It’s that time of year again when the heavens open up and right on cue, you find a leak in your felt shed roof. Water damage can be disastrous for your garden tools and if a leaky roof isn’t repaired, it could lead to costly replacements. If you’ve noticed a leak in your roofing felt, don’t put it off until it’s too late. Repairing your roofing felt is easier than you think, the hardest part is finding a dry afternoon to do it!

You’ll Need

• Tape measure
• Claw hammer
• Roofing felt
• Felt nails
• Wood nails
• Felt adhesive
• Step ladder

Step 1: Remove the Damaged Shed Felt

The first step is to get rid of your old or worn felt. To do this, use your claw hammer to remove the existing nails that are fixing the shed felt in place. Then simply lift the felt off and remove any remaining nails or debris that’s lingering on the shed roofing so you have a clean canvas to work with.

Step 2: Cut the Replacement Shed Roofing Felt to Size

For a shed roof that’ll go the distance, the trick is to cut three pieces of felt: one for each side of your shed roof and one to run over the top of the shed and overlap the side panels.

Dig out your measuring tape and measure each side of your shed roof. You can use these dimensions for the top section of felt too. Add approximately 5cm onto your measurements for leeway in case there are any overlapping sections at the eaves, you can trim this off later using a craft knife if it isn’t needed.

Step 3: Add the Replacement Felt

Now it’s time to add the replacement shed felt. Apply it to the roof, making sure you pull it tight before you nail it in place so it lies flat. Hammer in the felt nails 15cm apart along the length of the roof, placing the nails just below the apex. The bottom edge of the felt can be nailed down at wider intervals; spacing you nails approximately 30cm apart will make sure your felt is secure.

When the side panels are secure, add the top section of roofing felt and fix it in place by nailing the side edges 5cm apart to the shed and using a felt adhesive to secure the bottom edge to the side panels.

There you have it, a replacement felt shed roof in just 3 easy steps. If you’re replacing the roofing felt on your shed, you can find a fantastic range of shed roofing supplies at great discounts online at eDecks.

Have you got any hardy blooms that are hanging onto the last of their glory? If you’ve been wishing for a way to extend the life of your late bloomers you’re in luck! We’ve rounded up a list of our best tips for extending the lifespan of your plants during winter.

Bring them Inside

If you can, move your potted plants inside and re-pot any remaining plants from your hanging baskets so you can bring them in from the cold. The golden rule when you’re rehoming your plants inside is to place them in a room with windows so they can still get lots of sunlight and, don’t place them too close to any heaters! Too much heat is just as bad as not enough and central heating can quickly dry out your poor plants if you’re not careful.

Use a Greenhouse Heater

Most greenhouse gardeners end their growing season once the days get colder and the nights get longer however, some dedicated gardeners refuse to let the seasons dictate when they can use their greenhouses. What’s their secret? They have invested in a greenhouse heater. Add one to your greenhouse to turn it into a tropical paradise for the last of your summer flowers. As an added bonus, you’ll be able to grow your own vegetables for Christmas dinner using a greenhouse heater.

Tuck them in at Night

Protect your plants from the frosty autumn nights by using a light covering to keep them warm when the temperatures plummet. If you’re worried about damaging the delicate leaves or petals, use bamboo canes to construct a frame to drape the covering over. Most garden centres stock covers for plants but if you have a spare sheet or a fleece lined blanket lying around the house, you can save some money by using that instead.

Prevent Saplings Becoming Lunch

When the winter sets in and it becomes difficult for rodents to find food, the soft bark on your recently planted saplings will begin to look pretty tasty to passing wildlife. Prevent your young trees becoming the dish of the day by constructing a protective guard made from galvanised chicken wire around the base of your saplings. Make sure you install it as close to the young tree as possible and set it deep enough into the ground so it can’t be knocked over by gusts of wind.

Build a Cold Box

If you have vegetables that can’t be moved but still aren’t quite past their best, why not build a protective cold box to keep them warm on frosty days? Cold boxes are available from most garden centres but if you’re a dab hand at DIY, it should be no problem to construct your own. Just use planed timber and galvanised nails to construct a box frame and top it off with a lid made from a pane of glass or a sheet of hard, clear plastic.

Extend the lifespan of your late blooming plants with eDecks. Browse our range of premium garden supplies at discount prices online today.

Your fence is your garden’s frame. A stunning fence will give your garden a polished appearance whereas a broken or wonky fence will make your garden look messy no matter how much work you put into the rest of it.

Leaning fencing, broken railings and rot on the base of your fence posts are the three most common problems the effect fences. If you spot any of these problems, the good news is that they can all be easily fixed if you act quickly enough. Don’t put it off for “another day”, if you spot any of these common problems just follow one of our simple DIY guides.

