2016 and released in Australia in February 2017.

Beverly Le Blanc is a food editor of the UK edition of Readers Digest and has written 12 other cookbooks including slow cooking and student meals.

The name says it all really - this is a cookbook for soup lovers with over 100 recipes for well known and delicious soups, from indulgent and creamy soups, to hearty and filling meal in one soups, to delicate summertime chilled soups it has it all in this a one stop guide for soup lovers.

I really like cookbooks that focus on one dish like this one and with over 100 soup recipes to pick from if you feel like soup then this book is bound to have a recipe for you.

This cookbook is perfect for beginners as the recipes are very easy to follow and there's some fancier recipes as well if you are hosting a dinner party or feel like something a bit more indulgent.

I would have liked to see more images of each recipe there was only images for half the recipes and it's really a necessity for cookbooks to have images of every dish to be inspired to cook them and to see how the finished dish should turn out. Reading this as an ebook was a bit difficult and a hardcopy version of this cookbook is a must to use in the kitchen.

I recommend this book to soup lovers it's a great one stop guide to making soup and a must have for the kitchen shelf at home.

I give this book 3 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Ryan Gosling for this read

I Love Soup can be purchased from Nourish Books

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Nourish Books to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

[Image via Nourish Books]

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Book Club Book Review: Modern Girls By Jennifer S Brown

The March book picked for my book club to read was Modern Girls by Jennifer S Brown

This is a story set in the 1930's in Manhattan and New York and is told in parallel chapters by mother Rosie and daughter Dottie.

Rosie immigrated from Russia when she was a young woman and for the past 20 years has been a housewife and mother to five children. Dottie has a great office job, friends and a boyfriend and lives an American lifestyle but maintains strong Jewish beliefs and family traditions.

Both Rosie and Dottie fall pregnant and deal with their pregnancies in very different ways.

There are many issues touched upon in the book such as the Jewish community and the war in Europe and I wondered if this was going to be a wartime story but it turned out not to be the case.  Of course the pregnancies which are the main focus of the story bring with them many different reactions, scenarios and dramas as well.

I really enjoyed following the lifestyle of Rosie and Dottie, they are both strong female characters, and it ended in such a way that a sequel could be written. I can see this being turned into a movie one day.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy and pleasant read about the American way of life in the 1930's.

I give this book 4 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Ryan Gosling for this read

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[Image via Jennifer S Brown]

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Book Review: The Pretty Delicious Cafe By Danielle Hawkins

This is a book review of The Pretty Delicious Cafe by Danielle Hawkins that was published by Harper Collins Australia on 1 December 2016.

Danielle Hawkins is a New Zealand author who is a qualified vet and lives on a beef and sheep farm with her husband and two small children. When she finds the time between juggling family and farming life she writes books and this is her third book.

Set in a seaside town of Ratai in New Zealand this is a light-hearted, modern and quirky story about Lia who runs a Cafe with her twin brother's fiance Anna.

The Cafe is at the heart of the story and each day the girls work hard to cook meals and serve the customers. There is a bonus section at the back of the book with recipes made in the Cafe which is a nice touch.

There's the usual small town characters which play a part and add interest as well as dramas, a wedding, and a few romance stories thrown in for good measure.

When I saw this book was recommended to fans of Offspring an icon Australian tv drama series I instantly downloaded it and I wasn't disappointed.

I recommend this book to take on your next holiday as an easy to read contemporary women's fiction.

I give this book 4 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Ryan Gosling for this read

The Pretty Delicious Cafe can be purchased from the author here or Harper Collins Australia

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Harper Collins Australia to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

[Image via Harper Collins Australia]

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Cookbook Review: The Pho Cookbook By Andrea Nguyen

This is a book review of The Pho Cookbook: Easy To Adventurous Recipes for Vietnam's Favourite Soup and Noodles by Andrea Nguyen that was published by Ten Speed Press on 7 February 2017.

Born in Vietnam, Andrea Nguyen is a cookbook author, food writer and cooking teacher now based in San Francisco. Andrea has a brilliant website Viet World Kitchen with lots of great recipes.

This is a cookbook with both easy and adventurous recipes for Vietnam's favourite soup and noodles - pho.

There are lots of different ways to make pho and this shows you 50 different recipes from quick weeknight cheats to five hour weekend feasts.

It also includes recipes for snacks, salads and accompaniments to go with the pho including Vietnamese coffee (which I have become addicted to thanks to my brother's Vietnamese girlfriend!).

There are lots of helpful hints and tips about preparing pho and Vietnamese cuisine in general which I found really useful.

The photographs of the finished dishes are beautiful as are the photos taken on location in Vietnam which add interest to the book. Reading this as an ebook was a bit difficult and a hardcopy version of this cookbook is a must to use in the kitchen.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves Vietnamese food and wants to make this cuisine, especially pho, at home.

