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Showing posts with label Furniture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Furniture. Show all posts

Monday, September 12, 2016

Just Add Color

Latley it seems like there is used patio furniture for sale everywhere!
Summer isn't officially over until the 22nd, so there is still have time to enjoy the outdoors. Luckily, even if it's a bit weathered, used patio furniture is easy to update!

spray painted furniture

First, I gathered up several pieces of worn wicker furniture.


I chose peices that were all made of the same material (wooden wicker). But you could also update multiple pieces of furniture made from different materials as well. As long as you paint everything with corresponding colors, you can mix and match metal, wood, and even plastic furniture. The great thing about the paint that we'll use is that it sticks to just about everything!

If you do go with wicker, check to be sure that it isn't unraveling or broken. Usually the first place you'll notice damage is on the legs. If it's starting to unravel, skip it. But, don't worry about chipped/ faded paint. We will fix that part!


Next, I used 100 grit sandpaper to lightly and quickly remove flaking paint, dirt and spider webs from each piece. Just a quick once-over was enough to remove the worst of it. You don't need to completely sand everything off, just aim for the loose bits.



Now the fun part!

Work outdoors, and cover an area about twice the size of your furniture with a protective surface (to avoid painting your patio too). I like to use old cardboard for this purpose. If you have an "Amazon habit" (like I do) then you probably have no shortage of boxes laying around! But you can also use drop cloths or even old sheets (tip: check your local thrift stores for great deals on sheets!).


Next gather your paint. Here is what I used for this project:

For the largest chair, I used three cans of Rustoleum "Oasis Blue" spray paint. I like the "paint plus primer" (called "2X") because it is durable and easy to use. Wicker tends to soak up a lot of paint, so have multiple cans ready.
If your chair is solid wood or plastic, then you can likely get by with only two cans. 


Next, for the child size rocking chair, I used one whole can of the same brand of paint. This time I used the "Magenta" color. One can was just enough to cover the chair because it was already red.


Lastly, I used a different brand of paint for the side table, because I liked the way that the color looked with the other two.
This time I used Krylon Paint and Primer in "Sea Glass".  It took about 3 cans to completely cover piece (inside and out). The coverage wasn't quite as good as the Rustoleum (I had to do one more layer), but the hue looked great with the other two colors I had chosen.



You can use a glossy finish if you like, but I prefer a satin finish. Matte (satin) finishes have a more sophisticated look and tend to hold up better over time.  


I started painting each piece upside down first. To avoid drips, use a quick sweeping motion, holding the can about 9" away from the furniture.  
Starting with the bottom will give you a chance to "feel it out" and get an idea of how to best apply the paint. And, being that the bottom won't really show, painting the underside first tends to be more forgiving of mistakes and/ or drips. Once you feel confident in your technique, flip the chair over and paint the top.  

spray painted furniture

I like to really saturate my wicker furniture with paint, so I added 3 (and in some places 4) coats of paint. Take care to notice if you are getting small areas like edges, corners and legs. It can be helpful to paint each coat from a different angel, to assure good coverage.


spray painted furniture


Once covered in paint, allow your furniture to dry completely.  

spray painted furniture
Spray painted furniture 

For a unique twist, I painted the inside of the table blue, and the outside green. This makes for a fun surprise when the little door is opened.
Add a colorful pot of (easy to grow) succulents to the mix and you will have a fresh set of furniture that's perfect for cheering up any space!  

spray painted furniture

Lastly, at the end of this project my right hand was tinted blue from the overspray. Luckily I have figured out the best way to get any paint off of your hands is to use this product:


It can also help scrub it onto your hands with one of these:


It works like a charm every time, and smells so heavenly!


Before and After

Sometimes I like to use painted patio furniture inside the house for an unexpected pop of color. It's also lovely on a porch, patio or lawn.

Sit back, relax and enjoy!

Before

spray painted furniture
After

That's all for today! Thanks for stopping by, and happy painting!

spray painted furniture
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Linking up to these fun craft parties:




Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Chair Redo

When we bought our house, we also purchased some of the furniture from the previous owner. Included, was a pair of living room chairs.



At first glance they might not look like anything special. The cushions were saggy and the fabric was worn. But, I could tell that they had interesting lines and a lot of character.



It was time to recover! Since we have little kids I knew I'd need something durable. I also knew that I needed to find a fabric that would go with our (not so pretty) *green carpet.

*Please stay tuned for a future post about how I made the mint green carpet work!


Knowing that prints hide stains better than solids, I chose a pattern that included several shades of grey. For durability I decided to use and indoor/ outdoor fabric. The pattern I chose is called:

A New Twist Geometric Stripe Outdoor Fabric Caviar

I purchased A New Twist Geometric Stripe Outdoor Fabric Cavia locally here. But, the good news is that this store also does mail order!




Also, to add a bit of punch, first I spray painted the legs red.
Since I knew I'd be replacing them both, I didn't bother to protect the upholstery or the old deck.


Then, since I am NOT a seamstress, I hired a local company to recover the chairs for me. They did a beautiful job (but it wasn't cheap).
To be completely honest, in the end I probably spent about the same amount of money re-doing these chairs as I would have had I bought new ones. The advantage was that I was able to completely customize them. Finding furniture to work with the awkward green carpet is a challenge, so it was helpful to design them myself.

Before

After

This was one of the (few) projects I've chosen to highlight on my blog that didn't involve much DIY time. But since these chairs were still a result of my personal creative vision, I decided to show them off here anyway :)

Thanks for stopping by!


Linking up to these fun parties:

http://ladybug-blessings.com
http://www.posedperfection.com/2015/06/creative-ways-link-party-57-and-features.html
http://www.acreativeprincess.blogspot.com
http://www.mustlovehome.com/friday-favorites-272/
http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com
http://www.kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com
http://akadesign.ca/weekend-retreat-link-party-123/
http://www.jugglingrealfoodandreallife.com/2015/06/lets-get-real-friday-party-94.html
http://www.create-with-joy.com/2015/06/friendship-friday-blog-party-social-media-boost-176.html
http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/2015/06/feathered-nest-friday_11.html
http://domesticsuperhero.com/2015/06/12/pinworthy-projects-link-party-70/
http://www.thepinjunkie.com
http://www.dearcreatives.com/linky-party-inspiration-spotlight-linkup-148/
http://diy-vintage-chic.blogspot.com/2015/06/fridays-five-features-no-94.html
http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com
http://www.xoxorebecca.com
http://www.justusfourblog.com/2015/06/pinworthy-projects-party-103/#
http://www.shakentogetherlife.com/2015/06/creativity-unleashed-link-party-giveaway.html
http://www.dianarambles.com/2015/06/pin-me-linky-party-141.html#



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