Summer living

A solar table light will add atmosphere to balmy evening entertaining.

You will need: 9 x small solar garden lights, Approx 1.2m of 40mm x 20mm dressed timber, Copper canister, Small amount of ready-mix concrete, Exterior construction glue, Exterior PVA glue, Drill with 3mm drill bit, Clamp, 75mm screw, Pencil, Sandpaper, Saw, Screwdriver, Small hacksaw, Tape measure or ruler, Paintbrush, Resene Quick Dry, Resene testpot of Resene Tiber.

Here's another idea: Instead of a metal canister, use an upturned 'Long Tom' terracotta pot sealed with Resene Terracotta sealer.

Step one
Carefully remove the handle from the canister lid.

Step two
Mix a small amount of readymix concrete with water and place in the canister, as shown. Allow concrete to set hard. This will give weight to the base.

Step three
Fix the lid on the container with exterior construction glue and allow to dry.

Step four
Measure and mark four 300mm
lengths from the 40mm x 20mm timber.

Step five
Using the pencil lines as a guide, cut the timber to size.

Step six
Smooth any rough edges with sandpaper.

Step seven
Clamp the four pieces of wood together and drill a central hole through all four lengths, as shown.

Step eight
Attach the four pieces of wood together, as shown, fixing with PVA glue and the 75mm screw.

Step nine
Apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry to the wooden structure and allow two hours to dry.

Step ten
Apply two coats of Resene Tiber to the wooden structure and allow two hours for each coat to dry.

Step eleven
Cut the base off each solar light using the small hacksaw, and smooth level with sandpaper (this may not be necessary depending on the type of solar light used).

Step twelve
Fix the painted wooden structure to the lid of the canister using construction glue and attach a solar light to the end of each ‘arm’, as shown.Allow glue to dry.

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Resene Paints Ltd – www.resene.com