The Many Uses of the Picnic Table

When you think of outdoor furniture, the first thing that probably comes to mind is an outdoor picnic table. This staple in the outdoor furniture world is often overlooked as being too cliché or not unique and interesting enough. However, the picnic table is a classic for a reason. It provides a wonderful atmosphere for you and your family to enjoy the outdoors while you dine, and some full-sized picnic tables can seat up to 10 people! As enjoyable as an outdoor meal can be, a picnic table has many more uses than a simple dining table.One of the best ways to use your picnic table is for arts and crafts. We all know how messy some art projects can get, especially when younger children are participating. Don’t hinder your kid’s creativity by forcing them to be neat, or ruin your fun by constantly worrying about the mess. By using your picnic table to do these crafts, you are providing a solid surface on which your kids can make their masterpieces where you don’t really have to clean up the mess, since it will be dirtying your yard, not your carpet.
Another great alternative use for your picnic table is as a card table. If you have friends over to play poker, or you just want to play a round of Go Fish! with your kids, why not take the fun outside? That way, you can enjoy the outdoors and the game at same time, adding to your fun.
If you use just a little bit of creativity, you can easily imagine many other uses for an outdoor picnic table. Don’t write it off as too basic or boring, because it is really one of the most versatile pieces of outdoor furniture available.

The History of the Porch

Most of us probably take our front porch for granted. We see it as a place to enjoy the beauty of nature and our outdoor porch swing, but we rarely wonder if what the story behind the porch really is.
The first versions of the porch can be seen in prehistoric times, when overhanging rocks were used for shelter. Its name is derived from the Latin, porticus, and the Greek, portico, both of which describe a cathedral’s vestibule, where worshippers would gather to socialize after services.
The porch as we know it first appeared in the Americas in the early 18th century, but was not very widely used. Perhaps this was due to the harshness of life in the 1700s, or maybe it was because porches were not common in Europe. It took another hundred years before they became popular.
By the Victorian era, porches had become standard features on most houses. Technological and industrial advances had created more leisure time, which was largely passed on the front porch. The porch functioned as a type of outdoor family room, and was a great place for discussions, games, stories, and songs. The porch also created a sense of community, by encouraging interaction with neighbors, who would often stop by to visit. As the porch became more popular, furniture designers began to improve outdoor patio furniture drastically, in order to make porches more habitable.

The Origin of the Adirondack Chair

The Adirondack chair is a staple in the outdoor furniture world. This chair has been around for over 100 years, and has become one of the most popular pieces of outdoor furniture. The first Adirondack chairs, called Westport chairs, were named after a small town by the Adirondack Mountains on the edge of Lake Champlain called Westport. In Blue Mountain Lake, New York, the Adirondack Museum proudly preserves the Adirondack chair's interesting history. A man named Thomas Lee used to spend his summers in Westport. His family’s large summer home, named Stony Sides, was for some reason lacking in patio furniture. So to solve this dilemma, Lee decided to design a brand new type of chair. This chair featured a slanted back and seat, and wide, spacious armrests. Today, we call this chair the Adirondack chair. However, when Lee first created the chair in 1903, he named it the Westport Chair, after the town in which he designed it. It is amazing that a chair invented by an everyday citizen became so popular and is so widely enjoyed today. The angled Adirondack chair is not only incredibly comfortable, but is also quite stylish and will add to the visual appeal of any yard or patio. These benefits are probably the reason why the Adirondack chair became so well-liked and is still enjoyed by many people today

Personalize Your Entryway

There is nothing more inviting to your guests than a traditional "Welcome" mat in your doorway. However, just because something is traditional, doesn't mean it has to be boring or uninspired. If you are looking to add that personal touch to your front porch, look no further than a wood door mat.
Wood door mats offer several advantages over the traditional, scratchy door mat. First and foremost, wood is smooth and clean, whereas door mats made from other materials tend to be scratchy and accumulate mud and dirt. Wood door mats are easy to clean, and they also dry much more quickly. Another advantage of choosing wood is that they are specially designed to remove dirt from shoes without soiling the door mat itself. Most wooden door mats have a special compartment beneath the top of the mat in which dirt will fall.
Another great perk of a wood mat is that they are so easy to personalize. Most companies will offer to sand carve whatever words you want onto your mat. They also will also usually offer a gallery from images which you can choose to have carved on the mat. Or, if you are the more creative type, buy a plain wood mat and use a wood-burning kit to add whatever designs you would like to your door mat.

