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find past summer projects HERE!

6.04.2025

SUMMER: one-step bamboo refresh!

 summer,tropical style,tiki style,painting,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,outdoors,bamboo refresh,tiki bar,bamboo fence.
This is a tip I learned years ago from my sweet Dad...

I've shared it before in my 2013 makeover of their backyard, but since my ENTIRE summer series this year is about creating your own tropical decor, I thought this project would be a perfect way to kick off the season. It's an easy first step to refreshing your yard!

Continue reading for details...

If you have bamboo fencing, edging, patio furniture, or tiki/tropical decor, you know how quickly the heat, sun, and water can fade it. Although I once restored a truly vintage REAL bamboo bar by faux painting it to look like real bamboo (it had been sprayed lime green!), THIS is a project anyone can do...

summer,tropical style,tiki style,painting,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,outdoors,bamboo refresh,tiki bar,bamboo fence.
If your bamboo fencing (or anything else bamboo) looks like this, don't despair!
Don't tear it down and throw it out - Help is Here!


All it takes it THIS stuff: McCloskey's Man O' War Marine Spar Varnish.
Dad used satin finish because he liked the 'natural' look of the bamboo - if you want yours to have a shiny finish, get the gloss finish varnish.

Grab a flat paintbrush and lay a generous coat of it onto whatever you have. 

NOTE: This is an oil-based product.
ONLY apply this varnish outdoors OR in a very well-ventilated (exhaust fans and every surface covered - including your nose) area.

It will take about an hour to dry outdoors on a warm sunny day with low humidity. Indoor results will differ. If your weather conditions vary, read the manufacturer's suggestions on the can.

My Dad swore by this stuff and he was right - it literally soaks into the bamboo fibers and refreshes not just the color, but the finish AND the strength.

It's a one-step miracle! 

summer,tropical style,tiki style,painting,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,outdoors,bamboo refresh,tiki bar,bamboo fence.
The day Dad gave the bamboo fencing in the backyard this treatment, I had to FLY to grab my camera and snap photos of the before, during, and after.

It took him less than ten minutes to give a generous coat of the varnish to the 7' X 9' fencing panel that was behind the fountain in the backyard - and it immediately looked brand new.
summer,tropical style,tiki style,painting,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,outdoors,bamboo refresh,tiki bar,bamboo fence.
No color editing here, this is how it really looked!

summer,tropical style,tiki style,painting,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,outdoors,bamboo refresh,tiki bar,bamboo fence.
I'll be using this method to refresh our bamboo tiki bar in the backyard soon - it's just been too windy to be applying oil-based varnish to a bar that sits in a sandbox!

OK, now it's time for a MaiTai... Aloha until next week!

Related Content:

summer,tropical style,tiki style,painting,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,outdoors,bamboo refresh,tiki bar,bamboo fence.
The 4-Part 'Thrifty Tropical Makeover' that I did for my parents in 2013 is here

summer,tropical style,tiki style,painting,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,outdoors,bamboo refresh,tiki bar,bamboo fence.
The 'Barefoot' Bamboo Tiki Bar that I built inside a sandbox in 2020 is here

Shared Online:

funky junk interiors | new upcycle ideas #781


summer,tropical style,tiki style,painting,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,outdoors,bamboo refresh,tiki bar,bamboo fence.

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