gas grill with cast iron grates The ultimate guide to outdoor entertaining

You only needed a grill and a picnic table a long time ago, but no one stopped there again."What homeowners build outdoors competes with what they do inside," says Josh Kane of Va Sterling."They make the outdoor space more practical by lighting, fire pit or fireplace and comfortable furniture."You can simply start by lighting up the night for a long timeLong-lasting LEDs and portable fire pits are gathered around.Feet, gravel walkways and terraces are a European design style and are becoming more and more popular as a lower level buildingThe cost of replacing stone and concrete.Overhead ceiling fans keep the breeze moving.With homeowners looking to make the most of the space, the outdoor fireplace, especially the fire pit, has become a hot spot.You don't have to do everything at the same time.Kane suggested that a multi-year approach, because poor planning or the use of inferior materials to save money is the biggest mistake people make.This guide provides tips, purchase suggestions and ratings for exterior paint, stains and gas grills.To make things more active, we recommend speakers for outdoor use and advise on using other electronics in your wonderful outdoor space.Comfortable seating is an invitation to relax.Make the big space more comfortable by creating several seating areas.Measure the space size before adding or upgrading furniture-no guessing—Because the courtyard furniture can be wide and bulky.Furniture.When shopping, consider maintenance as recommended by the manufacturer.Check the finish of the furniture is consistent and look for tight and good furniturefitted joints.Sit in a chairYou will want spacious and comfortable armrests.The mat should fit well and be goodCushion and water-resistant.Rugs.The outdoor carpet defines a space, adds a pattern and makes the things below smooth.They are also a quick fix where nothing will grow.Spread a sheet in the area you want to cover to get to know the space and make a note of the sheet size so you can use this information when shopping.If you put the carpet under the table, measure the width and length of the table and add at least 4 feet for each size.Want to use carpet on your deck?Make sure the deck maker says it's OK or the moisture will get stuck under the carpet and damage the deckThe warranty may be invalid.Regardless of the deck material, pick up the carpet every few months and clean it under the carpet.Remember that the UV light will illuminate the deck area that is not covered on the carpet.Lights.Long-Durable LEDs designed for outdoor use are ideal for hard lightingto-Arriving at the sights, the BBQ area has bright mission lights and warm light in the atmosphere.Wal-Mart's value-added 90 W PAR38 soft white non-dimmable LED spotlights emit bright white light, which can be used outdoors if it is blocked by rain and snow;This is a $22 CR Best Buy that works with some motion sensors.For warm yellow light, two CR Best Buy led can replace 60-Watt incandescent lamps can be used outdoors without getting wet.They work in closed fixtures and are equipped with motion sensors: Walmart's premium 60 w Soft White A19 Dimmable LED, $10 and Cree 9.5-Watt (60 W) A19 warm white dimmable LED for $8.50.For path lighting, lowThe voltage fixing device for installing LED lights is quite easy.Wiring can be buried at 6 inch, not at 18 of the standard voltage requirements.New cushions, umbrellas or carpets can energize old patio equipment for just a few hundred dollars.Refreshing metal furniture can be as simple as scraping off the peeling finish and re-painting with a can or two.Comfortable outdoor furniture and funky lighting will only make the paint or faded, peeling deck of the peeling house look worse.From now on, make your home look the best of the season.Deck check.After a tough winter, you'll want to evaluate how much preparation is needed before painting and dyeing.It is also possible to walk through the deck and check for softness, especially in places where it is easy to keep wet, stepping on railings, railings and steps.The deck and stairs should not look drooping.Look under the deck platform for rot and insect damage and check if the ledger board connecting the deck to the house is kept tight.Tighten the loose screws, lag bolts and pound nails again.Any doubts?Professional inspection.The North American deck and Railing Association lists certified deck builders on its website.Even if you want to solve the deck rehabilitation problem yourself, you need to be particularly careful in both cases.The deck built before 2004 may have been made from chromium-treated copper-arsenic (CCA) wood containing toxic arsenic.Please consult a professional if you are not sure.Regular patching helps seal