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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DIY: How To Hang Art With Trojan Tools

Over the years as I've traveled to different places I've limited my gimmicky souvenir purchases which ironically are mostly made in China and I've never even been to China! Instead I look for handmade items from the markets or local streets to buy direct from the people who make it.

On our honeymoon in the USA last year we came home with three beautiful artworks all representing special memories of our travels. This black and white sketch of Bourbon Street in New Orleans we picked up from the artist himself at the local market and he even wrote a message for us on the back - you can't get a more personalized souvenir than that!

This art needed to be framed and luckily it was an easy size to frame myself so I hit the shops and found an inexpensive frame at Kmart with a simple black frame and white matting for a professional look.

Mr P and I are experienced art hangers now and have become a lot quicker at this DIY task compared to how long it took us to hang our first gallery wall of black and white photos.

Once you have your art hanging technique right there's no stopping the different arrangements you can create - centered arrangements, gallery photo walls, gallery art walls, the possibilities are endless!

But of course you need to have the right tools for the job too. Being a home DIYer I'm a fan of Trojan Tools which are an Australian brand of tools found on the shelves at Bunnings and marketed towards home improvement and DIY enthusiasts. I've used their renovating tools before and was more than happy to receive some tools needed to hang art at home like a pro.

To hang art you need - A tape measure, level, pencil, hammer or drill

Then you can use - A nail, wall plug, screw or hook

I decided to hang the framed art in our recently renovated powder room just off the laundry which was in need of some finishing touches.

The framed art may have stayed in this spot for a couple of months before we hung it on the wall just to be sure we had found the right home for it .... Does anyone else take months to decide where to hang art or is it just me?

A step by step on how you can hang art

Firstly, you need to decide where to hang your art - hold the frame up and play around with different positions until you find the one you like. As this is a small room, it looked best to center the art on the wall. 

Another tip when it comes to finding the height for hanging art is at eye level, otherwise it can come off looking too high or too low. We went with Mr P's eye level because I am a short-ass!

Use a tape measure to find the center of the wall and mark the center with a pencil.

Next use a tape measure to measure the frame and find out where the center is and mark the center of the frame with a pencil.

Hold the frame against the wall in the position where you want to hang it and use your pencil to mark the center point on the wall.

We used a small level to check the frame was straight and then a large level to draw a straight line.

Now this next part is something we learnt from previous mistakes to do - otherwise your picture will not hang in the exact spot you want it to!

If you have hanging wire on the back of the frame you need to hook your tape measure into the wire and pull towards the top of the frame and measure the distance between the top of the frame and the wire. Likewise if it's a hook on the back of the frame you need to do the same thing and measure the distance from the hook to the top of the frame - this frame had a hook.

Measure on the wall again adding in the measurement between the hook/wire and frame and this new X marks the spot is where you need to drill the hole and hang the hook.

Bear in mind the nail, screw or hook needs to be the correct weight to support the frame.

We use both screws and hooks depending on the type of frame or art we are hanging - nails don't go through our brick walls so that's not an option for us. 

As we have brick walls we used a drill to drill a hole and then a hammer to drive a plug in.

Then we used a drill again to drive a screw into the plug.

A tip to keep the dust from going everywhere when you're drilling is to hold a dustpan underneath to collect the dust - then you don't have anything to clean up!

I have myself a very handy hubby he can work a drill and clean at the same time!!

Once your hook (or screw in our case) is in you're ready to hang your art on the wall.

With one final check of the level, place it on top of the frame, to check that it's straight and then stand back and admire your handy work.

There you have it - in less than half an hour we have hung our art just like a professional!

It's so nice to have some personality on the walls and something interesting to look at - the powder room can be quite a boring place otherwise!

It's so nice to be reminded of our travels to New Orleans with this gorgeous piece of NOLA art on our wall at home.

Do you take months to decide where to hang art? Or is it just me!

