The.Diy.expert: HOW TO MAKE TRELLIS FENCE



How to Make Trellis You can buy ready made trellis , but you may want to make your own to get the look that's just right for your garden. You need to use pressure treated timber. For trellis panels, tiling battens or roofing laths are ideal. You'll find these at builders' merchants and timber yards. Paint or stain the timber to match other timber in your garden. Paint pads and sprays give better results. Either use an outdoor paint, wood stain, or dilute an interior paint in a 1 : 3 mix with white spirit or water, according to the type of paint. Diluted interior paint will not hold its colour outside as long as specialist exterior materials. Sketch out your design and work out what quantities of materials you'll need. The size of openings or gauge will depend on the amount of privacy or screening you need.

Level space to work; lengths of 38 mm x 18 mm tiling batten; galvanized nails or staples; saw; hammer; a spacer - a piece of timber the same width as the spaces you want to make your trellis. Optional: paint or stain; plastic sheet to cover ground; treated timber to make a frame for a more substantial trellis panel - 25 mm x 75 mm, 25 x 50 mm, or to suit finished size of trellis. You will need a double frame to 'sandwich' the trellis, metal corner fixings, nails or screws.

Frame - optional: make two rectangular frames the size you need using the large treated timber. Cut the corners at 45°, to give a neater finish, and fix pieces together using metal brackets. Lay one frame on the ground and make up the trellis as shown below, securing the battens to the framework. Trellis - cut the vertical battens to length and lay them out on the ground. Space them uniformly to your gauge, using the timber spacer.

Cut the horizontal battens to the size you need. Put the first one in position on top of the taller pieces using the spacer. Use nails or staples to attach the top batten to the bottom pieces at every intersection. Continue with the other pieces until you have built up your trellis.

Frame option: place the finished trellis panel on top of one of the frames. Lay the other frame on top to complete the double frame. Fix the frame to the trellis. Use either nails as before, or for a more decorative effect use brass screws with cups. You may need to drill holes for these. For taller framed trellis, you may want to add a bracing bar across the middle of the panel to strengthen the structure.