The writing’s on the lawn - it’s coming home! Top tips to use your home to celebrate the Euro final

Recent rainy weather has meant many lawns are looking a little on the long side, creating the perfect conditions for mowing the message into your grass. Depending on the size of your lawn, it could be seen by not just your neighbours but by Google Earth, meaning your support can be shown even from space.

Our expert gardener, James Lewis, said that the key to mowing letters into your lawn is good preparation.

“It’s not the easiest of tasks - but if you’ve perfected those lovely lawn stripes then you’ll be able to craft letters too.

“The key is to measure up carefully and make sure your blades are nice and sharp before starting. Prepare a strimmer to neaten up any edges for the most impact. Once it’s done, it’ll look the business and be the talk of your town - and what better way to support the team.”

For those of us without lawns, why not consider painting the perfect St George’s Cross on your fence, drive, or wall?

Property expert Andy Simms, said: “Prepping is key to creating a beautiful flag, and choosing the right paints to ensure the colours are spot on. It’s also essential to choose the right type of paint depending on the surface, and if you have time do a quick patch test.”

Here are our tips to add a bit of England spirit to your home:

Mow “It’s Coming Home” into your lawn

If your grass needs a cut after this wet weather, why not use your lawn to write a supportive message for our boys! The key to cutting letters into your grass is good preparation work. There are three main techniques to make this happen, but each involve an element of planning.

• Technique 1 - keep it longer. This technique involves covering the areas intended for lettering and mowing around them. You can use wooden poles or material coverings to create the letter shapes and then mow around them. The longer grass then creates the letters, which should stand out distinctly from the shorter grass. Use a strimmer to neaten any edges and keep the lines sharp.
• Technique 2 - Take it shorter. If time is tight, then just mow the letters into longer grass, leaving the rest of the lawn for another time. This will involve some precision mowing, and marking out the areas you need to make the letters will take some time and accurate mowing. Again, a strimmer could be useful for smart edging or difficult angles.
• Technique 3 - Shading. Mow the lawn as you usually would, until it’s all the same length. Then, mark out the letters using wooden markers or any other suitable material. Take a hosepipe, and use it to bend the grass into a single direction (away from the rest of the cut lawn). This gives you the appearance of different coloured grass (similar to lawn striping). The effect should last for several days.

Mow a St George’s Cross into your lawn

If letters seem too much like hard work, or your space is limited, why not try mowing a St George Cross into your lawn? Using any of the techniques above, you can quickly create your own patriotic masterpiece. The official proportions for the national flag of England is 3:5, with the cross being 1/5 of the height of the flag wide.

Painting brickwork

If you’d like to paint a flag into your exterior wall, it’s important to thoroughly clean the brick before you paint it. Use a wire brush and soapy water to scrub the brick and remove any efflorescence (those streaky white deposits) or dirt. Begin by applying a latex primer to the brick. If there are areas of the brick that have been affected by efflorescence or mildew, you may need to apply multiple coats. Let the primer dry completely. Definitely don’t skip out on the coat of primer and apply it with a high-quality, nylon-polyester brush.

Masonry paint is designed to protect exterior masonry from atmospheric attack and moisture ingress. The normal finishing process is two full coats of Weathershield Smooth Masonry Paint, but on previously painted surfaces in good condition, where similar colours are used, one coat may be sufficient. UPi might only have time for one coat before the final

The correct Red for the St George Cross is Pantone® Colours: Red 186 - a good paint option could be Red Letter Vinyl by Albany.

Painting a fence

Faster than a full wall and will dry quicker - painting your fence can be an easier option for the St George’s Cross. Our fences live outside, so most probably your intended surface will be dirty and covered in cobwebs. You’ll want to remove any dirt, debris or flaking bits of old coating so that it’s ready for the new coating. A stiff brush will usually do the trick. If your fence is really caked in dirt, then you can use warm soapy water as well to help get it off. If you do use water to clean the fence, then make sure it’s thoroughly dry before attempting to paint.

Buy dedicated fence paint with a tough and durable formula that has been specially designed to be used on exterior wood. Whether you use a paint brush or paint sprayer is up to you.

Red and white fence paint is widely available and can be picked up from retailers such as B&Q and Ronseal Fence Life One Coat offers a good option for the cross with their Red Cedar tin.

Giant Mega Jumbo Extra Large England Flag

You can actually buy a huge house covering England flags as an alternative to painting your home. Eighteen foot x 25 foot can cost £285 on Amazon, but could quickly be installed by a handyman or roofer on your homes guttering with eyelets. This could be the safe option, as if England were to lose, you could take it down before breakfast on Monday.