Better Homes and Gardens Australia — December 2017

STEP 2 STEP 8

STEP 3 STEP 9

STEP 4 STEP 10

STEP 5

STEPS

Want to give your place more street

appeal? Watch me make over this

front garden and check out my other

landscaping projects on BHG TV,

Fridays at 7pm on Channel 7.

GO TO BHG.COM.AU FOR MORE LANDSCAPING IDEAS

G’day DIYers!

JASON HODGES

BUILD A PLANTER BOX
A raised garden bed makes a
great border for a verandah and
is a bricklaying job you can DIY.
Finish with render and paint.

Gather your supplies

• 2 bags mortar mix


• Common bricks (we used
  78 bricks for the box)


• 2 bags acrylic render


• Dulux Weathershield exterior
  acrylic (we used Shetland
  Lace to match the house)

You’ll also need
Stiff broom; tape measure;
spirit level; black marking pen;
wheelbarrow; trowel; bolster;
lump hammer; safety glasses;
screwdriver; power drill; mixing
paddle; plasterer’s hawk; steel
float; sponge float; plastic bucket

Here’s how
STEP 1 Sweep existing concrete
with stiff broom. Measure
and mark the outside line of
planter box using spirit level
and black marking pen.
STEP 2 Mix mortar in
wheelbarrow following product
instructions. It should be firm
enough to hold a brick, but not
too hard that you can’t easily
push the brick down into it. Lay
a bed of mortar on the inside of
the marked line with a trowel.
STEP 3 With point of trowel,
make a furrow in mortar bed. Lay
a brick at one end, gently tapping
down with trowel. Butter one end
of another brick and lay next to
the first. Repeat to lay first course.
STEP 4 Use spirit level to
make first course of bricks level
and straight. Tap bricks down
into mortar as required.

Photography Brent Wilson; styling Joanna Greenwood (TV)

STEP 5 Spread mortar then

lay next course of bricks in a

stretcher bond pattern, where

the bricks are offset by half a

brick from the course below.

To cut a brick where required,

use a bolster and lump hammer

(wear safety glasses). Repeat

to lay bricks up to the required

height, checking wall for level

and plumb as you go.

STEP 6 At the base of planter,

use a screwdriver to scrape

mortar out of 3 vertical joints

between bricks to create

weep holes for drainage.

STEP 7 Wait 24 hours for

mortar to dry. Mix acrylic

render in a bucket following

product instructions. Use a

power drill fitted with a mixing

paddle for best results.

STEP 8 Load render onto

plasterer’s hawk. Working close

to wall, scoop up render with

steel float and apply to wall.

Work from the base with an

upwards sweeping motion. A

4–6mm thick coat is ideal.

STEP 9 Wait for render to be

firm to the touch (times vary due

to temperature and thickness

of render, usually 30 minutes).

Using a circular motion, smooth

render with a sponge float. If

render is too hard, apply a little

water with a brush or sponge.

STEP 10 Allow render to cure

for 4 weeks before painting.

Use stiff broom to remove

any loose particles from the

surface of the render. Apply

2 coats of exterior acrylic. ■

i

FOR PROJECT SUPPLIES,

SEE STOCKISTS PAGE

FRONT YARD FIX

And to finish...

PROJECT

3

150 BHG DECEMBER 2017