Alternate Uses for a Potting Bench

A cedar potting bench is an outstanding work station for gardeners that also provides them with the perfect space to store their gardening supplies. However, even if you are not a gardener, you can still use this rustic piece of furniture in your backyard. Here are a few ideas for how non-gardeners can enjoy a potting table.
One use for this table is to store your children’s backyard toys and other possessions. All of the drawers and shelves can be used to hide away your kid’s art supplies, toys, flip-flops, towels, bathing suits, and anything else that you want to keep from cluttering your yard.
Another creative possibility is to use the potting bench as an indoor decorating element. You can stain or paint it to match your decor, and place it in your living room. It adds a rustic look to your home, and provides both storage and display space in your living room. Plus, it will set your house apart from your friends’ and families’ by adding uniqueness to your decorating style.
These are just a few suggestions for how to use a potting table in a non-traditional way. The possibilities are endless; just use your imagination, and even as a non-gardener you can enjoy the beauty and versatility of a cedar potting bench.

It's Okay to Use Resin!

Many people have a negative opinion of poly resin furniture. However, this view is mostly unfounded. There is plenty of safe resin furniture that you can use to inexpensively furnish your patio or backyard.
Poly resin one of the forms of resin material that are particularly bendable when heat is applied. This characteristic of poly resin makes it the ideal material to use in any instance where molds are used to create items. Since poly resin dries to a virtually unbreakable substance, many manufacturers choose this blend of polyester resin material to create household goods, art objects, and serving dishes. Outdoor furniture is yet another instance where poly resin is commonly used.
The benefits of poly resin furniture are mainly the cost and the durability. Poly resin furniture is incredibly cost effective, so if you are on a budget, poly resin furniture is a great way to get more furniture for your money. It also is easy to maintain and difficult to break, so your poly resin furniture will last for a very long time.
Although I personally think that wooden patio furniture is more attractive, poly resin is a great alternative if you need to save money on your outdoor furniture.

Get More Out of Your Planter Bench Set

Everyone wants their backyard to have character and beauty. You want to reflect your personality in your yard, and of course, you want it to look good! However, you also need your outdoor furniture to be functional, not just attractive. These items should look good, while still serving a purpose.
A planter bench set is an excellent way to add seating to your backyard while growing beautiful flowers at the same time. A typical planter bench set includes a bench and planter box on each side in which you can plant whatever flowers you want. However, if you want to add even more character to your yard or patio, you should try a planter extension bench.
This extension kit is added on to your existing planter bench to make it larger. It contains one extra seating surface and one extra planter box, which you use to make an angled bench or just one extra long bench, divided into two sections. This way, you can add more seating to your porch without the expense of buying an entire new bench. It is also quite versatile; you can change the seating arrangement to meet the needs of different social events.

The History of Windsor Furniture

Windsor furniture is a staple in the outdoor furniture world. This rustic outdoor furniture has a rich and full history, and the story of its development is quite interesting.
Windsor garden furniture was first developed in the late 17th or early 18th century near Windsor, England. No one really knows who invented the chair, but historians have developed several theories as to from where the idea for the style came.
One theory is that a spinning-wheel maker was inspired by his machine to make the Windsor chair. The legs are similar in both geometry and decoration, the wheel supports are similar to the arm-posts, and the spindles like the spokes.
Other theories suggest the designer was a wheelwright, a turner, or a farmer. Regardless of who invented the chair, by the 1720s they were available across England’s southern counties. They were usually painted green and used as garden or lawn chairs.
A few decades later, American Windsor chairs were becoming well-known across the world. They were primarily built in Philadelphia, and by the 1760s they were known as Philadelphia chairs. Their growing popularity made them inexpensive enough tot be purchased in sets, and they are still a well-loved option today.

Why Do I Need a Firewood Rack? (part two)

In my last post, I began to explain why it is important to have a rack on which to store your firewood. These racks can be purchased at most stores and online shops that sell outdoor furniture. Here are a few more reasons that firewood racks are such a good investment:
3) Firewood stacked off the ground in a firewood rack does not attract termites.
By stacking wood on the ground will attract termites. If wood is touching on the ground, termites will find it and infest. If you stack your firewood near your house, the termites may travel from your firewood to your home. To keep termites out of your firewood and your house, be sure to use a firewood rack.
4) Firewood stacked in a firewood rack look much nicer than stacked or piled on the ground.
A firewood rack just plain looks neater than untidy piles of wood simply sitting on the ground. If you stack your wood on the rack, it will keep your firewood supply organized, and keep your yard looking sharp.
These are just a few benefits of purchasing a firewood rack. Not only does it protect your house and your firewood, it helps to keep your backyard looking well-maintained and ordered.

