Patio Furniture Makeover

It’s time for Jen’s Makeover Open House! I have missed the last few, mainly due to forgetting to photograph my projects before I did them! Silly me.  

Awhile back we realized that the time had come to redo our vintage patio furniture. It was purchased about 12 years ago at an estate sale. A neighbor had bought some similar to it a few months before I found mine – she paid $500, so imagine how thrilled I was when I found the sofa and table for $50!

 

 

At first, I rather liked the sort-of shabby finish on the two pieces. But after years of sitting outside, in the elements, on our front porch, both pieces were beginning to rust. And look a little more shabby than I had intended!

 

 

Here’s how it looks now! Isn’t that a huge improvement?

 

 

The details stand out so much more after being painted.

 

 

 

I feel as though I have done these tired old pieces proud! We use them in the backyard now, under our gazebo, and we sit out here every single day.

 

 

And this stuff is amazing. I did both the sofa and table, plus another table, with only 2 cans of primer and 3 cans of paint. I really put in on thick, too, because I only wanted to do this once!

 

 

After the sofa and table came out so well, I decided to unearth this old yard sale find from our garage. I bought this years ago, for only $2. It was a really ugly, faded green. After I got it home and found out how much it cost to cut a piece of glass to fit ($22), I changed my mind about it. Now that it looks so pretty, I don’t think I’ll mind the cost of the glass to finish it. Painting this table black made all three iron pieces look like a cohesive set, even though they don’t really match.

 

 

Sitting next to the table is my latest big trash day treasure, found right on the curb. It was the same faded green as the table! But it’s sturdy, and after a quick wash-up, I used the last smidgen of white paint that I had to get a start on fixing it up. It needs a couple more coats of paint, but I can already see how much better it’s going to look. The day after I found it, I went to the thrift and found that cushion in my favorite $1.59 pillow pile. It was meant to be!

 

 

These pretty votives came from Michael’s – they’re half price right now.

 

 

Those sweet birdies, from JoAnn’s, were 60% off. This is such a good time to pick up a few summer accessories. The iron candleholder and birdhouse are both from the thrift.

 

 

I’m so glad that I made the effort to improve these pieces that we already owned, rather than buying something new. And it has never left my mind that this furniture was really a $500 value!

 

 

Go see Jen now, and you’ll get to enjoy everyone else’s trash-to-treasure stories. I’ll hope you’ll be inspired to find something to fix up for yourself! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

 

 

Comments

[jen R Sanctuary arts at home]

I love this! It looks wonderful! What a great space!

[Carmen]

WOW! Everything looks beautiful! Great job!!! You got a great deal!

[Donna @ Funky Junk Interiors]

Very pretty! Looks like a really tranquil place to sit.

Donna

[Dawn]

Absolutely beautiful!!!

[karla nathan]

How inviting!

[Diane]

What a beautiful re-do! You've inspired me to look for the paint & re-do some little rusted metal snack tables just rusting away in the back yard. ☺ Diane

[rue]

Everything looks fantastic! It's amazing what paint can do :)

rue

[Kim]

I love it! What a heavenly retreat. I'm also glad to hear that the Ultra Cover paint really works...I saw a commercial for it & wondered.

[Cindy]

LOVE paint. The cheapest way to redecorate for the most amazing results! :D

Looks awesome.

-c
yapping cat

[Martha]

What an inspiring post. I have some old iron furniture languishing in our back yard that I'm now looking forward to painting!

[dining tables]

You just made your patio a haven! I love the transformation that you did! It is really one awesome furniture.

[Solid Oaks Table]

Lovely... Thanks a lot for sharing such helpful and cool tips in here. It's definitely worth the read!

[jewelry making]

This one is lovely. Lovely to use and lovely to read. Everything here is lovely.

[Sean Carter]

that is one very nice look! I also like to have some plastic stacking chairs for my patio. It is always nice to have some place for guests to sit whenever I am having a larger party at my place. I found some that are both comfortable and durable!

[christine]

That is amazing what some paint can do to make the furniture look like new or better.
I really like the table and the design on it , so neat
Thanks for sharing

[Cecilia]

What a great idea! I love refinishing furniture or wood to reuse it and make it look better. I try to do that as much as possible with what I have to save money for other things. Since my backyard had to be redone, I just refinished all of the furniture, and used my saved money to buy some new shade awnings, which are awesome!

[Patios]

I love the way how you manage your stuff, instead of buying new ones you choose to re use them and gave them some makeover which makes them more elegant.

[Outdoor Living]

I love looking at before and after projects. Makes a great difference and most likely feels like new furniture. Great post!

[Holly James]

I'm really loving this patio furniture! I just moved into new home and I am working on fixing up the backyard! I think that getting cute patio furniture like this will achieve the look that I am going for!
Holly James | http://www.patiogalleryofnaples.com/

[walkerwilliam91]

We just had our patio put in with all of the furniture. The next thing that we want to do is get the deck waterproofed. That way it will last longer in the storms. http://www.deckem.com