At some time and from somewhere, I acquired 2 old garden trellis'. They weren't in the best of shape, but nothing that could not be repaired. I was inspired to use one of them for the Rainbow Contest. The project was completed in one afternoon. I had all my supplies so there was no cost.

Supplies

old or new trellis, wood nails, wood screws, hammer, drill, jigsaw, sandpaper, white glue, spray paint - assorted rainbow colors, drop cloth

optional: additional wood slats

Step 1: Getting Started

This trellis had fabric strips wrapped around several of the boards. The first thing i did was remove the strips.

Step 2: Repairing the Trellis

There was one board that needed a little glue with a clamp to hold it together while the glue dried.

Overall, I replaced 6 wood screws and used a dozen small nails to make the trellis garden-strong again.

I had two 6 foot wood slats. I cut 3 pieces 29 inches long to give the top of the trellis more definition and more surface area for the paint. The picture with the new brown wood, shows how I centered them between the old boards.

I used a piece of sandpaper to remove loose old paint - it came off quickly.

Up to this point the project took me 1 1/2 hours (not counting a 20-minute stopping point to remove a splinter from my thumb - ouch! Wear gloves.) If you are painting a new trellis you will not have the bother of repair and clean-up. But I try to re-use and re-new.

Step 3: Adding Paint

I put the trellis on the drop cloth with the back of it facing up. I had a full can of black spray paint, so I used that color to paint the back of the trellis. What a difference it made in making the old wood look new again. Infact, I have an idea for the second trellis - painted black and decorated for Halloween....but that is a project for another day.

Step 4: Adding Rainbow Colors

When the back side was dry, I turned the trellis over to the front side. I used the black paint on the lowest part of the trellis. Once it is planted in the garden, this part will not be seen. I had 2 shades of blue, so I painted a wide stripe of dark blue, then added a touch of the lighter blue - overlapping the colors with a speckling effect. Next, I used red, with a touch of white in a small stripe while the red was still wet which made a soft pink tone. I added the green and yellow paint with the same overlapping effect. Let the paint dry. The last photo shows the rainbow colors on the drop cloth. Without some sort of drop cloth (mine is a very old sheet folded in half) you will have a mess.