A DIY enthusiast has been praised for his “extraordinary effort” to repair a rusting garden railing on a budget.
Ben Fawcett, 42, is renovating his family home in Glasgow's East End and regularly shares updates on the transformation on Instagram (@thesandstonemanse).
For most DIY fans, the first few months of the year are all about home renovations, so you can ignore the exterior.
But for a recent DIY project, Ben set himself the task of restoring the uneven, discolored railing and gate at the front of his property to its former glory.
And he did it in just 48 hours on a budget of £100 – with enough resources left over to freshen up the front door too.
Ben says: “As with any DIY project, the preparation is the most time-consuming and tedious part, but it's well worth it.
“The height and curve of the railing made this project difficult, but we didn't have to work directly down to the bare metal when preparing the surface.”
He added: “The handrail needed a lot of elbow grease and TLC as it has over 40 years of paint and a lot of rusted and peeling areas.
“We used a wire brush to remove the most damaged areas, even the intricate curves of the railing, and used an angle grinder to create the perfect platform to start painting the railing.
“I then used Zinsser Allcoat, which was recommended and provided by The Paint Shed, which was very easy to apply and required just two coats to get a perfect finish.
“We chose matte black, so the finish helped hide the sins and perfectly complemented the natural slate roof of the site.”
The effective garden makeover was a huge success, and Ben received praise from strangers.
he said: “I still get compliments from people passing by.
“A professional can do it in half the time it takes me, but at a fraction of the price, you get a great result that will last for years.”
It's not just people passing by the Glasgow pad who are praising the DIY project, social media users are also loving it.
When Ben shared it on social media, one person wrote: “Looks like new!! I'm saving this to show my husband.
“There's a small rusty gate in the front of the house that he doesn't think can be repaired.”
A second echoed, “Wow. You did a great job without any bumps.”
A third added: “So much effort! Love it.”
Meanwhile, a fourth person wrote: “Wow this is so satisfying to see! Well worth all the effort.”
Then, using leftover paint from the railing project, Ben also redid the shutters at the front of the house.
“The shutters are original and are over 120 years old. You can imagine how many layers of paint and wear there were, especially around the bottom of the door and around the curved panel areas from water damage.
“Preparation included light sanding and a curved carbide scraper to reach intricate areas.
“If we had fully sanded the door, it would have taken several weeks. Plus, soaking the door is very expensive.
“To repair the damaged area of the door, we used Two Pret Fivacryl, which does not crack due to temperature changes and is ideal for outdoor use.
“Once again using Zinsser Allcoat, it took only 4 hours to achieve the perfect matte finish, which provided the perfect canvas for the brass door hardware, which is 2 days worth of work. , not bad.
michael rowland Commenting on Ben's home renovation, Managing Director of The Paint Shed said:
“Renovating a home can be expensive and a lot of work, but spending time on small jobs can really improve the quality of your home, which shows you're not sacrificing quality either.
“Projects like this are perfect because they fit into one weekend, give you a real sense of accomplishment and personal identity, and most importantly, they save you money that you could spend on other jobs elsewhere.” It’s helpful.”
