Gazebo makeover with paint and lighting

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A gazebo makeover with new timber, fresh paint and solar powered festoon lights.

• The project
• Steps
• Tools and materials
• More inspiration for your gazebo project

The project

This gazebo was built ten to fifteen years ago and had lattice sidings that were rotting, and were built so high that you couldn't see out while sitting. It was super dark inside, the vines had overgrown the structure and had become and eyesore, so we decided to bring it back to life. 

Steps

Step 1

Remove sidings and brace the existing structure. Measure and cut/mitre lengths for top and bottom edges, and individual railings. Keep in mind Australian Standards for minimum heights for child safety. 

Step 2

Using a nail gun, slowly assemble the rails using packers beneath to make sure they're evenly placed/centred.

Step 3

Place each railing in its new spot and reinforce the structure at the beams so they're super strong to lean on.

Step 4

Use the Spakfilla on the nail holes, let it dry, sand it back and then dust off before painting. 

Step 5

We gave everything a good clean with the water blaster and let it dry for a week before sealing. This ensured the paint was going onto a totally clean surface, free from the grime that had built up over the years. 

Step 6

We carefully painted the beams on our vaulted ceiling as we wanted the height of our structure to "pop". This took three weekends and requires a steady hand (or a lot of masking). 

Step 7

To make light work of the balustrade, we used a spray gun. We wore coveralls and chose a non-windy day to minimise drift. We tried for two to three coats. 

Step 8

Make sure you have the right things to stand on and have a lot more paint than you think you might need. Two coats require a big, big bucket. 

Step 9

We used a scaffold to reach the heights of our vaulted ceiling, and a tiny brush to get in between the joins. It was a labour of love. 

Step 10

We installed our festoon lights with tack nails and hung them on an angle which really added to the "festive" feeling in the space. It also made the beams glow and made the cables look pretty and not obvious hanging directly in front of the beams. 

We're getting married at our place so it will certainly be used as a feature for the big day. It was such a worthwhile three weekends putting some love into the old structure. And we bought everything we needed from Bunnings. 

Tools and materials

Materials used in the project:

• Timber for new balustrade
   
• Taubman's exterior white paint
  
  
• Coveralls
  
  
• Drop sheets 
  
  
• Lytworx weatherproof/solar powered festoon lights.

Tools used in the project:

• Drop saw
  
  
• Circular saw 
  
  
• Air compressor 
  
  
• Nails
  
  
• Hammer
  
  
• Nail gun 
  
  
• Spakfilla
  
  
• Paint brushes
  
  
• Ozito spray gun
   
• Scaffold. 

More inspiration for your gazebo project 

Workshop member LesleyMitch took their weather-beaten shelter and completed a Cedar spa gazebo rebuild in their backyard.

Community member kellig created a unique outdoor living space with their timber gazebo with folding bar. 

Check out our Top 10 most popular outdoor projects, Top 10 most popular pergola projects and Expert ideas for your outdoor entertaining area for more inspiration.