Why Do I Need a Firewood Rack? (part one)

If you have a fire pit in your backyard, it is essential that you purchase a firewood log rack, if you do not already own one. There are many advantages to having a firewood rack. Here are just a few:
1) Firewood stacked in a firewood rack does not attract rodents and snakes.
Rodents view firewood piled on the ground as an invitation to make a home. And where there are rodents, there are also snakes. Piling firewood on the ground is essentially a guarantee of rodents and snakes infesting your backyard. By using a rack where the firewood is stacked neatly and off the ground, . Don't place your children in danger of being bitten by a snake. Be smart...use a firewood rack!
2) Firewood stacked in a firewood rack cures faster, stays drier and lasts longer.
The best way to cure green firewood is to allow the sun and air to dry up the wood. Unfortunately, when you pile your firewood on the ground, most of the wood is covered up and it makes it difficult to cure. In fact, piling wood on the ground actually causes the wood to hold ground moisture longer. Exposure to water for long periods of time will cause to wood to mold and rot, making it unusable. Stacking wood on a wood rack gets it off the ground away from ground moisture and allows the sun and air to dry it out.

Save Space with a Folding Adirondack Chair!

To protect your outdoor furniture and make it last as long as possible, it is important to store it indoors during the winter. Doing this can double the life of your patio furniture, saving you both time and money. Unfortunately, most of us do not have an unlimited amount of storage space. Outdoor furniture can be bulky, and if you have a lot of it, it can be darn near impossible to fit it all in your already packed garage and/or basement. So a lot of us have had to settle for leaving our furniture outdoors year round, allowing the snow and bitter cold to whittle away at its life. What other choice do we have?

Well, as I was researching this dilemma, I stumbled across this folding Adirondack chair. It is designed so that once assembled, it is safe and sturdy. In other words, it won’t fold up on you while you’re using it and injure you. However, if you remove the two bottom rockers, you can easily fold it up and store it away. Talk about saving space! That way you can preserve the beauty of your rustic garden furniture and still be able to walk through your garage. This rocker will save you money, time, and space, and is just as sturdy and attractive as a regular Adirondack chair.

Make an Impact With a Wrap-Around Bench

Let’s face it; we all want our homes to be unique and to reflect our personal style and originality. Our backyards are no different. I love making my backyard into a unique haven that screams to me “Welcome home!” One way to pleasantly surprise and awe your guests is with a bench around a tree.

These benches are just different. They wrap completely around a pre-existing tree in your backyard, creating a plethora of seating in a small space. You can move your position to get maximum sun, or to get the sun out of your eyes. You can face any direction and vary you views to different sections of your backyard.

Not only is a bench around a tree incredibly functional and space-efficient, they make a statement. I don’t know about you, but when I think of benches, I instantly picture the plain, boring, straight, old-fashioned benches I see at the park or in everyone else’s backyard. But a wrap-around bench; that’s not something you see everyday! It shatters your expectations, and it looks really cool too. Choosing to put a wrap-around bench in your backyard shows the world that you are an individual who is unafraid to take risks. You enjoy the finer things in life, and you are completely one-of-a-kind.

Personalize Your Outdoor Cedar Table With Woodburning

If you’re anything like me, you want everything you own to be unique and artistic. I want my home to reflect who I am, and be completely one-of-a kind. Your backyard can function as your own, personal getaway. A well-furnished yard can serve as your vacation from the every day.
No rustic garden is complete without a beautiful outdoor cedar table. One way to completely personalize your table is by purchasing a wood-burning kit and decorating it however you like. These kits are fairly inexpensive, and can be purchased at any local craft store. There are also many different tips which you can buy for your wood-burning iron which create certain effects and different width lines to completely customize your artwork.
Before starting on your outdoor cedar table, it is important to decide on what you want your custom tabletop artwork to look like. You definitely do not want to start without a plan. Draw out your design on paper first, and then practice it on a scrap piece of wood. You only get one chance on your actual table, so make sure that you are ready!
If you are less artistically inclined, you can use stencils. Stick to simple designs and/or lettering.
Wood-burning your outdoor cedar table is the perfect way to make your backyard haven completely one-of-a-kind. It can reflect your personality and creativity in an entirely unique piece that is sure to grab attention and set the mood in your yard.

