(Disclosure: this post was made in partnership with Behr Paint – thank you the reader and my friends at Behr Paint for making this all possible!)

 

 

The year was 2020, we made the most of entertaining ourselves every single day from the comforts (or confines) of our homes. And, what came out of that was a whole lotta home improvement – amiright? I don’t know about you, but in this house there was rearranging, and there was tossing. Also, there was painting, staining, moving, purchasing, zuhzhing, DIY-ing, and so on.

 

I am very proud of the home I have made for us here, and while I don’t think it will ever feel “complete” (I love change!) it’s about as close to perfect as I can get within my means. But any procrastinator will feel me on this one, I of course, decided to save the hardest project for last, and that was our backyard.

BACKYARD REVAMP REVEAL

 

 

Tommy and I absolutely love to entertain, we’ve built/designed/purchased most things surrounding this home with the idea of entertaining in mind, and it should be no surprise that we host most of our gatherings outside in our backyard! We’ve been in this house now for 4.5 years. Thus, everything originally put in the backyard was 4.5 years old. Sure, doesn’t sound too old. However, when you’re Tommy and Caroline and don’t cover furniture/rugs, things that may look 4 years old appear 400. We’ve learned the hard way that we need to be better about taking care of our furniture, and so began our journey with redoing the backyard.

 

It started first with deciding what would stay and what needed to be donated/tossed. The only thing that ended up being allowed to stay – and truly the catalyst for this entire project – was our beautiful (and beastly) all-wood outdoor dining table. Everything else, goodbye.

 

The next step was to fill the space back in and be considerate of a few things we’d wished we’d had. For us, those were lounge chairs, an umbrella (how we went without one for 4 years is beyond me), and a fire pit. Oh and finally some plants for the pots we’ve let sit empty for 4+ years (a work still in progress).

 

 

Once the key pieces had been picked out and put in place. It was finally time for the icing on the cake. Reworking our table and benches — which for us is the focal point of the whole space. This would have been a heckuva lot more daunting had I not gotten my fair share of DIY and handy work in 2020 with a few other small projects around the house with BEHR® Paint and BEHR PREMIUM® Stains. (We painted our hallway! All by ourselves!) But having a bit of experience and knowing how truly easy Behr makes projects like these, thanks to their trusted products, we knew we could do it. It wasn’t going to be easy per se! But we could do it.

 

And so we did, and look how absolutely stunning it turned out. I thought so much more would have to go into this process but really it was as “simple” as:

 

• Deciding ultimately what stain/paint look we wanted to go with
• Purchasing all necessary items at The Home Depot. These include Behr Stain, Behr Paint, buckets, Wood Pre Cleanse, brushes, orbital sander, paint tins, etc
• Washing/cleaning the wood with BEHR PREMIUM® All-In-One Wood Cleaner. I did this a few days before sanding (we wanted to make sure the table was 100% dry)
• Sanding the table and benches with an orbital sander since it was quite a large project. (We started with 320 grit, then went down to 220)
• Filling in some of the wood cracks/gaps with resin (we let the wood get too dry/weathered over the years) and sanding again
• Painting the benches with BEHR MARQUEE® Exterior Paints in Cracked Pepper PPU18-01 with a Satin Finish (2 coats!)
• Staining the table with BEHR PREMIUM® Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Stain & Sealer in Slate ST-102 (2 coats!)
• BONUS: We used BEHR® Spray Paint in Hidden Sea Glass P450-4 and Tropics P450-6 to brighten up our two black outdoor side tables – LOVE how easy it was and how gorgeous they turned out!

 

 

And really, that’s it! I love that the stain is, as mentioned, waterproofing and seals everything – feels like a “3-for-1.” I am all about keeping projects like these simple but more importantly – effective! This 100% acrylic formula seals out the elements, and sun’s harmful UV rays, for up to 6 yrs – BLESS! I had over 60 BEHR stain color options to choose from. And, hundreds of BEHR paint colors to choose from, I’m thrilled with what we chose and how it turned out.

 

I am never afraid to tackle an at-home project if BEHR Paints and Stains are involved. And, as cheesy as this might sound… trust me, if I can do it, you can do it.

 

BE SURE TO WATCH THE FULL PROCESS ON MY INSTAGRAM REEL! [link to Reel]

 

 

Besides ONLY using Behr Paint and Behr Stain products for your own next paint/stain project… here are a few other hot tips for reworking your outdoor space:

• You do not need to spend a lot of money on outdoor furniture. As a matter of fact, I don’t know that I’d personally recommend it. Especially if you’re like me and not the best about covering things!
• Wayfair.com is your best friend when it comes to outdoor area rugs, but also pretty much everything else. Target has great stuff too!
• Try mixing colors and patterns – have some fun?? (my rule of thumb is pattern and solid stacking. For example: if I bought a patterned rug, I’d go with solid colored furniture, or vice versa. Live your best dang life with those pillows and decor pieces though) It’s your backyard oasis, it should feel like a vacation.
• Invest in some plants. It was 50/50 polling on whether or not to go nursery vs The Home Depot. However, with my track record and The Home Depot’s plant policy, if it dies you can bring it back and exchange. That’s what I’d at least start with
• Lastly, have a little party. Even if it’s just for one. It’s 2021 and we are living it up baby!