So have you wanted to create a statement, to be loud? Well today I’m going to show you how with the wonderful world of wedding arbors, a little paint and you can make a showstopper in your garden. I’m gardener coo and this is Nacho so let’s get loud!

–So when I spent my days as a florist, wedding arbors were all the simple arch. But now there are just so so many options!  You can get stacked circles, a hexagon, a circle moon gate type which I will using in another video with bromeliads, or what I’m using today, amazingly large triangles.  Now while you could just set this up as is, I prefer to paint them. Wedding arbors are designed to to be covered with flowers and fade into the background a bit,. Here we want a statement piece so with just a little elbow grease, we’ll have that. First step is to give the arbor a light sanding, like something with 100 grit. You might want to wear a mask, there's a lot of dust. I obviously didn't

–Next step is repetitive but hopefully if you have a couple sunny days you’ll be able to bang this out in one weekend. So after sanding, wipe the pieces down to get rid of the sawdust then prime the arbor with Killz Primer. This one is the best for painting outside because of all the anti mildew agents they put in there. I’ve decided I’ll be painting these fluorescent orange so I have to add the next step of painting them with two coats of white exterior house paint. I then add  3 coats of fluorescent paints, these types of paint are thin so you have to do extra coats. If you’re not going fluorescent just use any exterior house paint and give it two or three coats, just until the color is solid. Just choose a color that will stand out, the point here is to make a statement, so no dark colors or other colors that could fade into your background. If you’re using fluorescent paint you’ll probably have to paint it every year because it fades from UV. Any neon house paint though wouldn’t fade and save you some hassle next year. The last painting task is to hit the base pieces with plasti dip or flexseal., These we will sink into the soil so you want some added protection against rot. Then assemble to box instructions and you’re almost done! 

Clicky’s prep work

So I have a few things I like to do when assembling things like this statement piece. First off, forget about the tools they give you. Nothing against this screwdriver and allen wrench (well actually a little bit against them,) but I have actual tools for this so why not use them. Specifically, I have power tools for this, I just need a hex bit and a number two phillips bit and this will go so much more easily. And the thing that makes it go even more easily is two drills so I don’t need to be swapping bits all of the time, so if you have that, break them out. I learned this lesson when I was working on the raised beds, I kept having to switch between a drill bit and a torx bit, that’s even more annoying than these quick change bits. 

The one thing to watch out for when assembling stuff like this with power tools is over torquing, so I always make sure to dial that back, usually all the way to the lowest setting. If your drill is variable speed, you also want the slowest setting for that too. 

What did we learn after the first one

What did we learn after assembling the first one? Well, make sure the bolts are facing front so the painted side shows. That’s pretty important. And also I can’t believe I sat there trying to join these two halves in the air with each side trying to tip over. This is what clamps are for. 

–Finally placement and anchoring.  You want to choose a spot you think can use some oomph. It’s also a great way to distract from ugly things higher up like power lines or a neighbor’s house. Place the larger triangle in the back if using triangles. Place the smaller one about 50 to 75% off of the larger one and a few feet in front. If you are doing this with the hexagon one, the circle one singly you want to try to frame something in the middle. Think path, a patio, an interesting plant or garden art. Always remember, if you’re framing something, it better have a pretty background!!

For Anchoring I use galvanized rebar trampoline stakes. These are the extra long ones to help give added protection from wind. Just get your triangle level, and pound in the stakes, two for each side, a quarter away from each end.

–Now I’m sure you’ve been wondering, why did he use fluorescent paint! Because I want to win and want to also win at night! Look at that! Talk about a statement. Just use a blacklight at night and you can get this loudness! Like and subscribe if this helped you find inspiration in your garden to be bold, to be loud! A garden statement piece like this will really make your garden stand apart and will give you a smile every time you see it. I’m Gardener Coo here with Poco Loco Nacho, this was is fun weekend project for you to go out there and be BOLD

Products in this video (Paid Links)

Triangle Arbors  https://amzn.to/43th72P

Moon Gate Arch https://amzn.to/3FCebt3

Hexagon Arch https://amzn.to/4dYvvoY

Stacked Cirlcles https://amzn.to/4dOLWDU

Fluorescent Orange Paint  https://amzn.to/4jB20L7

Trampoline Stakes https://amzn.to/4kwM4L7