How to Waterproof Your Patio This Winter!
Winter brings a rain and rain can cause a few issues if you are not prepared here in the South West. As lovely as the rain is on your roof, if you have drips and leaks are not great for the ambience when it comes to a functional and enjoyable outdoor space.
Water proofing your patio is simple and avoids all kinds of problems when it comes damaged caused by rain and water leakage in your patio and even your home. Pets can be dry and comfortable outside, plants can be protected and you can stop your outdoor furniture getting soggy or ruined by keeping the water on the roof or in the drains and not on the patio floor.
The best way to waterproof your patio includes:
- Regular Maintenance
- Sealants
- Elevations and Slope
Regular Maintenance
Its been said time and time again, but prevention is always better than cure and in the case of patios, regular maintenance is key for prevention. Maintaining drains, gutters and downpipes and ensuring they take the water out and away from the patio and the house prevent water from pooling and overflowing in places it cannot drain away from. Also remember to check where the patio meets the house roof for movement or gaps in the roof materials to avoid water dripping through so close to the house.
Sealants
Commercial products are available for some patios that act as a barrier to repel dirt, oil and water. Basically a sealant designed for brick pavers and walls, these products are not 100% guaranteed but can repel water and debris which is beneficial in the act against excess water.
Other commercial products such as glues and plastic sealants that can be purchased as DIY solutions should only be used for small leaks in the roofing or gaps in the materials from small rocks, nails etc. A professional should always be consulted to repair larger damage on your patio.
Elevations and Slope
When designing and building your patio, consideration should be taken for drainage as a priority. Be sure to dig to appropriate levels to keep the patio flooring at optimum levels for water runoff into drains and have your roof sloping downwards into the gutters. Always account for water levels appropriate for your local area.
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Pretty lanterns on a pretty patio. Looks just perfect! Now, gather all the necessary materials.
1. When you’re using old food jars, soak them in warm water, then peel or rub off the labels. Wash and dry completely. (Because the jars in the photo were already done, I used a couple salsa jars for this how-to).
2.Cut a piece of wire a few inches longer than the circumference of the mouth of your jar. Bend the it around the mouth of the jar to create a circle, but don’t twist the ends just yet. Cut another piece of wire about 11 inches long—this will be the handle.
3. Bend the 11-inch piece in the shape of a “u,” then twist each end around opposite sides of the circle piece of wire.
4. Wrap the circle piece around the mouth of the jar again. Make sure the wire is tight beneath the grooves of the jar so it won’t slip off, then twist the ends together. Use pliers if you need to. Slide each end of the handle to the center of the jar, so it will hang straight.
5. Cut a piece of wire a few inches longer than the circumference of the railing you will be hanging the votive jars from. Twist-tie the votive handle to the railing. Bend the excess wire down so no one gets poked. Insert a votive and light it. Create impact by lining up many jars in a row.
1. Apply a thick layer of thin set mortar then cutting the mesh tile with a box cutter and layering the tile on the outside of the bucket. Let it dry after for about an hour or two.
2. When it’s totally dry, start applying river rock tile to your bucket. Make sure every part of the bucket is properly covered with rock pebbles. Let it dry again – all night long.
3. Then next day, mix up some grout, added it with a putty knife.
4. Then removed excess with a sponge.
It’s a great focal point in your patio that always sparks up a conversation – it would also make a great indoor accent, perhaps for storing bathroom towels or toiletries? The option is yours!
1. Lined up your spool on your tire and traced around the tire to get the proper diameter for the base. Don’t have a wood spool? You can easily do this with a piece of plywood.
2. Grabbed some nuts and bolts and figured out where you wanted to drill the holes.
3. Using a 3/8″ drill bit, drilled four holes through the plywood and into the sidewall of the tire. Pushed the bolts through and flipped the tire.
4. If you find it tough to get to the bolts to attach the nuts, try standing on the inside of the sidewall and pushed the end of the bolt through enough.
5. Then ratcheted all of them tight.
6. Next it’s time to attach the rope. Use a hot glue gun and start gluing the rope on from the bottom edge of the wood base.
7. Kept working your way around the tyre, trying to keep the rope tightly wrapped. This is a good step to take in the house and watch TV to pass the time.
8. Attached the legs. Find the center point and positioned the legs in a triangle at the center, then marked the positions with a pen so you could place them after drilling holes.
9. Drill 1 1/2″ pocket holes into two sides of your 4×4 legs. This should be able to hold the weight of the tire.
10. Glue up the legs and then attached them to the wood bottom using 2″ pocket screws. If you don’t have a Kreg Jig, you can also use angle braces.
11. Once the legs were attached and all of the rope was glued on, sand the legs and applied weatherproofing stain.
Imagine walking into a newly built 
Know what you want
1.Thread the lights inside the balls. Wrapping it outside will cause the light to stick out of the ball and will look like a porcupine so get the lights inside.
2. Tie them in place with a bit of garden twine.
3. Arrange the balls accordingly. You can put the largest at the end or the small one – it’s up to you.
4. Balanced the birch branch on a couple of chairs as you worked with the placement. If you don’t want any of the wiring to show, the balls had to touch and be fairly stationary.
5. Don’t worry about the cord. See the cord in the photo below? It’s really not noticeable unless you look at it from this angle!
6. Thread the ribbon through them, tying it off under the branch.
1. Gave the tyre a good scrubbing with soap and water and let it dry.
2. Gave it a couple of coats of spray paint (paint + primer). Let dry.
3. Next, used a 13mm drill bit to drill 6 holes into the ‘bottom’ of the tyre for drainage. This takes a sharp bit and a lot of pressure and also produces a little smoke.
4. Then lined the bottom with a piece of fabric weed barrier and a few styrofoam packing peanuts.
5. Time to plant!
6. Arrange your plants on how you liked it – the choice is yours! See, the drainage holes work!
7. Should you want to hang it from a tree, use chain (double hanging length, add about 25.4 cm for in the tyre and more for the size of your tree limb). Wrap chain around tree branch and secure end pieces inside of the tire with an “s” hook.
Step 2: Fill cans with water and stick them in the freezer. Leave them in until the ice is solid. This helps the can hold its shape for the next steps.
Step 3: Take your frozen can out of the freezer. Using a hammer and nail, pound a hole near the top of the can. Flip the can over and make another hole straight across from the first hole. These will be used for the handle later on.
Step 4: Make your design. Use the hammer and nail to start punching out a design in your can. You can draw it out before hand or wing it. Either way, they turn out nicely.
Step 5: Once your design is all finished, let the ice melt out of the can and dry it out.
Step 6: Upon turning the can over, you’ll notice a big bulge in the bottom. This comes from freezing water in it. But, it can be fixed! Just pound it down with a hammer so that it sits flat
Step 7: Time to make a handle. Cut a 30 cm strip of bailing wire and curve the end of it to form a hook. Stick the hook through one of the top side holes.
Step 8: Twist the hook around to secure it. Make a hook on the other end of the wire. Stick it in the side hole on the other side and twist it around. There’s your handle!
Step 9: Time for some spray paint! Paint several coats on to cover the entire outside of the can and handle.