How to Create a Rustic Patio for Your Resin Rockers

What can you do when you want to bring home resin rockers, but you have no patio for them? I can think of many reasons why resin rockers are appealing. They bring a whole new level of relaxation to outdoor time. There’s something irresistibly soothing about their motion. Plus, they’re durable, and they clean off easily. With little or no maintenance, resin rockers can last for years.

Plans to buy resin rockers can seem silly if you have nowhere to place them. But there are several ways to build your own rustic patio.

Pour a concrete pad and stamp it with a stone or brick design. Do a little research and see which builders in your area have the necessary tools to complete this job for you.

You can also build your own rustic patio for your resin rockers from old-fashioned stone. Check with excavations and construction sites to see if they have any stone available. Some of them will even let you have the stones for free if you are willing to haul them away. Of course, these stones need to be of moderate size for your patio. Dig a shallow area out of your lawn, and fit the stones together, puzzle-style, as closely as possible.

You can follow a similar process but obtain a more even surface with other materials, such as old bricks or discarded railroad ties, as long as you can obtain enough pieces. Remember, the space to fit a few resin rockers doesn’t have to span the whole width of your house.

How to Prepare Your Own Potting Soil for a Planter Bench Set

A planter bench set brings together two staples of the rustic garden into one fixture—benches and planters. In a planter bench set, wooden box planters form the connecting pieces between plank benches. Many sets allow you to add multiple benches. Some have attached arbors or trellises. I’ve seen sets both that sit straight and that fit corners.


Preparing your own potting soil for your planter bench set is possible, but only for those who think ahead. For myself, I’d rather just buy the potting soil, but occasionally I enjoy trying such projects just for the experience.



You begin by mixing the soil with the correct amount of ingredients, such as sand, humus, manure, or peat. To discover a good mix, conduct research on the plants you wish to grow.

After you have mixed the soil, you can sterilize it. Sterilization kills harmful bacteria and culls out weeds. Place a tarp on the ground in a sunny location. Shovel the soil onto the tarp. Leave it alone for a month. Then flip the soil and leave it for an additional month in the sun.

Don’t worry if you feel you’re getting a late start to your preparations for a planter bench set. Last year, we waited until the very end of the season. The greenhouses were preparing to close their doors until the following year. We bought all our flowers for half off or more, and they lasted throughout the remainder of the summer and all through the fall.

Assembling Garden Bridge Kits

A garden bridge kit is something like a puzzle. I really enjoy the satisfaction I receive when I have completed a puzzle. A garden bridge kit contains all the pre-cut wood pieces and hardware for a complete garden bridge. It also contains assembly instructions, so this puzzle doesn’t have to frustrate you. In fact, a lot of the garden bridge kits I’ve seen are estimated as requiring an assembly of 2 to 3 hours. So a garden bridge makes a nice project for an afternoon or weekend.

Here are a few practices I’ve found to be helpful in completing similar assembly projects. I think if you try these out, you’ll find that your garden bridge assembly flows smoothly.

Before I begin, I often try to identify all the parts and verify that my kit includes the correct number of each part. It’s much easier to identify at this stage if a part is missing than when the garden bridge is half assembled, and you may have mixed up a couple pieces.

You may also find it helpful, after you’ve verified you have the correct parts, to lay out the parts necessary for each step. Then, as you assemble the garden bridge, you can flow right from one step into the next.

I prefer to complete assembly projects either sitting or standing. So I make sure that I have a surface such as a work bench or sawhorses, or I bring in a chair so I can assemble small pieces in my lap comfortably. I finding squatting and kneeling uncomfortable, so I take time to create a comfortable work environment. This preparation takes extra time at the beginning but allows the rest of the project to flow smoothly.

The Multifunction Cedar Potting Table

A cedar potting table is a nice piece of outdoor furniture because it can work well in several different roles. My favorite pieces of furniture are the ones with multiple functions because I can get more work out of less space. Especially in a small house or apartment like mine, space is at a premium.

For those gardening gurus out there, a cedar potting table can be a necessary luxury. Once you own one, you might wonder how you ever survived before. A cedar potting table provides work space, storage shelves, sometimes an inset potting basin, and often other storage tools such as drawers or hooks.

If that’s not enough, there are also other ways to use a cedar potting table. Wipe off the work space, or cover it with a plastic tablecloth, and you have an instant buffet table for outdoor parties and barbecues.

