Jobs to keep you busy this long weekend

Labour Day falls on Monday 27 October in New Zealand this year, and this long-awaited long weekend is one of the biggest of the year for DIYers. Start your planning now and visit your local Resene ColorShop to get your paint, prep and cleaning products and equipment sorted for the projects you’d like to tackle around your place.

Warmer weather and longer days (thank you, Daylight Saving time!) are great motivators to get out and prepare your home for summer living and entertaining, as well as deal with any unsightly and potentially long-term damaging effects of winter weather – think moisture, moss and mould. The change of season is also an ideal time to do a check on your home appliances like smoke alarms and air conditioning units to make sure they run safely and efficiently. Here are four projects you can make a start on over the long weekend.

On the right path

Exterior concrete surfaces like patios, pathways, steps and driveways can become incredibly unsightly and slippery over winter, as moss and mould grows on them. Resene Deep Clean to the rescue! The beauty of this product? Little effort is necessary as it breaks down contaminants all by itself – once you’ve applied it, nature does the job for you.

Use it twice a year on concrete and timber surfaces to keep them looking good. Dilute according to the product’s instructions, then spray it on. Over the next few days, mould and moss will turn an orange reddish colour and the Resene Deep Clean will continue to work over the coming months. The elements will take care of the rest.

Top tips:

Consider painting your concrete surfaces with Resene Non-Skid Deck & Path, which has a textured waterborne finish to make it less slippery.
Try the easy-to-use Resene Deep Clean trigger pack for fast turnaround of large areas, like driveways etc.

Cleaning your house with Resene Paint Prep and Housewash or Resene Bio-Cleaner is an excellent long weekend job.

Apply Resene Deep Clean to slippery paths and driveways and use the trigger pack to make the job easier.

Clean house

Cleaning the exterior of your house not only improves its street appeal and appearance, but will protect your paintwork for years to come. Resene Paint Prep and Housewash and Resene Bio-Cleaner are both powerful and highly efficient ways to get surfaces ready for painting, or to use annually to give homes and buildings a refresh.

Dilute your chosen cleaner following the instructions on the label, then scrub vigorously using a nylon bristle broom or short, hard bristle scrubbing brush to remove all dirt, grease, mould and any loose flaking paint. Rinse with clean water. Use more concentrated mixes to clean more heavily soiled surfaces. The process is pretty much the same as cleaning your car (but without needing to dry the surface with a chamois or towel!)

Happy new chair

If your timber chairs and tables have been sitting outside in the cold and damp and are looking worse for wear, bring them back to life with Resene preparation products and a lick of Resene paint or stain – you’ll have them looking good as new in no time. This will not only refresh their appearance, but it’ll actually protect the furniture from the elements in years to come.

Before you begin, treat with Resene Moss & Mould Killer if needed then clean with Resene Timber and Deck Wash. You can use either Resene stain or paint – for a stained finish use Resene Timber and Furniture Gel or Resene Woodsman Wood Oil Stain, and for a painted finish try Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel or Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen are for a painted finish. Refurbishing furniture saves it from the landfill and is an easy job to do over a weekend.

Don’t biff your old deckchairs! Give them a facelift with a lick of Resene paint. Chair being painted in Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen in Resene Sambuca.

Apply wood stain in long clean strokes, allowing it to soak into the timber for a few minutes before wiping any excess away using a clean, dry cloth. Table being stained in Resene Woodsman Wood Oil Stain in Resene Natural.

Safety check

Now that our clocks have sprung forward for Daylight Saving, it’s the perfect time to ensure your home appliances and smoke alarms are working efficiently. The Fire and Emergency New Zealand website recommends testing the buttons on each of your smoke alarms once a month to check the sound, and vacuum or dust them every six months to help avoid false alarms. Once a year you should check the expiry date, which is usually located on the bottom or side of the alarm. If there is no expiry date, it’s best to replace the alarm. If you have a 9V battery alarm, replace the battery every year – your alarms will start to beep regularly if the battery is low.

After a long winter of heating your home, it’s also a good idea to clean the filter on your heat pump before you start using it to cool things down at home – plus think about getting it serviced if you haven’t done so for some time. This will ensure it runs as efficiently as possible.