What to do at home in April

April is when daylight saving ends and New Zealand and Australia commemorate Anzac Day. While the weather is definitely getting cooler, there are often still crisp sunny days to get stuck into exterior jobs before you start focusing on the interior ones.

The Anzac long weekend is a great time to bond with the kids and undertake a fun craft or DIY project, and it’s also an excellent opportunity to do a home reset and ensure everything is working correctly and efficiently, both inside and out, before winter sets in.

Paper chaser

Maximalism is making a comeback and Resene wallpaper is a fabulous way to add depth, drama and character to a room. The colder months are also a great time to paper, especially for beginners, as the cooler temperature means that you’ve got a bit more time to play with the adhesive (as it won’t dry too quickly) and make sure you’re happy with the positioning.

Talk to the staff at your local Resene ColorShop if you’re not sure about how to incorporate your chosen wallpaper with the colours already on your space, or check out this article for more about choosing wallpaper.

Resene Wallpaper Collection A137-11 adds a touch of mystery and sophistication and is well suited to formal lounges, media rooms and master bedrooms.

Check out the wallpaper samples at your local Resene ColorShop and get expert advice from the helpful team.

Get familiar with additives

Although you may be put off by certain weather conditions at this time of year (such as rain and cooler temperatures), exterior painting is certainly possible all year round thanks to the power of Resene additives. Particularly helpful around this time of year are Resene Wintergrade Additive and Resene Umbrella Additive.

Resene Wintergrade Additive can be added to selected Resene waterborne paint to help it dry when the temperature starts falling below 10°C. If the weather is behaving typically unpredictably, use Resene Umbrella Additive in your Resene paint, which will give your coating early resistance to light showers while continuing to dry and cure underneath the outer layer.

April in the garden

Now is the time to harvest the last of your summer crops and be sure to pick up any fallen or diseased fruit that can entice any pests who are looking for shelter for the next few months. There should hopefully be enough warmth left in the soil to get plants into the ground and established before cold weather sets in. A gentle reminder, all your spring flowering bulbs should be in the ground by Anzac Day.

Tui Garden Products’ website says, “As you harvest the last of your summer crops it’s time to plant your patch with winter staples including broccoli, cabbage, celery and silverbeet. Freshen the flower garden with pansies and polyanthus and don’t forget feijoas in the fruit garden.”

April is the perfect time to get you winter staples in the ground, including broccoli and cabbage.

Apply Resene Deep Clean to slippery paths and driveways using the trigger pack to make the job easier, then walk away and let nature do the hard work for you.

The great outdoors

With leaves starting to fall and moss and mould growth imminent on your pathways, now is a great time to get outside, get a head start on your garden maintenance and give yourself a clear canvas for winter growth. Trim your hedges, rake up all the leaves and dispose of them responsibly or think about composting them. Raking them into a tarpaulin makes sure everything stays tidy. Giving your paths, patios and driveways a wash down now with Resene Deep Clean should keep them much clearer over winter.

If you have any stair edges, stepping stones or walking areas that you know get slippery when wet, apply Resene Non-Skid Deck & Path to them to help give shoes more grip and reduce the risk of slipping. There’s a range of colours to choose from. For stair edges, it’s often best to choose Resene Off Piste or another light colour to make the stair edge easier to see in poor light.

System check

Use the end of daylight saving as your indicator to not only turn your clocks back, but to check and test each and every one of the smoke alarms in your home. It’s also a good time to clean the filters and vents of your heat pump and ensure they’re free of dust after a long summer of air conditioning. If you’re on a roll, why not clean out your fridge, dishwasher and washing machine as well? Having your appliances running smoothly is not only safer but also more energy efficient.

Wall painted in Resene Tuft Bush, desk in Resene Travertine, abacus base in Resene Colorwood Whitewash and beads in Resene Kermit, Resene Bright Spark, Resene Hopskotch and Resene Hullabaloo.

Wall painted in Resene Pale Leaf, desk in Resene Black White, holder in Resene Colorwood Bask, circles in Resene Havoc, Resene Princess, Resene Pizazz, Resene Turbo, Resene Tutti Frutti, Resene Picton Blue, Resene Dancing Girl, Resene Alabaster, Resene Gull Grey, Resene Twizel and Resene Jaguar.

Counting in colour: DIY rainbow abacus

This rainbow abacus is sure to make maths magical for young learners, plus it makes a beautiful bespoke gift for your child to take along to their next birthday party. It’s made from a timber board, gold craft hoops and a selection of beads, painted with four Resene testpots. Head here for a step-by-step guide to making this project.

Creative station

Let the creative juices flow and keep things tidy with this simple organiser. Budding artists will thank you and creating a masterpiece is easier than ever thanks to all their crayon (or felt tip or pencil) colours being on full display. It’s made from three pieces of timber finished in Resene Colorwood for a professional finish, with coloured dots painted on the front with Resene testpots. Check out the step-by-step guide to making this project here.