This post is sponsored by Thompson’s WaterSeal- but all images and opinions are my own. 

It’s summer, and here in Ohio that means taking advantage of the lovely weather. It doesn’t last that long, so that means a lot of weeding, gardening, and then just sitting out and enjoying the lovely results.

Earlier this summer we started work on our kitchen remodel- so we were neglecting our outdoor spaces. I have a little corner of the back garden that has a fence and a patio area where we keep our long table. Sadly, it was really neglected and looked like this:

Before: weedy and sad.

So the first step was to gather the materials for my fence to keep out deer out. Second step was to clear everything out- weeds, furniture, and my son’s soccer goal!

Ugh.This area has been neglected for years.

Next we set out to power wash the fence. Enter in my Dad! I was going out of town, and he offered to step in for the next crucial steps.

A little better, but not much!

So the next step was to apply some Thompson’s WaterSeal Penetrating Timber Oil. Here’s a bit about this product:

Provides beauty and protection – all in one. This unique formulation nourishes and beautifies exterior wood, including hardwoods with its triple blend of premium oils. The deep penetrating oils protect the wood from water damage, while the coating resists mildew and UV damage. Premium iron oxide pigments offer long-lasting beautiful colors that hold up to heavy foot traffic and minimize lap marks and color streaking.

You have to let the fence dry 48 hours after power washing for best results, by the way. So if you want to do this in a weekend, wash on Friday and apply on Sunday! 

I chose walnut because the dark brown color went nicely with our deck.  It took one coat of Thompson’s WaterSeal Penetrating Timber Oil to cover the whole fence (we used a brush to apply it) and that wood was so old and damaged, it literally drank up a whole container!

Before I show you how it turned out…. I have to show you a little wall I built. These are recycled patio pavers from our deck project- we had to pull a bunch up with the expansion of the new deck, so I saved them… and built a this:

I just dry-set them along the patio for a more “finished” look.

The new paver wall needed some fresh greenery, too.

Since this area only gets morning sun and then dappled shade the rest of the day, I filled it with fern, coral bells, hosta, and coleus.

And…..

Ta-da! What a nice tidy little area now. And it looks so fresh and clean against the nice dark fence!

Now to add furniture so we can enjoy it! I decided to move our fire pit and furniture over here since it’s so cozy.

Not gonna lie, I’m spending a whole lot of time here! It’s nice to sit in the shade and listen to the waterfall and chat with friends.

I love comments! Do you have an area that needs sprucing up? Or a shade garden? Tell me about it!

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About Jenny

Chief Craft Test Dummy, Craft Evangelist, Founder, Editor, bottle-washer, trouble-maker, and creative whirlwind.

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