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Garden furniture can be expensive, particularly if you want something a bit different. However, it’s easy to get hold of a tired old garden bench on Gumtree, Freecycle or similar, then tart it up with a lick of paint and a few decorative mosaic pieces.
The above bench was painted black and inset with silver glitter and mirrored mosaic tiles. However, you can go as subtle or flamboyant as you want. Think black paint with white chequerboard inlay for an Art Deco feel; red paint with gold and mirrored tiles for a burlesque look; or duck egg blue with broken crockery mosaic tiles for rustic charm.
Materials required
Dremel 8200 cordless multi-tool with router bit 654, SC 402, SC 511S/512S and the router attachment 335
Dremel Glue Gun 930 with its 7mm gluestick
Glitter mosaic squares and mirror diamonds
Shearer
Garden bench
Paint
Step One
Prime and paint a garden bench black, using external paint.
Step Two
Mark around pieces of silver glitter mirror mosaic square, in a straight line on the arm, back and front sections of the garden bench with a pencil.
Step Three
Plunge cut using the Dremel 8200 multi-tool with router attachment, set to a depth slightly deeper than the depth of the piece of mosaic tile.
Step Four
Sand with the Dremel multi-tool and abrasive buffs. Use the Detailer’s Grip to give you an easier hold.
Step Five
Inset silver glitter mosaic square or mirror diamond and stick into place using Dremel Glue Gun and 7mm clear glue. Fill around edges with multi-purpose filler slightly proud of the surface of the wood, then sand off excess filler using the abrasive buffs as above. Continue until pattern is finished. Paint in using black paint.
If your garden is too small for a bench, you can apply the same technique to wooden planters or garden screens. Post your pictures here if you get inspired and make something using the above techniques.
groweatgift 