Upcycling your garden with leftover paint

With the warm weather in full swing, a lot of us will be spending more time enjoying our gardens. Our Men's Shed in Middlesbrough have just upcycled this old donated garden set.    Which got us thinking of how we use our old Reuse Paint and we wanted to pass on a few useful tips.

We want to inspire our local communities to upcycle old items many of us have stored away, buy using leftover paint, and show you some useful tips to help bring your garden to life without causing waste.

We have looked at 3 common items we all have, and some great ways you can get upcycling.

1/. Plant pots

Nearly everyone has a few unused plant pots, stored in their garage and shed. Before you head out to buy brand new pots, why not use some paint to make your old ones look as good as new!

To get the effect in the images above, you can use masking tape to create sharp lines and a sponge instead of a brush to fill out the larger areas. You can collect half tins of useable paint your paint from your local Community RePaint scheme at Darlington, preventing usable paint from going to waste.

2/. Ladders

Upcycling an old ladder or even creating your own ladder with leftover wood can create a brilliant feature in your garden. It allows you to display a large selection of plants in a small space, perfect for a small garden. Using a bright colour can really draw the eye and compliment the plants you decide to display.

Before you start painting

• Make sure to remove any old paint,
• Sand down your surface, (this will help the paint adhere)
• Test your primer and paint on a section under one of the steps to make sure you like the finish.

Once you are happy, apply the paint you have picked up from just £1 a litre at your local Community RePaint scheme, and follow the grain for the best results. Leave to dry completely and display your favourite plants and herbs.

3/. Storage

Nearly all of us have an old chest of drawers, a side table or an old shelving unit in our garage. Now, these are some of the most upcycled items, but have you ever thought about using them as a planter?

Making sure they are lined correctly, they can be the perfect choice for flowers and herbs and can be moved around the garden quite easily. Choosing usable leftover exterior wood stain or paint from your local Community RePaint scheme, makes sure they can withstand the elements.

Community RePaint scheme upcycles

Community RePaint schemes across the country have provided paint for a huge range of upcycling projects. See link: ReColour – Our remanufactured paint - Community RePaint

Upcycling is one of the best ways to stop items from ending up in landfills. Buying your paint from your local Community RePaint scheme also helps towards reducing the 50 million litres of paint wasted in the UK each year.