Sunny day DIY painting projects and top tips

06 Jan 2026

It may be the summer holiday break but that doesn’t mean you need to spend the whole time resting on your laurels, especially when it comes to completing those DIY projects you’ve been putting off all year.

Now that the sun is shining (mostly) and you’ve got unlimited time on your hands (mostly), follow these guaranteed Resene tips to completing your summer DIY projects and by the time you’re heading back to work you can congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Staining or painting your deck

One of the big-ticket summer DIY projects is refreshing the good old Kiwi deck. Chances are, thanks to a wet winter, your deck is looking less than stellar, so the first step in bringing it back to full glory may be to treat it with Resene Moss & Mould Killer. If your deck has remained free of moss and mould, you can avoid that step and simply treat it with Resene Timber and Deck Wash before choosing one of the premium Resene stains to complete the look.

Bring your deck back to life with one of the specially formulated, New Zealand-made Resene stains.

Top tip: Make the job even easier by using the PAL Deckmaster deck brush, developed in association with the application experts at Resene specifically for New Zealand Decks.

Painting timber windows and French doors

One of the reasons why DIY painting projects tend to be overlooked or put off until later is because the thought of painting your home can be daunting. While this is the case for major repaints or if working at height, there are many smaller jobs (and quite a few larger ones) that a competent homeowner can complete in a few hours over a weekend or during a holiday break. One such project is painting timber windows and French doors.

A fresh coat of paint on your windows will not only create a big impact, it’s also an essential component of home-maintenance.

While the process is very similar for both sides, exposure to the elements means the exterior surface will require a bit more prep work. On the inside, clean with Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner, fill any holes with Resene EzyFill Quick and prime with Resene Quick Dry Primer Undercoat prior to applying one or two coats of Resene Lustacryl. Outside, treat with Resene Moss & Mould Killer (if needed) and clean with Resene Paint Prep and Housewash, then follow the same prep, prime and paint steps as for the inside. 

Similarly, clean and prepare French doors as per the windows, then spot prime with Resene Quick Dry Primer Undercoat. Once dry, apply two coats of Resene Lustacryl. For a very high gloss finish, consider Resene Super Gloss, or – albeit in a limited offering currently – the new Waterborne Super Gloss Enamel, which has the same look and feel as its solventborne cousin but uses new waterborne hybrid Alkyd technology.

Regularly repainting window frames and sills is an easy DIY project that will prolong the life of your timber windows and keep them looking great for longer.

Top tips:

• Don’t paint in direct sunlight, rather, work your way around your house staying ahead of the sun.
• Lay off with your brush in one direction.
• Use Resene Hot Weather Additive and / or add some water if warm and dry.

Painting your timber fence

When it comes to painting your timber fence, the key to a great finish is to ensure you start with a clean and smooth surface. For an existing fence, clean with Resene Paint Prep and Housewash. For a new fence, clean with Resene Timber and Deck Wash.

Once your fence is prepped and dry, apply a couple of coats of Resene Lumbersider, in either Low Sheen or the recently introduced Lumbersider Matt.

If you’re thinking about choosing a dark colour for your fence, choose one with Resene CoolColourTM technology to mitigate the effects of heat absorption. Resene CoolColour is available in a wide range of paints and stains.

When deciding whether to paint or stain, it’s important to take into account that a painted finish will require less frequent maintenance but generally requires more preparation, while a stained finish requires less preparation but more frequent maintenance, particularly so for lighter stain colours.

As with any painting project, the secret to achieving a great finish on your timber fence begins with the correct preparation and in choosing Resene products and accessories.

Top tip: Use the PAL Timber and Fence roller – which, at 150mm long, is ideal for most fences and works with both Resene paints and stains – and a decent extension pole, such as the chunky-handled McGuvier Boss pole.

Painting 101 – Paint to the conditions

One of the more enjoyable factors of living in New Zealand, is our temperate climate and the resulting (generally) favourable environmental conditions. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some weather-related issues you’ll need to consider when planning a summer DIY project, such as heat, humidity/rain and high UV radiation.

In high-heat conditions, the water content of your paint can more quickly evaporate, resulting in thicker, more difficult to apply paint in your paint tray and a patchy finish to your painted surfaces due to uneven drying. To ensure this issue doesn’t affect you, consider adding Resene Hot Weather Additive to your paint. You can do this yourself or have it added when you purchase your paint.

As an island nation, most of New Zealand experiences coastal conditions, which can result – especially in the Northland and Auckland regions – in high humidity and high rainfall. If you’re experiencing high humidity levels while painting, you will need to allow for additional drying time or look at using fans to help dry your painted surfaces sooner. Obviously, if it’s raining then painting outdoors is probably not viable, however, we can all be caught out by the odd shower passing through. If it looks like the weather could be changeable on the day you’re painting, look at adding Resene Umbrella Additive, specially formulated to help the paint to cure quicker, as well as resisting washing off in light showers.

New Zealand experiences very high UV radiation, especially during the summer months, which can have a detrimental effect on painted surfaces. Luckily, Resene products are New Zealand-made, meaning they have been specially formulated for our conditions. Resene Lumbersider and Resene Sonyx 101 are waterborne paints and are, therefore, more resistant to direct UV light. Additionally, Resene CoolColourTM technology has been formulated to reflect much of the infrared portion of UV radiation, helping keep exterior surfaces cooler. And research from Resene indicates a 20%-plus improvement in durability too!

Published: 06 Jan 2026