arsenic.If the finish is peeling off, call the equipped professional to safely remove the old finish, dust and debris and apply new stains.If your house was built before 1978, anyone you hire to repaint the outside or inside must be certified by EPA and trained in leadsafe practices.Most people use flat and satin paint on the siding and semi-gloss on the decor.How many natural grains do you want to see on the deckHow often do you want to redecorate the deckDetermine the type of stain you choose.Solid hidden grain in exchange for a longer life span, the transparent finish shows all of this, but it usually needs to be re-applied every year.A translucent stain shows some grains that can still look good after two years.Check our wood dyeing rating, which is most helpful in wet, shaded areas against mildew growth.Pressure prep.Remove loose and powdery white paint and dirt from your house and deck using a scrub or electric washing machine.The price of a high pressure washer is between $200 and $500, but it takes about $50 to $80 to rent one.Read the instructions.Cover the landscape with plastic cloth and wear long sleeves, trousers and rubber gloves.The pressure required for the deck is approximately 1, 500PSI.Use a wide-Angle spray tip from 25 to 40 degrees for wide spray to protect wood.Tilt the spray and keep it 6 to 12 inch away from the wood surface.Scrape sand where needed.Buy a bucket.5 gallons of paint or stains required?Buy a 5-More consistent colors and savings gallon barrels up to $30.Use the right brush.The synthetic brushes with latex paint stick together because the natural bristles are hollow and become lame when they absorb water, which makes the paint work more difficult and possibly simpler.The patio heater, fire pit, and fireplace can all relax you.But the patio heater lacks the warm glow of a flame from a fire pit or fireplace.A fire encouraged people to come together and linger.Fire pits and fireplaces use wood, natural gas or propane, whether you buy one or customize one, consider these tips from Josh Kane from Va Sterling Kane Landscapes.: For just a few hundred dollars, you can create a comfortable meeting place with a portable fire pit.Custom-The built brick-and-stone fire pit starts at about $1,500 to $2,000;Gas fire pit costs more.The prefabricated fireplace is about $1,600 or more;custom-Start building models in the range of $5,000 to $10,000.Press a button and start.BBQ with gas grill is easy and there is no reason to stop as the weather cools down.Most grills use propane, but some have a gas conversion kit for about $75 or have a gas version.With natural gas, you will never run out of fuel and will not need to fill the propane tank again, but the grill has to be put in place.Also, you would like to call professionals to run the gas pipeline from your home to the grill.Before picking your location, on the Natural Resources Conservation Services website, find out how the wind in your area usually blows during the main barbecue month.The grill should be kept at least a few feet away.High temperatures distort vinyl and damage the paint on the wooden wall panel."A lot of people make a mistake by putting it too close to the entertainment space.You don't want to smoke at your party, "said Jason Craven of the Dallas South Botanical Garden.When buying a gas grill, consider the following points: most gas grills cost less than $300, using an average of three years.It costs $400 to $600 to give you a medium grill ($600 to $900 for a large grill) stainless steel or castIron, electronic ignition and side burner.During the summer months, all the comforts of the home migrate to the yard.Digital devices are included.But the backyard poses a special challenge to audio.visual gear.The wireless audio system allows you to set up speakers (or a few of them) and play music in almost any place, but you need a loud enough sound to fight the outdoors.The digital projector can create a movie night under the stars, but you have to add a screen and possibly speakers.Choose the equipment that suits your needs and budget.Would you like to add an atmosphere to the family dinner on the terrace or would you like to have a pool party?No matter what kind of activity, we will help you find the right equipment.Small BatteryWhen you dine on the deck with your family, the electric Bluetooth speaker can be placed on the table.You can pick it up and carry it with you as you walk around the yard.These devices can play music from tablets, laptops or mobile phones 30 feet away.Bose SoundLink Color, $130, makes a good balance in size and power.At a trim 5.5x5x3.5 inch, it does not fill the table, it has five interesting colors.It provides good sound quality in our tests and its size is amazing.If you are worried that a sudden