During the winter, when you can’t do outdoor gardening, bring the cedar potting table into your garage or storage shed and use it to organize winter supplies, such as ice melt, shovels, and extra gloves and scarves.

I want to get the most out of my furniture, and I’m sure you do, too. I think owning a cedar potting table is an excellent way to achieve this goal.

Make Your Own Privacy Screen for an Outdoor Swing

When you buy an outdoor swing, you want to enjoy it as much as possible. Sometimes that means increasing your sense of privacy when you relax. For a more rustic feel, you can make your own privacy screen.

Reclaim some old, tall shutters. Check your basement or attic. If you know that you don’t have any material like this, visit some yard sales or estate auctions. You never know what you will find in one of these places. Sometimes places that sell salvage wood and recycled building materials offer odd bits and pieces. If you know of such a place near you, check there for privacy screen materials. You don’t necessarily need matching shutters. Throw several different styles together for an eclectic mix.

Once you have found the shutters, spruce them up with some fresh paint. Attach them to each other with several sets of hinges.

To set up the privacy screen around your outdoor swing, bend the pieces at the hinges. Move one to the left, the next shutter to the right. In this way, you’ll create a staggered base so the privacy screen will stand up on its own. Now, enjoy your outdoor swing with your favorite someone.

Using or Storing Leftover Paint

You’ve just finished an outdoor painting project, and the can is still half full. It would be a shame to waste this perfectly good leftover paint.

Consider completing a small project with the leftover paint. If you used half the can on the first project, the leftover paint should cover any project that is smaller than the first one. If you painted a side table, maybe an ottoman would make a good second project. Or a sideboard that sits atop a metal frame.

You can also store leftover paint for future touchups. If you store it properly, paint can keep for several years. Close the lid tightly and store the can away from extreme temperatures. You can even stretch plastic wrap over the top before you tack the lid on to provide a better seal for the leftover paint.


Temperature maintenance is very important. Your leftover paint is flammable; don’t create a hazard by storing it close to a heat source. On the flip side, freezing is bad for water-based paints. Exposure to freezing conditions can cause these leftover paints to degrade quickly. So choose a storage location that will maintain a fairly moderate temperature year-round.

Check with your local waste disposal authorities before disposing leftover paint, as it’s considered a hazardous material.

Your Adirondack Chair Takes on the Distressed Look

An Adirondack chair often provides a rustic feel to an outdoor area. After all, these chairs were originally designed for outdoor use. Take the rustic design even further with the distressed look.

Lightly sand your Adirondack chair and wipe it with a clean cloth to remove dust. Prime, if you wish. Paint the entire chair with a dark shade of flat paint. After allowing the final coat to dry completely, sand again. This time, you will sand only selected areas—the ones that normally show wear first. Focus on the armrests, edges, and feet. Sand lightly, and always stroke in the direction of the wood’s grain. Remove only a little paint as you sand.

To finish, wipe the chair down again with a clean cloth. Apply a clear sealant suitable for outdoor furniture. This top coat should preserve your work and maintain the distressed look you have achieved with your Adirondack chair. Avoid glossy sealants because these will look too new for a more rustic garden design.

Allow the sealant to dry fully before you expose the Adirondack chair to the elements or attempt to use it. You can use the same distressed-look technique to coordinate other pieces of outdoor furniture, including tables, ottomans, and benches.

How a Potting Table Aids Organization

You find many reasons to incorporate a potting table into your patio area. One of these reasons may be to improve your organization. If so, you should keep your eyes out for extra features that can offer the most storage solutions.

Almost every potting table incorporates shelves into its design. Look for shelves in a variety of widths. Wide, sturdy shelves can hold heavier items, such as bags of soil. Smaller shelves help you organize gardening tools, seed packets, and so on.

Other storage features that vary by model include hooks and drawers. Hooks provide easy storage solutions for everything from aprons and gloves to trowels and other hand tools. Not every potting table contains drawers, but these can be a handy aid to organization. A junk drawer for your patio? Yes, indeed. Add a few small plastic bins or a desk organizer, and you’ve got a safe place to stow jewelry while you garden. You can also store other small items, such as garden pictures you’ve ripped from magazines.

If you’re tired of hunting for scattered supplies in a garage or shed, think about a potting table. Organization really is possible with the help of a potting table. Once you’ve organized everything, the hard work is done. You just have to put each item back in its place when you’re done working. Or, maybe you need to train everyone else in the house to return the items they borrow . . .