Wire netting is made from interwoven metal wires to create a versatile mesh. If youâre looking for an innovative and cost-effective way to upgrade your home and garden, wire netting is a great place to start. Itâs durable, lightweight, and easy to use, making it one of the best building materials for DIY beginners.
In this article, weâre sharing eight creative ways to use wire netting around the home and garden. Theyâre simple, affordable, and offer a combination of practicality and style. Weâre also providing answers to the most frequently asked questions, such as which size mesh to use and how to attach wire mesh.
Letâs get startedâĤ
The difference between wire netting and stock netting
Wire netting is lightweight and flexible, with small gaps between the mesh, making it a great option for home projects and enclosures for outdoor pets, like guinea pigs. Stock netting is a heavier, more durable mesh and is often used for containing livestock, wrapping around ponds, or supporting hedges.
However, they often overlap, and we at Hales Sawmills offer a range of wire and stock netting, so you can benefit from different sizes and strengths depending on your project and preference.
How to use wire netting for creative home and garden projects
Transforming your home and garden doesnât have to break the bank or involve a lot of skill and time. Instead, you can implement these wire netting ideas to quickly solve a problem or create a stylish solution.
1. Protect vegetable patches
One of the most popular uses for wire netting is protecting vegetable patches from wildlife, including birds and rabbits. Wire netting is a simple solution that allows your vegetables and plants to get sunlight and rain, while defending them from unwanted pests.
What is the best netting for vegetables?
The best netting for vegetable patches, including allotments, is galvanised steel with 31mm mesh holes, such as Rabbit Netting. The smaller gaps prevent animals from squeezing through and nibbling your produce. Drape the netting over your vegetable patches and secure the edges using fencing tools.
2. Craft plant supports and trellises
Wire netting is an excellent building material to support climbing vegetables, such as peas, beans, and cucumbers. Stretching and securing the mesh over a wooden frame also creates an attractive display for climbing flowers, like honeysuckle and wisteria. Not only does it support healthy plant growth, but it can also maximise garden space.
What is the best netting for plant supports and trellises?
Green PVC-coated wire, also known as chicken wire, is lightweight, sturdy, and blends into its natural surroundings for aesthetically pleasing plant supports. Attach to a sturdy surface, such as fences, using fixtures and fittings or across a wooden frame for a DIY trellis.
3. Build pet enclosures
You can use wire netting to make a basic animal enclosure for chickens, rabbits, or guinea pigs. Itâs also a great idea for keeping dogs inside the garden. The best type of netting is stock netting because itâs sturdy and durable. However, you need to choose one with small mesh gaps to prevent pets from squeezing through.
What is stock fencing used for?
Stock fencing, or stock netting, is typically used to stop livestock from escaping due to its heavy-duty and durable material. However, a scaled-down version, such as Hexagonal Wire Netting, is ideal for small pets, like guinea pigs. A more sturdy netting, like Light Welded Wire Mesh, is suitable for making your garden dog-friendly.
4. Create compost bins
Composting food scraps, like coffee grounds and eggshells, is a fantastic way to reduce waste and create nutrient-rich soil for your garden. Compost bins from garden centres can be pricey, however, wire netting makes it easy to build a functional compost bin in a single afternoon.
What is the best netting for compost bins?
Our Light Welded Wire Mesh has small enough holes to prevent organic matter from falling through, while allowing air to circulate, encouraging decomposition. Anchor a post into the ground, then wrap the wire netting around in a circular shape and secure using cable ties.
Take it one step further by creating a square-shaped wooden frame and adding mesh panels for a compost enclosure. You can even add a lid with hinges using our range of fixtures and fittings.
5. Rustic wall organisers for indoors
Wire netting isnât just for outdoors, you can also use it for simple indoor creations. Stretch and secure mesh across a wooden frame (a picture frame will do for smaller projects) for crafty solutions like earring organisers. You can hook planters onto the mesh gaps for a DIY indoor herb garden or pots to organise office and craft supplies.
Best netting for rustic wall organisers
Hexagonal Wire Netting offers versatility for most indoor projects, as itâs lightweight, flexible, and easy to work with when crafting.
6. Garden pathway borders
Keep your flower beds pristine and your lawn edges sharp using wire netting as a subtle and effective garden border. Bury part of the netting and leave a small amount above the ground to act as a deterrent for pets or animals.
Best netting for garden pathway borders
Light Welded Wire Mesh has small openings, while offering a stable, sturdy structure for a garden border. Green PVC-coated wire is also a good option, as the mesh blends into the background as flowers grow against it.
7. Mini DIY greenhouse frames and covers
Greenhouses are excellent for protecting delicate flowers from frost and trapping warmth and sunlight for optimal vegetable growth. They also shield produce from wildlife, like rabbits, slugs, snails, and other pests. Greenhouses can cost thousands, but you can construct your own using hoops and wire mesh.
Best netting for a DIY greenhouse
Create the structure of your greenhouse by securing two large hoops (tall enough for you to enter) into the ground. Add more evenly spaced hoops to extend the greenhouse. Bend wire netting around the hoops (we recommend Rabbit Netting) and secure firmly into the ground. Lastly, place and pin greenhouse plastic sheeting over the wire netting structure. Now, you have your very own greenhouse!
8. Hanging storage for tools or kitchenware
Transform your shed, garage, or kitchen using wire netting to create a hanging storage system. Mount wire mesh onto a frame or wall, then use S-hooks to hang garden tools or kitchen utensils.
Best netting for hanging storage
You need sturdy wire mesh to support hanging tools and kitchenware. Green Eurofence PVC is a strong, multi-purpose netting that looks great in garden sheds. For inside the home, galvanised steel Light Welded Wire Mesh is an excellent option for an industrial look. For an extra crafty touch, you could even spray paint the netting to match your home’s decor!
Wire netting FAQs
What sizes do wire mesh come in?
Wire netting comes in a variety of mesh opening sizes. Smaller openings are best for pest control and delicate work, while larger openings are ideal for livestock or structural support. The available sizes we have at Hales Sawmills include:
- 13mm
- 25mm
- 50mm
- 150mm
How to attach wire netting?
There are multiple ways to attach wire netting securely, ensuring durability and safety. You can use:
Do you overlap wire mesh?
Yes, overlapping wire netting by at least one square of mesh prevents gapping, unravelling, and stops wildlife from getting through.
Discover premium-quality wire netting with Hales Sawmills
Choose from our wide range of wire and stock netting for simple solutions and creative upgrades in your garden and home.
Browse our affordable prices and contact us today for practical and stylish projects with Hales Sawmills.