With a good glue and UniBond’s straightforward guide, making a birdhouse and bringing nature into your garden has never been easier.
You’ve got the wooden decking, the outdoor furniture, the flower beds and the pond – but what can really make your garden the ultimate sanctuary of tranquility? Yes, it’s the sound of birds chirping and singing, nature’s most calming ambient soundtrack.
How do you go about attracting birds into your backyard? One is a birdfeeder, but that requires constant refilling. Better yet, a birdhouse is something you can mount and leave for an avian family to discover and take residence in. With the right glue and the following plans for building a birdhouse, you can discover how easy it is to make your own.
Given the birdhouse’s location in a British garden, at the mercy of summer heatwaves, autumn storms and freezing winter temperatures, you’ll need a glue that can stand up to all three. UniBond No More Nails Waterproof utilises Henkel’s patented technology to make it resistant to shocks, extreme weather conditions and have superior durability. This extra-strong weather and waterproof construction adhesive provides high strength and long-lasting bonding for wood, as well as for glass, plastics, brick, tile, stone, ceramic, metal and mirror.
When choosing the wood, if possible go for a hardwood like oak or beech, as these are more hard-wearing. If you do select a soft wood like pine, be sure to treat it before assembling, in order to make it more weather-resistant.
1. Panels. Begin by cutting (or having them cut for you) the seven panels of wood you’ll need for making a birdhouse out of wood, measuring as follows:
2. Sand the corners and edges of the wood with sandpaper.
3. Assemble. Apply a line of glue along the edges of the front and back panels and glue them to the floor panel. Now apply a line of glue to the base and sides of the side panels (this is where the birds get into the house) and gently slot them between the front and back panels to create all four walls of the birdhouse. If any glue seeps out of the joints, wipe away immediately with a damp (not wet) cloth.
4. Paint. If you want to paint your birdhouse, do it at this stage, before assembling the roof. Don’t use any bright, vivid colours that might actually deter birds from approaching it. Leave the interior and all joint surfaces unpainted.
5. Roof. To assemble the roof, apply a line of glue to the 26 cm base of the 26 x 15 cm roof panel, then glue it to the top of the 26 x 16 cm so that they form an L-shape. When the glue has set, apply glue to the diagonal edges of front and back panels and place the roof on top of them to set it in place.