Sharing with link parties:

Curly Crafty Mom - The Creative Corner
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
The Plumbette - Home Improvement Thursday

Disclosure: Thanks very much to Trojan Tools for providing some Trojan tools for review. I have not received any payment or compensation for this review. As always, all opinions are my own.

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DIY: Laying Lawn On The Front Verge

Last weekend we installed reticulation and sprinklers and leveled the ground ready for lawn to be laid on the front verge. Then over the Long Weekend just gone we got busy and laid a lush new green lawn which has added instant kerb appeal to the front of the house.

There's been a bit of debate about whether lawn on verges is the way to go in Perth - due to the hot climate and water restrictions it's hard to grow a lush green lawn. Some Local Councils allow you to grow native shrubs and vegetable gardens instead of lawn. Artificial turf and paving or any hard surface is not allowed. However, we are going down the traditional route and laying a hardy sun loving lawn .... fingers crossed with lots of love and attention it grows well.

BEFORE 

AFTER

For our front courtyard grass areas we got Velveteen lawn from Australian Superior Lawns and so we used them again - this time we picked a Wintergreen Nullarbor Couch lawn as it's one of the tougher lawns that will tolerate full sun and high traffic.

Couch is a bit cheaper than Velveteen and costs $5.50 per roll x 45 rolls + delivery = $335.

The lawn was delivered on Saturday the same day we planted it - you want to plant lawn within 1-2 days of it being cut.

We applied 3 bags of soil solver clay to the ground which gives the soil structure and helps water absorption. We gave it a good rake and mix into the soil and sand. Next we applied a bag of stinky fertilizer to help the lawn grown.

Then we leveled it as flat and smooth as possible so there will be no dips and bumps in the new lawn.

Then Mr P with help from my brother got to work laying the rolls of lawn. Starting from the corner edge and working down in rows the lawn was laid with each new roll tucked in neatly to the next.

To cut the curved edge of the driveway and around the sprinklers a sharp long bladed knife was used.

The lawn needs to be laid staggered just like you do with laying bricks so you don't end up with a run of lines - staggering helps it look natural and the grass will grow over the lines and pretty soon you won't see the joins.

Once all the lawn was laid and any patches filled the lawn needs to be compacted to help it adhere to the soil and grow and it also helps to flatten and level the ground and to fill any gaps. 

A quick trip to Bunnings and Mr P hired a compactor for $45 (for up to 4 hours hire although we only needed it for 1 hour).

I was inside making everyone lunch at this point and avoiding the loud vibrating compacting noise so I don't have any photos of the compactor in action sorry!

When we were finished on came the new sprinklers to give the lawn a good water in.

You need to water new lawn twice a day and with Perth's water restrictions we're only allowed to water twice a week! So we applied online with the Water Corporation for a permit for new lawn and they approved it instantly for one month so we can water twice a day and there was no cost for this either.

It's a good idea to get a permit if you are trying to establish a new lawn or garden (especially as you don't want to be fined for watering when you're not meant to be!).

We had just 2 rolls of lawn leftover and some guy driving past pulled into the driveway and asked if he could take them ... I thought he may have offered a 6 pack of beer or bottle of wine but he just took them! Oh well love thy neighbor and all that!!

After years of having a sandy heap at the front of our house it is so nice to see a green patch of lawn. 

Beware if anyone tries to park their car on it over the next few weeks they'll be in trouble!


Sharing with link parties:
Curly Crafty Mom - The Creative Corner
The Dedicated House - Before And After Wednesday - Featured in the round up view it here
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
The Plumbette - Home Improvement Thursdays

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A DIY On How To Install Metal Support Poles For A Shade Sail

Earlier this month we came up with a shelter solution for our courtyard garden which was to install a shade sail over the seating area.

We tweaked our initial shade sail design of 5 poles down to 4 poles in the end as we felt 2 poles were too close together (less than 1 metre between them) and not necessary and the 4 poles was a better design, it looks better and is less expensive as we don't need an extra pole!

