INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you're painting a wooden wall, place a sheet on the floor to catch any drips of paint. If you're painting a wooden cabinet or another item that you can move, place it on top of a sheet to ensure maximum protection for the surrounding area.  Move any furniture away before you paint. If the furniture is too big to move, cover it with another sheet. Cover baseboards, hinges, and other items with painter's tape if you need to. Primer makes it easier for the paint to stick to the surface of the item you're painting. If you're painting a wooden wall and you have the paint you used for the rest of the wall when you originally painted it, you'll only need to prime the area you filled in with wood filler. If you want to paint the entire area of the wooden object, you'll need to prime it all. Use a roller to prime a wall and a paintbrush to prime smaller objects. Primer can dry within 2 hours of being applied to an item. However, if you paint the primer before it's dry, you'll ruin the item you're painting. By giving it 3 hours to fully dry, you allow for the primer to dry completely. Don't paint over the primer before it's completely dry. Primer can feel dry to the touch without being fully dry. Once the primer has completely dried, use a paintbrush or a roller to apply the first coat to the wood. Rollers will work best on walls and other flat surfaces. Paint other surfaces using a flat or tapered paintbrush.  If you're only painting over the filler, use the same paint you painted the rest of the item with. If you can't find that paint, go to the local paint store and take paint strips. Hold these strips to the wood to find the right color of paint. Don't be afraid to use plenty of paint. It's better to apply too much paint to the item than too little. Make sure you brush the paint so it evenly covers the surface of the item. Use even and measured strokes like you used to apply the primer. You should give the paint time to properly dry into the wood. This will take 2 hours at the very least. Test if the paint is dry by dabbing it with a tissue. Inspect the tissue after for signs of paint. If there's no paint on the tissue, the paint is dry and you can apply the second coat. Consider leaving the paint dry overnight to ensure it's completely dry. After the first coat has fully dried, use even and measured strokes once more to apply the second coat. Once you finish applying the second coat, look at the wood and decide if it needs another coat. If the paint doesn't look right on the wood, it will probably need another coat. Give the second coat 2 to 3 hours to dry before painting the third coat.

SUMMARY: Place a sheet on the floor or on your work surface before you prime. Apply a primer to the wood. Give the primer 3 hours to fully dry. Apply the first coat of paint to the wood. Give the first coat 2 to 3 hours to completely dry. Apply the second coat of paint to the wood. If you decide to apply another coat, follow the process again.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Designate a small corner of your yard to use to grow flowers. Plant a variety of seasonals and perennials to suit your own preferences. The delightful colors and fragrances of a flower bed can add an idyllic beauty to your home.  Consult with a gardening expert to see what types of flowers grow best in your region’s particular climate. Don’t overwater flowers. Unlike fast-growing plants like grass and shrubs, flowers don’t require as much moisture on average, and watering too often may cause them to wither. Many people have begun sewing small patches of crops right in their own backyards. Decide what you’d like to grow—beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, squash; your options are nearly limitless—and make sure the soil is thoroughly aerated and suitable to grow vegetables in. Raising your own small batches of vegetables will give your yard a utilitarian appeal while providing you and your family with fresh, homegrown food to enjoy all summer long.  Use organic compost to help vegetable crops absorb vital nutrients. If yard space is an issue, considering planting your vegetables on a vertical trellis, or even in a compact grower that you can keep inside your own house!  Pick ripe vegetables immediately to keep pests from feeding on them. Build a simple wooden fence to mark your property and give your yard a sense of peaceful containment. Fences can be useful for offering a little privacy if you live in a crowded neighborhood, as well as keeping out animals that may trample and devour plants. If you contract with a handyman, ask them about the materials and expenses needed to put a fence around your yard. If you have an especially large yard, or one that is divided up with shrubs, flower beds or amenities like a pool or fire pit, you might construct a simple stepping stone path out of flagstones or wooden planks. A footpath can give you an expedient way to traverse your yard or garden without wearing down the grass, is easy to build and has a pleasant, quaint aesthetic. Take a look at these resources for simple plans to lay down a footpath: You’ll be spending a lot of time outside this summer, so make sure you do it in leisure. Purchase some nice, sturdy lawn chairs to give you a place to sit and sip lemonade on a hot day. If space permits, you could even set up an entire dining set to host picnics. Study the layout of plants, trees and shrubs to decide on the best way to arrange the furniture, and turn your yard into a relaxing outdoor lounge.   Be sure that you’re buying furniture with water-resistant cushions and surfaces. This way, you won’t have to worry about bringing it in every time it rains. Water-resistant outdoor furniture is often cleaned easily, as well. Place a small bench within a garden for a nice seating area, or lay out some reclining chairs somewhere unshaded for sunbathing.

SUMMARY:
Keep a flower bed. Plant a vegetable garden. Put up a fence. Build a rustic footpath. Invest in some outdoor furniture.