I give this book 4 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Ryan Gosling for this read

The Pho Cookbook can be purchased from the author here or Ten Speed Press - Penguin Random House

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Ten Speed Press to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

[Image via Penguin Random House]

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Book Review: The Girl Before By J P Delaney

This is a book review of The Girl Before by J P Delaney that was published by Hatchette Australia on 31 January 2017.

This is the first psychological thriller from J P Delaney, a pseudonym for a writer who has previously written bestselling fiction under other names.

This is a fast paced thriller about two young woman Emma and Jane - the story is told in parallel chapters by Emma who tells her story from the past and by Jane who tells her story in the present.

Both Emma and Jane rent a modern minimalist house from a renowned and unusual architect who built the house. To live in the house they sign a contract, need to follow strict rules and are continually tested to see how living in the home affects them psychologically.

Between the two main characters Emma and Jane, the relationships they have with men and the unusual terms of agreement they have with the architect, this is an interesting and modern read that is hard to put down.

As with most thrillers there's death and mystery and I suspected almost all of the characters, it is really well written and the suspense is there until the very end.

Whilst some relate this book to The Girl On The Train I actually felt it was closer to 50 Shades Of Grey !

I recommend this book to thriller readers.

I give this book 4 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Ryan Gosling for this read

The Girl Before can be purchased from Hatchette Australia

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Hatchette Australia to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

[Image via Hatchette Australia]

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Book Club Book Review: Ordinary Grace By William Kent Krueger

It was my turn to pick the book for my Book Club to read in February and I picked Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger.

The hardcopy book includes a list of book club questions at the back which makes it a great choice for a book club to read and whomever picks the book leads the discussion so this was really handy for me to lead our book club discussion.

This is a story set in the summer of 1961 in the small town of Minnesota and narrated by young 13 year old Frank and includes his younger brother Jake, older sister Ariel and parents who are Ministers at the Local Church.

There are a series of tragic events, mysteries and death of town folk including within Frank's family and Frank who happens to be at the right place at the right time is involved in trying to solve the mystery of the deaths. This is not a fast paced mystery but more of a slow and melancholic mystery. What starts as a sweet story about kids enjoying their summer holidays very soon becomes a more complex read about what it's like to deal with death in the family, grief, sorrow and also the unbreakable bond of love within families.

The writing is brilliant and really draws you into Frank's coming of age story and his young and innocent observations about such adult topics.

Everything is described so well so that you feel you are back in time walking the local streets passing the barber shop, exploring the railroad tracks and river. All the characters are unique and memorable and fit into the story perfectly.

I really liked the Epilogue at the back of the book where the story was all pieced together so there were no loose ends and it gives the reader closure.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in an old fashioned melancholic style mystery.

I give this book 5 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

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[Image via Dymocks]

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Book Review: Lyrebird By Cecelia Ahern

This is a book review of Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern that was published by Harper Collins Australia on 24 October 2016.

Cecelia Ahern is an international best seller with her debut novel P.S. I Love You being adapted into a movie. As well as writing novels Celia has written several TV series including a comedy series Samantha Who? in the USA.

This is a beautiful story about a young woman Laura who lives an isolated life in the mountains in Ireland until a film crew find her and discover her talents of 'mimcry' very similar to the Australian native 'Lyrebird' which mimics sounds.

Laura is taken from her home and sanctuary and out into the real world and that's when the story really gains momentum.

The story is told mostly from Laura's perspective but also from the film crew Bo and Solomon. The insight into their minds and hearts so you can read what they are both thinking and feeling at the same time was just brilliant and really helped in understanding the characters better.

The writing is just beautiful, I could not fault the story nor the words, it really was something truly unique and special. This is one of those rare books that you come across that will leave you thinking about it and talking about it long after the final page has been read.

I have been recommending this book of magic and romance to everyone it's too much of a special read not to be shared.

I give this book 5 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

Lyrebird can be purchased from the author here or Harper Collins Australia

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Harper Collins Australia to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

[Image via Harper Collins Australia]

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DIY: How To Oil A Timber Deck With Cabot's Aquadeck

I'm thrilled to work with Cabot's again, an Australian company, that is known for their quality wood oil and stain products on our new deck and patio project.

We tried Cabot's exterior stain to stain our new treated pine patio in 'new jarrah' and today I'm sharing a DIY on how to oil a timber deck using Cabot's Aquadeck.

For our new deck we decided to use an exterior oil instead of a stain because we love the look of the Merbau timber and want to enhance the natural look of the timber which is what an oil does and to protect it from the weather and elements and also from general wear and tear.

You need to leave new wood to settle for a few weeks before oiling it (its best to check the manufacturers directions for this) - our Merbau timber was out in the weather for over 6 weeks before we oiled it.

