PATIO FURNITURE REFINISHING IDEAS YOU CAN EASILY DO IN AN AFTERNOON!
Patio furniture refinishing ideas that are simple and easy.
Create a cute outdoor patio set from vintage pieces in an afternoon!
I love the look of vintage patio furniture. It’s just a classic statement that has an enduring design quality you simply can’t buy on today’s market.
Unfortunately, a lot of the vintage patio furniture pieces you run across aren’t in the best shape. And it’s hard to see any potential beyond their worn out, battered facades. Such was the case when I set out to create a charming ice cream parlor set for the corner of our driveway.
I scoured our local marketplace for a few affordable pieces whose lines and style I adored. And their prices were incredibly budget friendly. But wow, they were in rough shape. Clearly there was a reason this patio furniture was so cheap.
The seats were moldy and the pieces looked like they hadn’t been cared for in years. I have to admit, even I was a bit hesitant. And my husband thought I was nuts as we were loading them onto the trailer to haul them home.
DON’T BE AFRAID, JUST FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE STEPS
But guess what? In a single afternoon, using the patio furniture refinishing ideas, we transformed these metal furniture pieces from weary to cheery, creating a great outdoor space with just a bit of elbow grease. You don’t need years of experience to become an outdoor-furniture refinisher. Just follow a few of these patio furniture refinishing ideas for a great overall experience.
I admit, refinishing outdoor furniture can seem like a daunting task. But in one afternoon you turn dingy, worn out outdoor pieces into a family heirloom that you’ll treasure for years to come.
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PATIO FURNITURE REFINISHING IDEAS ONE: SOURCE VINTAGE ITEMS AND SAVE A BUNDLE
Maybe you are lucky enough to already own some pieces of patio furniture you want to refinish. If so, congratulations! You can probably skip down to the next tip (although chances are, you may want to add a few additional pieces to your set). Since you obviously need to have your patio furniture pieces in hand before you begin to refinish them, here are a few tips I found on how to acquire them.
The first step is to determine the pieces you’re looking to purchase. I knew I wanted a classic table and chairs set for our driveway. I’d also been wanting to get an outdoor bar cart for a couple of years for our back patio. I began by looking at my local communities Facebook swap and sell groups, but wasn’t lucky enough to find anything. So I expanded my search to Facebook marketplace. I also went to a few tag sales and estate sales in our community.
AND THEN I FOUND THE PERFECT SET …
Lucky for me, the perfect patio set was available on Facebook marketplace at a fair price shortly after I began my search. But you have to be aggressive and ready to buy, otherwise you might miss out.
I bought the set sight unseen, only viewing it on the photos supplied by the buyer. We got these old patio outdoor pieces at a good price, around $100 for the table and chairs and $50 for the bar cart.
When I went to pick them up, it was obvious that each outdoor furniture piece had seen better days. But as I stated earlier, the quality workmanship and the quality craftsmanship of these older outdoor pieces is really unmatched. So it’s worth the effort you’ll need to put in to refinish them. Just look for pieces that don’t need a lot of patio furniture repair or replacement parts, as they can be hard to find.
PATIO FURNITURE REFINISHING IDEAS TWO: PICK SOMETHING YOU LOVE TO HELP YOU CHOOSE YOUR COLORS
Anytime I start pulling together décor for an event or a home-decorating project, I like to pick one favorite item and build a color palette around it. Sometimes it might be a piece of art, often it could be a patterned linen, or maybe it’s a simple toss pillow. The key is you just need a place to get started. The best part of approaching a project in this fashion is the process helps to narrow down your color options and makes it easy for you to stay color coordinated.
For this patio furniture refinishing project, I was inspired by an adorable outdoor fabric that reminded me of one of my classic Lilly Pulitzer print. The bright pinks, blues, yellows and greens within the pattern were the perfect color combination. It made it easy to choose the paint colors to spray these mid-century, wrought-iron pieces. We used:
- Berry Pink Gloss Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch 2x Ultra Cover for the chairs and the table.
- Real Orange Gloss Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch 2x Ultra Cover for the serving cart.
PATIO FURNITURE REFINISHING IDEAS THREE: THE OUTDOOR PIECES DON’T HAVE TO MATCH
I love the cheerful and whimsical feeling the combination of the differently painted colors of the furniture create. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your color scheme when you’re refinishing patio furniture. You don’t have to paint it basic black or white. Get creative! Your furniture can set the mood for the entire summer, so you want to give it some personality!
PATIO FURNITURE REFINISHING IDEAS FOUR: USE SPRAY PAINT AND THESE HELPFUL TIPS
The first thing we did was to give the outdoor patio furniture a good cleaning. The old finish was a bit rusty and quite dirty. If any of the paint is chipped, you’ll want to use sand paper or a wire brush to remove it. We sanded a few spots and used a tack cloth to remove the sanding dust and create a smooth surface for the spray paint. Next we used a clean rag to wipe down all of the furniture.
If possible, you’ll want to paint the furniture inside the garage on a drop cloth. That way you’ll avoid the wind blowing any particulars into the paint while it’s drying.
One of the most absolutely helpful tools we used for this project was the Rust-oleum Spray Grip. It snaps directly on to the paint can and make spraying a breeze.
It’s an instant game changer and allows you to apply a smooth, even and professional finish with minimal effort. It does a great job and truly was the best $3.48 we’ve ever spent. It guarantees a beautiful finished product.
Trust me, you’ll find yourself using it for so many projects around your house in the future … it’s well worth the investment.
PLUS … it eliminates my biggest pet peeve of spray painting, the mess that gets all over your hands and ruins your manicure. You know exactly what I’m talking about here. And with this gun, that situation is extinct!
PATIO FURNITURE REFINISHING IDEAS FIVE: DON’T FORGET THE ACCESSORIES
I wanted to create some cute accessories for our new set. I found some inexpensive glass votive holders and a glass vase at the Dollar Store. But, I wanted to dress them up a bit. So, I decided to spray paint them an elegant gold color. The key to this project is to evenly apply the gold spray paint to the outside of the glass vases.
You want a beautiful finished product and do not want any brush lines or drips. A smooth gold finish is what really makes these vases so elegant. So it’s critically important the paint is evenly distributed.
The most foolproof way to do this is to use the gun to apply the paint. If you’d like, you could also spray paint mason jars, and fill them with lush greenery as well as baby’s breath, for more of a rustic touch. But I prefer a more modern style.
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