3 Projects You Can Tackle This Weekend to Get Your Outdoor Space Spring-Ready

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As Old Man Winter begins to make his exit, it’s time to turn your attention to your yard—which winter has likely left a mess, with a lawn covered in debris, a fence worse for wear, and outdoor plumbing in shambles. Set your lawn up for summer success by clearing all the debris off of it. Next, bring that sad fence back to life with a fresh coat of stain. Finally, inspect your outdoor spigots for any damage. If you lost one to the winter cold, now’s the time to replace it. 

1. Clean up the yard.

Once the snow all melts away, it’s time to clean up the mess winter has left on your lawn. Clearing all the twigs, leaves, and other debris away is key before warmer weather arrives. 

That’s because debris left on the lawn can smother your turf, preventing it from getting the sunlight, air, and moisture your grass needs to grow.

Here’s why you should clear debris.

Over time clumps of leaves and other material on your lawn can smother grass, resulting in bare spots. Dead material decomposing on your lawn also isn’t good for it. Rotting leaves and twigs can lead to various fungal diseases, mold growth, and pest infestations, all of which thrive on any decomposing material sitting on your lawn. By clearing it away, you set your yard up for success when soil temperatures warm and it begins growing again. 

Sweeping beats raking.

You can use a rake to clear your lawn, but it’s more labor intensive and the tines can damage your turf. A lawn sweeper that collects debris by gently sweeping it with brushes is a kinder, gentler option for your lawn. A model like the VEVOR Push Lawn Sweeper can collect 80 percent of debris in a single pass, so your yard clean-up job is a whole lot faster and easier. It features a 7-cubic-foot collection bag. That’s roughly the size of a standard kitchen trash can—meaning fewer trips to the compost pile. As a plus, lawn sweepers work on more than your lawn. A model like the VEVOR can also collect debris off gardens and hardscapes, like sidewalks and the driveway. Lawn sweep when the ground has thawed and isn’t saturated. For best results, it should be firm enough to walk on without leaving marks.

2. Refinish a fence.

Fences can take a beating from winter weather. Wet weather coupled with the constant cycle of freezing and thawing can create cracks and gaps in the fence. Make repairs first, then protect it from further weather damage by refinishing it with a high-quality stain.

Time your fence repair.

Low humidity in the spring makes it a good season for this job as long as you time it just right:

• Check the forecast. Wait for temperatures to stay above 50 degrees, which is the low end of the temperature range for most stains.
  
• Wait for the wood to dry. Spring can be rainy, so you’ll want to time your fence staining project for a few days after a rain. This gives the wood time to dry out completely so it will better accept the stain.
  
• Check the pollen counts. You don’t want pollen caught beneath the stain, or it could cause mold growth. Check your pollen levels and wait for a low to moderate day. If you live in an area with heavy pollen, wait until late spring. 

Choose the right staining tool.

For a big job like restaining an entire fence, it’s best to use a high-quality paint sprayer like the VEVOR Stand Airless Paint Sprayer. It features 3,000 pounds per square inch (PSI) of pressure. This pressure allows it to cover a fence in a fraction of the time it would take with a brush or roller. This wheeled model is easy to move and it comes with a precision nozzle, so the stain ends up on the fence and not your lawn or landscaping.

3. Repair an outdoor faucet. 

If your outdoor faucet was the victim of freezing temperatures over the winter, then you’ll likely need to replace it, and might need to even replace the pipe that leads to it. Now is the time to address this issue before summer irrigation and car washing chores kick in.

Assess the Outdoor Faucet 

First determine if the faucet or the pipe leading to it has burst. If water is spraying from the handle, the faucet has burst. You can check the pipe leading to the faucet by entering your crawl space or basement and locating the pipe. 

Remove the old pipe.

First, shut off the water supply and drain the outdoor faucet. Next, you’ll need to cut out the old pipe using a tubing cutter, before attaching a new outdoor faucet. We recommend going with a frost-free sillcock to avoid this problem next winter. 

You can solder the new pipe on or make the repair much more easily by using a pipe crimper like the VEVOR Mini ProPress Tool. This 18-volt cordless tool has powerful jaws that crimp copper pipe together in seconds, so you don’t have to mess with soldering or other time-consuming pipe joining methods. The VEVOR’s head rotates, so it can fit into tight spaces. And since it comes with three different jaw attachments for crimping ½-inch, ¾-inch, and 1-inch pipe together, you can use it for a variety of pipe repair projects around the house.

As more homeowners roll up their sleeves this spring, the line between professional contractor and everyday DIYer continues to blur. VEVOR believes upgrading your home shouldn’t require a contractor’s budget—just the right tools and a bit of creativity. By delivering pro-level performance without pro-level prices, the brand empowers a new generation of home creators to take on projects with confidence, from backyard cleanups to full-scale home upgrades.

Ready for your spring upgrade? Explore VEVOR’s latest deals and get the pro-level tools you need to bring your next project to life.

 

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