How I Up-cycled Lattice for a Colorful Fence With Added Privacy

3 Materials

2 Hours

Easy

I had "inherited" this worn lattice fence when my tenant moved out. It was in bad shape and full of wasp nests but I didn't want to throw it out without giving it a shot at a makeover.

how i up cycled lattice for a colorful fence with added privacy

Because it was really badly damaged in some spots I decided to paint it and make it a nice pretty white color. I used milk paint for this project. But it was the SafePaint version which does not chip. You can learn a lot more about this wonderful product here.

Much better don't you think? I wanted to attach this to my balcony railing to act as a privacy barrier. So I used a bit of wire.

Of course, I knew it would need something more. A bit of color never hurt anyone and my balcony which was pretty stark could benefit from some color.

I cut off branches of leaves from a nearby tree and just randomly stuck them into the lattice.

And to add even more color I cut up some dollar store flowers and attached them to the lattice fence. I wish I could grow my own flowers but alas, I have a notorious brown thumb.

And here it is my very own colorful, lattice fence that also provides a bit of privacy and makes the whole balcony look a bit cozier. My thanks to the tenant who left this behind! What a hidden treasure it turned out to be.

Would you have guessed I had a brown thumb?

4 of 33 comments

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Carey
on Jul 15, 2018
Hmmm... This is really pretty, & I too thought that the branches would soon lose their color and will need a lot of replacing. I think that the ivy idea is an excellent one and one small pot of Ivy will provide plenty of ivy given a little time to grow and slip to start other plants or find someone with lots of it that they are willing to share! Most people who have it would be willing to share! : ) It can be very prolific and easy to grow! Another easy to grow option that would be lovely, is domestic Morning glory! I love mine!
1
- Mary - The Boondocks Blog
  on Jul 15, 2018
  You are absolutely right Carey. But I have a brown thumb and that is why I had to resort to this idea. But I will say this, I had lots of leaves so I was able to replace the brown ones without any trouble. And I only use this for the summertime.
Carey
on Jul 17, 2018
I don't know what part of the country that you live in and that might have an effect on the length of time that your pretty branches stay green. I live in central Washington & the last couple of weeks we have had temps ranging from 102ºF - 97ºF & at those temps, even my hanging baskets need to be watered every day just to stay alive! A LOT of work. The cut branches at those temperatures would only last for a day if that long. I will say however (& I didn't think of this earlier) but one year for Christmas, I took the cut branches from our Christmas tree and made an arrangement in one of my pots outside (it was completely dry all winter) and those evergreen branches even though dry remained green and the arrangement was pretty until the heat began the next summer. Therefore, if you live in a climate that is cooler or with more moisture in the air, it would make a major difference in how long they will last and evergreen branches if available might also be an option. Please DO NOT misunderstand me, I was only trying to think of something that was less work for you. If you are having fun with it, GO FOR IT! Whatever the case, enjoy your upgrade, it does look nice!
1
- Mary - The Boondocks Blog
  on Jul 17, 2018
  Thank you Carey, this was done in Greece where the temps are high but there is also a lot of humidity in the air since we live close to the beach. They lasted about two weeks if I remember correctly. But you are absolutely correct in your observation it depends on the location.