To oil a new timber deck that hasn't been oiled before this is what we used:

• Cleaning products - 
• Cabot's Deck Clean 
• Applied with Cabot's Deck Prep brush and Cabot's Deck Hand Bucket
• A pressure cleaner hose and a vacuum 
• Oil - 
• Cabot's Aquadeck in 'Natural' 
• Applied with a paint brush and Cabot's Decking Oil Applicator with the Cabot's Deck Hand Bucket

DIY: How to oil a timber deck

1. Pick the oil - We chose Aquadeck in 'Natural' as we want to enhance the look of our Merbau timber and the Aquadeck applies a clear protective coating to the timber but it doesn't stain or change the colour.

2. Clean the deck - Preparation is the key to a successful DIY so make sure the wood surface is clean of any dirt.

We pressure cleaned the deck with our trusty Karcher High Pressure Cleaner which you attach the hose to.

Then we gave the deck a scrub clean - you need to use proper cleaning products suitable to wood and we used Cabot's Deck Clean and applied it with the Cabot's Deck Prep which was a scrubbing brush on a pole and great for getting marks off the timber.

The Cabot's Deck Hand Bucket is really handy as it shows you how far to fill the deck clean too and then how far to top it up with water so no measuring required.

After we cleaned the deck we left it overnight to ensure it was completely dry.

Lastly, we went over it with the vacuum to ensure it was clean and ready to be oiled. We have a Karcher wet/dry vacuum which we use just for our renovations so we don't dirty or damage our inside vacuum.

3. Oil the deck - It's really important that the deck is dry before you oil it so we waited 24 hours before applying the first coat of oil just to be sure it was completely dry.

Give the oil a really good stir with a stick and then decanter some into a bucket - we used the Cabot's Deck Hand Bucket as it fits the applicators perfectly and was easy to move around the deck.

To apply the oil we used a large flat paint brush to apply the oil all around the edges of the deck just as you would 'cut in' when you paint a room.

Then to apply the oil to the rest of the deck we used a Cabot's Decking Oil Applicator which is a lambs wool applicator on a pole and perfect for flat surfaces for the main areas of the deck. Dip the applicator into the oil and push flat to remove any excess as you don't want to apply the oil too thickly or it will take forever to dry.

Start from the far corner and move down in long even strokes aiming to cover 3-4 boards at a time, work slowly to ensure good coverage and no streaks are left behind.

4. First coat - The first coat of oil took about 1.5 hours to apply on a 10 meter long deck. The oil was a nice consistency and good to work with soaking into the timber and giving even coverage. It has a sheen to it which helps you see where you've applied the oil too and it has a very light brown pigment in it but is mostly transparent and once applied it evens out the colour of the wood to make all the wood look consistent.

5. Second coat - It is dry enough to re-coat after 2 hours however we left it for 24 hours as it was still a bit sticky and tacky. The second coat took the same time to apply about 1.5 hours, after first cutting in with a brush and then applying with an applicator for the rest of the deck. We used a new lambs wool applicator for the second coat.

6. Drying time - It takes a week to cure completely although you can walk on it lightly we kept off it until the 7 days were up to ensure it was completely dry and set so it wouldn't mark or scratch. The weather and temperature has a lot to do with the drying time and as Perth had a cooler change in temperatures and our deck is covered and not in direct sunlight it was still a bit tacky after the first week and so we left it a total of 2 weeks to cure before we moved any furniture onto it.

7. Coverage & Maintenance - A 10 ltr tin of oil did 2 coats with enough leftover for re-oiling down the track. The deck will need to be oiled every 1-2 years. Our deck is completely undercover of the patio so we may not need to re-oil it as often as it's protected from the elements.

Cabot's have a Deck Wash which you can use between oiling to remove any build up and debris which will be what we will do next time rather than oil it again too soon.

8. Clean up - The oil is water based which makes clean up really easy just wash the brush out with water. We didn't keep the lambswool applicators we threw them after use. I prefer to use water based products as there's little to no smell and clean up is easy without the use of chemicals or cleaning products.

And that is an easy weekend project of oiling and protecting a timber deck to enhance the natural timber and protect from wear and tear and the weather.

The new deck and patio space looks amazing I can't wait to set it up with our outdoor furniture and BBQ and enjoy our outdoor entertaining space.


Sharing with link parties:
Curly Crafty Mom - The Creative Corner
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Mondays


Disclosure: Thanks to Cabot's for providing me with the oil products for review. I have not received any payment or compensation. As always, all opinions are my own.

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[All images my own]

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Book Club Book Review: Red Hill By Jamie McGuire

My book club resumed meeting again in January after having a break for our Book Lovers Christmas Party in December.

The first book we read this year was Red Hill by Jamie McGuire.

This is a thriller about a deadly virus outbreak which takes over the world and those affected continue to affect others with a single bite which turns them into flesh eating zombies.

