With the 2021 summer right around the corner, now is the perfect time to start thinking about getting out in the garden and entertaining friends and family outdoors. If you have decided now is the time to invest in new garden furniture, then you have probably noticed the nationwide shortage of patio tables and chairs. With summer holidays looking unsure this year, and many of us choosing to stay home and enjoy the British sun in our own gardens, retailers are out of stock of garden furniture all across the country.

There’s no need to panic about not being able to invite your loved ones round for alfresco dining, as buying new furniture isn’t your only option. There are so many great ways to repurpose old furniture or even create something amazing and new out of relatively simple materials. We’re going to take you through some of our favourite hacks for garden furniture, so get creative and kit your garden out DIY-style this summer.

 Renovate Your Old Furniture

 If you’re looking to replace some old garden furniture, why not restore it instead? Just because it’s looking old and shabby doesn’t have to mean there is no life left in it. Whether it’s a chair, a sofa, or a table, you can get it cleaned up and looking good as new in next to no time, with relatively minimal effort. In the case of hardwood furniture, all you have to do is clean it, sand it down, paint on a new coat of varnish or wood restorer, and it will be left looking good as new!

 You can easily restore any plastic furniture you have with a quick clean or even a coat of spray paint to give it a new lease of life. Any metal furniture that’s begun to rust can be fixed with a fresh coat of paint after being cleaned and sanded down. Sometimes, old furniture might benefit from new outdoor cushions, which are easy to buy or make yourself from waterproof materials.

 Create New Furniture From Wood Pallets

 One amazing little life hack for creating some great DIY garden furniture is with some humble shipping pallets. Not only are they super lightweight, affordable, and easy to find, but they are also incredibly versatile and can quickly be transformed into just about anything. Here are some of the most inspired wood pallet garden furniture creations we’ve discovered, ranging from the simple to the complex:

• Wood Pallet Chair: All you need for the most straightforward pallet chair is to put one pallet on the floor and nail another one to the back to create an angled backrest. These super easy chairs are surprisingly comfortable, especially once you add a cushion or two. If you’d like to get a little fancier though, you could take the pallet apart and refashion it into something that better resembles a chair, with legs, armrests, and everything else. It’s entirely up to you how far you want to go with these, but whatever you do, it’s extremely simple, easy, and affordable to create something great.

• Stacked Wood Pallet Sofa: Another fantastic way to use pallets for garden furniture is just to stack them up. You can create a sofa as tall or as long as you want, with next to no effort at all. For example, stack three pallets high (obviously taking the time to secure them with nails, screws, and glue, etc.) with another nailed to the back for a backrest, cover in cushions, and you have the perfect stacked pallet sofa.

• Modular Wood Pallet Seating: To take it one step further, why not create modular seating that can be adjusted and repurposed to suit any occasion? While it’s a bit more complex than creating a simple pallet chair, it’s definitely worth the effort for anyone with the tools and the know-how.

• Wood Pallet Bar: To really set a standard and get all of your guests impressed, why not turn some leftover pallets into a DIY patio bar? Everyone’s sure to love a handy bar in the corner of the garden, especially if you’re planning on entertaining regularly. Simply stack a few pallets alongside one another to get the shape you want, or pull a few pallets apart and put them back together again. Either way, you can get a truly stylish and practical bar out of just a few simple bits of wood.

There are so many options out there for creating unique and innovative DIY garden furniture or upcycling your existing items to look as good as new. Next time you have friends or family coming over to enjoy a sunny afternoon in the garden, think about what you could create, instead of worrying that your local garden centre has sold out of all their furniture.