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Desperate Landscapes: Cooking Up a New Look A maple transplant, a magnolia makeover, some reworked beds and exterior paint touch-up elevate this abode from drab to dashing. From "Desperate Landscapes" episode DDSL-107

(Continued from page 2)

	Figure A
	Figure B

Project 2: Paint Shutters

The shutters need a paint job. In this case, the drab gray paint color is not doing the house any favors. The homeowner chose black paint for the update. We also decided to go with disposable rollers to save time on the clean up (figures A and B).

• If shutters are easy to remove, take them down before painting.

• Clean all surfaces to assure good paint adhesion.

• If the existing paint is in good condition, no primer is necessary.

• If the existing paint is looking rough, the shutters should be sanded and primed before painting
  

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  	Figure D
  	Figure D
  	Figure E

The homeowners have a great door original to the house, but it needs a fresh coat of paint. The homeowner always dreamed of having a red door, and her wish is about to come true.

• Wash and allow the door to dry before painting (figure C).

• Patch cracks in the door with a quick drying wood filler (figure D).

• Sand the filler to be flush with door (figure E).

• If the existing paint is in good condition, no primer is necessary. However, when using dark colors like red, it's advisable to use a primer first. Jason did not use a primer and ended up using five coats of paint.

• When painting a door (figures F, G and H), start with the inside edges, then molding, panels, mutins (top and then bottom), transoms (top, middle, bottom) and finish with the stiles.
  

  Figure F

  Figure G

  Figure H

  
  

The light fixtures are a great match for the house, but they cleaning and a fresh coat of paint. Homeowner Ilene enlisted the help of her friend Pam, an art teacher, to paint the fixtures (figures I and J).

Figure I

Figure J

	Before
	After

Pam offered these painting tips:

• Choose the right brush for the job. In this case, we're painting with enamel, so a hard-bristle brush would be a poor choice. It would leave scratch marks.

• For a nice smooth line, choose a soft-bristle brush.

• Have different size brushes on had when doing detail work.

• Normally, you'd remove the glass from the fixture before painting, but we did not want to risk breaking the glass.

• Finally, have lots of patience and a steady hand.
  

There is a beautiful magnolia in the front yard, but its branches hide the house. Jason's quick pick to make quick work of the job is an electric lopper with cutting teeth (figures K and L).

Figure K

Figure L

Figure M

It's ideal for cutting branches which are too big for manual loppers, but not quite big enough to require a chainsaw. It best handles branches up to 4 inches thick.

• Cut branches close to the collar (figure M).

• Allow cuts to heal naturally.

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