There are a number of stories told parallel to each other of friends and families and how they managed to escape the zombie apocalypse and all the stories join into one as they find themselves together at a safe haven named 'Red Hill'.

The writing was fast paced, thrilling and intense to read it kept me engaged the whole way through. It's about zombies so as expected it had blood, guts and gore but it wasn't too terrifying to read. The love stories added interest and excitement but they weren't all realistic which caused lots of good discussion at our book club meet up.

I found the story to be very similar to The Walking Dead TV series which I'm a big fan of (I even have the board game!) - the characters, location and zombie theme are almost identical.

I recommend this book to zombie apocalypse enthusiasts.

I give this book 4 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

[Image via Dymocks]

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DIY: How To Stain A Pine Patio In 7 Easy Steps With Cabot's

I am thrilled to work with Cabot's an Australian company known for their quality wood oil and stain products on our new deck and patio project.

We tried their exterior product range for oiling our new timber deck and staining our new pine patio which I'll share in two separate blog posts.

So what is the difference between a stain and an oil ?

If you like the look of the timber and just want to protect it you use an oil - this is what we are using for our timber deck as its made from beautiful Merbau timber and we want to enhance the natural look of the timber and protect it. With an oil you paint it on and it absorbs in and drys like a clear coating so your natural timber can shine through in all its glory.

Whereas if you don't particularly like the look of the timber and want to change it to a different colour then you use a stain - this is what we are using for our treated pine patio because we don't like the look of pine and want to stain it a darker colour to match the Merbau timber deck.

What do you need to stain a pine patio ?

You don't need a lot for this DIY which keeps the cost down considerably, all you need is the stain, a paint brush, buckets and drop sheets that's it!

• Stain - We used Cabots Deck and Exterior Stain (water based) in 'New Jarrah'
• Paint brush - A wide angled brush works best for painting around framework
• Small bucket - To decanter stain into and keep refilling as you work
• Large bucket - Filled with water to wash brushes when finished
• Drop sheets - To protect work area

How to stain a treated pine patio in 7 easy steps

1. Pick a colour - Once we decided to use a stain we had to pick a stain colour and narrowed it down to two colours New Jarrah and Marbau. We painted the stain onto some treated pine off-cuts to see which one we liked the best and the New Jarrah has a nice red tint to it whereas the Merbau was a bit too brown so we went with the New Jarrah. Besides how can I call my blog namesake Jarrah Jungle and not pick jarrah!

2. Get the site ready - Before you start be aware you need to leave new wood to settle for a few weeks before staining its best to check the manufacturers directions for this (our pine was out in the weather for over 4 weeks before we stained it). Make sure the woods surface is clean of any dirt or dust before you start, we used rags to wipe the pine clean. Put down drop sheets to protect the ground from any drips (in our case our beautiful new deck!) and you are good to go. We worked from a scaffold which made it so much easier and safer to access the patio from that height.

3. Get the stain ready - Give the stain a good stir with a stick and then decanter a small amount into a bucket to work from. Put the lid back on the stain to keep the air out so it stays in good condition. Keep refilling the bucket with stain as you need to.

4. Paint it on - Pick up your paint brush and start painting the stain on using long fluid strokes. Remember if you leave a blob of stain and come back a minute later it will dry like that blob because the stain absorbs into the wood. So clean up any drips and blobs as you go with the paint brush.

5. First coat - The first coat always takes the longest - it took us 10 hours to paint a 10 meter long patio with ceiling frame work and side poles. The stain absorbed quickly into the pine and it was really good to work with and gave great coverage. A 4 ltr tin of stain did the first coat.

6. Second coat - It is dry enough for re-coat after 2 hours however after 10 hours of staining spread over the weekend we didn't get around to doing the second coat until a few days later. The second coat always goes on a lot quicker than the first, uses less product, and best of all it took us half the time.  We used about 3 ltrs on the second coat.

7. Clean up - The stain is water based which makes clean up really easy just wash your brushes out with water. This is why I always prefer to use water based products - there's little to no smell and clean up is so easy without the use of chemicals or cleaning products.

And that my friends is how in 7 easy steps you can turn a treated pine patio

into a more expensive looking timber patio !

I am so happy with how it's turned out all thanks to Mr P who worked like a trooper in the hot summer heat to get the patio stained and ready for the carpenter to finish it off by installing the roof sheeting and new fence.

Coming up next I'll be writing a blog post on How to oil a timber deck using Cabot's exterior products.

What would you like to stain at home ... Outdoor furniture? A deck? Something else!


Sharing with link parties:
Curly Crafty Mom - The Creative Corner
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays


Disclosure: Thanks to Cabot's for providing me with these stain products for review. I have not received any payment or compensation. As always, all opinions are my own.

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[All images my own]

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