rainstorm will damage the speaker, consider the weather --Resistance models such as Record Max (A34), $150 or TDK Life on Jabra Solemate Max ($250.Both can be paired with another NFC using near field communicationBluetooth devices can be realized with only one touch.Tip: If someone walks between the Bluetooth speaker and the device with music, you may find that the concert is temporarily gone because it physically blocks the signal.Position your gear to minimize this possibility.It is your turn to host the party and you will want to raise the volume.The Sony SRS-X7, $200 (above), on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are louder than Bose and TDK.You can also connect two or more SRS-X7s via Wi-syncFi can multiply the sound output as long as the music is stored on the computer.The speaker is a battery-So you can put it almost anywhere.Sonos Play: $200 is another good option.You can use a few Wi-The Fi speakers (which require AC power) play the same music or mix with soft jazz near the rock and roll of diners and dance floors.Tip: Wi-The Fi range is affected by the distance between the router, the music source, and the speakers, and the physical obstacles.Under ideal conditions, you can get reception on speakers 200 or more feet from your router;What's more typical is 100 to 150 feet.If a wall or other obstacle blocks the router's signal, the range may be smaller.Run and adjust as needed.A lot of network needs can also lead to drop-outs, so tell your Netflix watchers to stay offline during the party.Readjust.Don't expect the sound quality outdoors to be as rich as in the room.The Bass lost its impact and the treble lost.Turn on both settings, but the sound is not distorted.Place the speakers near the wall to enhance the bass.Strategize.If you are using a few speakers, please leave space for them to provide a good coverage.Put them on the table so they don't get dirty, wet or tripped.If you use the extension line (please make sure the extension line is rated as outdoor use), protect the extension line and keep it away from walking traffic.Set the mood.Use mood or genre stations on services like Pandora or Spotify to play hours of music.Connect.Can't get a steady stream of music no matter what you try?Plug in.Many speakers have an input to connect the device using a cable with 3.There are 5mm plugs at each end, and some have a USB port for the thumb drive that loads music.When you shop, you come across terms like Apple AirPlay, DLNA, DTS Play, etc.Fi, Heos and Sonos.These are wireless standards that speakers use to access content on Wi-Fi network.Many speakers can use more than one.The main things you need to know are: 1.Apple AirPlay can access content from any computer and Apple mobile device that has iTunes installed.With the Android device, you have to use the third oneparty app.Also, to transfer to multiple AirPlay speakers from your iPhone or iPad, you need a third one again-party app;You don't need it with your computer.2.Other standards apply to Apple and Android mobile devices and PCs, while others apply to Mac computers.3.If you want to send the same music to multiple speakers at the same time, you can mix and match them as long as the brand uses the same standards.In other words, you can't get one speaker to use AirPlay only, while the other speaker only uses Play-Fi only.An outdoor cinema can be a well-designed job.You can use a supreme approach.Terminal digital projector with inflatable frame, tent pile and tether and outdoor screen.Or you can do it cheaper like we did: we used Epson PowerLite Home Theater 1080 (Amazon $2000) with 550 p and a twin home theaterSize sheets for the screen, bundled with tarp clips and paracord.Epson can play videos from any Android device that supports MHL format, or from Apple iOS devices via an HDMI adapter (we used the iPad mini ).Our projector is built in.But many people don't think so.With these models, you can use wireless speakers on your phone or tablet.We spent a total of $630, only 10 minutes from unpacking to watching movies.(Full disclosure: We did it when we were 30 degrees Fahrenheit outside, so we stayed in the atrium at Yonkers headquarters in New York.Y.But we will try it out soon.) Solved it perfectly?Not exactly.Our Epson is bright with a brightness of 1800 lumens, but the light shines on the sheet and goes through the sheet and washes the image clean.(Hang it on the wall or play a movie after dark.) And be sure to iron the sheets-we forgot to—Because wrinkles will kill the experience.The article also appeared in the 2015 issue of Consumer Reports.All rights reserved©2005-US 2015 Consumer AllianceS., Inc.May not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission.Consumer Reports have nothing to do with any advertisers on this website.