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Fresh paint and a D.I.Y. planter box help transform a previously drab balcony.
The project
After years and years of looking at the awful balcony (especially in COVID lockdown) I finally got up the courage to renovate it.
First up was painting the orange brick. I used the Dulux Texture Paint and their Primer. I had the paint I had tinted to match my apartment wall colour (Hopsack by Taubman's). This was so the balcony would have the effect of an extension to my living room, being a small apartment.
The flooring is made up of the 'click-in' tiles from Kmart which actually started this whole process, as they are an easy install. I was limited by how much I could cut them, so I ended up filling in a small gap by the door with stones.
My absolute pride and joy to make from scratch was the planter box. I got the instructions off YouTube and once I was able to convert the American sizing, I bought the wood from Bunnings. I use Pine fencing for the sides, and the dressed timber for the legs top. Luckily for me, Bunnings is able to cut timber because I have no way of doing that.
While I did make a mistake on the top part (I used the wrong size timber for the top short sides) - it worked in my favour with how the end product looked with the legs' width now matching the top trim. I made it to fit the end of the balcony and painted it with the same paint I had on hand from my other project. It was British Paints Paint & Prime. If I ever made this again, I would use the dressed timber for the sides as well, rather than the rough Pine fencing.
Before and after
More inspiration for your outdoor project
Community member Minu used a sand base as part of his patio makeover with new pavers.
Community member maccifo used timber to finish his patio extension with a low-level deck, expanding his entertaining area.
Get more ideas from our community's Top 10 most popular outdoor projects and Top 10 most popular planter box projects.