What You’ll Need

• Planed & Treated Timber
• Cement Mix
• Fence Screws or Nails
• Drill
• Electric Screwdriver
• Sledgehammer
• Shovel
• Carriage Bolts
• Clamps
• Safety Glasses
• Work Gloves

Need to Straighten-Up a Leaning Fence Post?

• Remove the soil around the leaning fence post and pile it onto a tarp so you can easily refill the hole once you’ve straightened your post.
•  If your post is set in concreate, don your safety glasses and use a sledgehammer to break up the old post setting.
• Adjust the post so it’s standing straight and add a supporting planks of wood at either side of the post to make wooden braces that ensure the post stays straight and, prevents the rest of your fence from collapsing. Use a level to make sure your fence is straight before you secure the support braces in place by nailing them to wooden stakes in the ground.
• Mix fresh cement and use it to fix your new post in place. Once it’s dry, hide the repair job by packing the top soil you removed earlier around the post.
• Remove the braces once you’re sure the cement has set and your readjusted fence post is secure.

How to Replace a Fence Railing

• Use an electric screwdriver to unscrew the fence boards from the damaged rail or if you’ve used nails, pry them out. When you’re doing this be careful not to damage the boards as you’ll need these later.
• Unscrew or pry the nails out of any supports you’ve set up for the fence rail you’re replacing.
• Cut the new rail to size or if you’re really organised, you’ll have already ordered your replacement rail pre-cut to size from eDecks.
• Nail or screw the new rail in place and reinstall any fence boards you removed earlier.

The Quick Way to Fix Buried Rot on your Fence Post

• Dig around the base until you reach the end of the post or the concreate setting.
• If you’ve used a concrete base, use a sledgehammer to break up the concreate so it can be removed easily.
• Screw 2 x 4 timber supports to your fence to make a secure brace. Use a level to make sure that the fence is even then nail the wooden braces into wooden stakes in the ground to hold them in place.
• Pull the old post out from its foundation and cut just above the damaged section. Make sure you cut away all of the rot to prevent it spreading to the rest of your timber.
• Cut a new section of timber that’s at least a foot longer that the rotted section you’ve just removed.
• Place the new section of timber in the base hole and fix it securely to the existing post using clamps.
• Use a drill to bore a hole through both the old and new timber and secure the two posts together using carriage bolts. Make sure both sections are fasted together tightly by adding nuts and washers to either end of the bolts.
• If you’re replacing a concrete base, mix your concrete and pour it into the posthole. Once your concrete has set you can go ahead and remove the braces and supports.

Find all the cheap fence supplies you need to build or repair a fence at eDecks. Shop the range online today.

Have you started to notice balding, patchy spots appearing? No, not on your head. We’re talking about your lawn. If your grass is starting to show signs of thinning or there are weeds sprouting up all over the place, it’s time to take action fast!

Lawn repair is a great way to restore your grass back to its former glory. It doesn’t have to be difficult either but if you put it off the problem it could develop. Fast! Weeds will quickly fill up bare spaces in your lawn and destructive insects will spread quickly if they aren’t dealt with.

Luckily with our easy guide to lawn repair your grass will look better than ever in no time at all!

Caring for Patchy Lawns

You’ll Need

• Lawn mower
• Grass seed
• Rake
• Top soil or quality compost
• Water
• Shovel
• Pesticide (optional)
• Weed killer (optional)

Step 1: Identify the Problem

Try to work out what’s causing the problem first to prevent it from returning and undoing all your hard work. If it’s insects, you’ll need to invest in a good pesticide that will get rid of the little blighters without harming your lawn whereas if it’s lack of sunlight or too much moisture you’ll need to find a way to make improvements to the layout of your garden or invest in a different type of grass. If weeds are causing the problem, pick up a weed killer that will penetrate down to the roots.

Step 2: Mow the Lawn

It might seem strange that we’re asking you to mow a patchy lawn but you want the new grass seed to have direct contact with the soil so it’s important to clip the surrounding grass as close as possible.

Step 3: Create a Seed Bed

Use the rake to break up the soil on the patchy areas. This will create a good seed bed for your new grass seed. Make sure the soil has been thoroughly roughed up to give your seedlings the best chance to develop roots.

Step 4: Ready, Sow, Go!

Now it’s time for the main event. Sprinkle the grass seeds on your freshly raked soil according to the instructions. For lawn repair ee recommend following the instructions for new lawns in order to compensate for seeds not taking or falling onto existing grass.

Step 5: Top it Off

Finish your repair job by topdressing your seed bed with a light layer of topsoil or compost. Keep it light, you don’t want to smoother the seeds by being too heavy handed. Then all you need to do is keep the soil moist by watering it frequently over dry spells so the grass seeds can grow strong roots.

Have you got any tips for lawn care? Leave a comment with your top tips today.

Looking for lawn care supplies? Visit eDecks for great discounts on grass seeds and more.