We put two days aside for this DIY over the Easter Long Weekend and surprised ourselves by smashing it out in just one day which meant more time to relax and overdose on chocolate over the Easter break!

A step by step on how to install metal support poles for a shade sail

Mr P ordered two 8 metre long square steel support poles for the shade sail and had them cut in half to 4 metre lengths. 

Then to protect the steel from rust we had them powder coated in Classic Cream to match the limestone fence pillars they will be next to and exterior house colours of the render and paint. The cream colour of the poles is a perfect match and they blend in nicely with the surroundings.

Then Mr P got busy digging the holes for each pole - our poles are approx 3500 high so the footings need to be 1200mm deep in the ground and 400mm square (which is about the size of a shovel head).

We had to dig carefully as we laid gas, water pipes and underground power in this area and even though we have a good idea of where the pipes are we still need to be extra careful. It's better to take your time with these things than to go smashing through something and then have to fix it!

We were also up against the retaining walls and concrete footing of the limestone fence so we weren't able to dig holes too close to the brick pillars like we wanted to, so the poles will be set into the courtyard a bit instead of flush against the pillars.

But as the poles are to be installed on a 5 degree angle leaning back towards the pillars this has worked out fine.

Once the holes were dug the pole went in and we measured from the top of the brick pillar for the right height.

The poles will have high and low points for the shade sail to be attached to as this allows water drainage - we have 3 low poles and 1 high pole in our design.

We removed the pole from the hole, drew a line around the pole where it needed to be cut, using a mini level as a guide and ruler in one!

Then used the electric grinder to cut down the pole to the right height.

Because we are extra cautious we also spray painted the ends of the poles we had cut as they were now bare metal. We used a primer spray paint to protect it before it went into the ground to stop any rust developing.

When Lexi hears the rattle of the spray can she looks at me like she's thinking ... Here we go again any excuse to spray paint something!

Once all the poles were cut to size and spray painted they were ready to be secured in the ground in concrete footings.

We put the pole back in the hole, centered it on the brick pillar and using a level let the pole lean back by about 5 degrees (one bubble on the level). The reason you lean the pole back is the shade sail can be pulled tighter when the pole is on an angle.

You can install the poles straight but they will bend inwards once you apply tension. Plus you won't get as tight a pull on the shade sail and let's face it .... No-one wants a sloppy flappy shade sail do they!?

We then poured a 100mm layer (about 10kg) of blue metal gravel down each hole around the pole.

The gravel provides a base for the concrete footing and is great drainage for the metal pole in the ground which stops dampness and rust from developing.

We then secured each pole to the pillar with tape and bubble wrap so it stayed in position at the right lean angle.

This is so when the heavy concrete is poured into the holes the poles won't move.

Next we were ready to mix up some concrete for the footings  - we used 18 bags and each bag was 20kg - and we put about 4.5 bags of concrete in each hole to make the concrete footing.

We borrowed a cement mixer from my parents which made it so much easier than mixing by hand! We simply added the bag of cement, added water until it got a nice consistency, then poured it into a bucket and poured the cement into the hole on top of the layer of gravel.

We poured the concrete into the hole making sure to keep an eye on the level to ensure the pole didn't move as we poured the concrete in.

A couple of buckets of concrete went into each hole, any splatters of concrete we sprayed clean with the hose, and it was left to set for 48 hours.

So the 4 poles are secure in their concrete footings and won't be going anywhere rail, hail or shine!

You can see how the shade sail is going to define the seating area in the courtyard it's going to create a really nice space to relax with privacy and shelter.

We will now get in touch with Big Fat Snapper who are making the shade sail so they can come out and do a final measure now that the poles are in and they will make the shade sail out of canvas. 

Now that the poles are in the ground we can go ahead and get the paving and lawn laid in the courtyard which we started getting quotes for last weekend ...... so excited to see progress out here!

How did you spend your Easter break? Did you tackle any DIY projects?

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

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

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