Sprucing Up Outdoor Furniture: Summer Project #2

One of the projects on our to-do list this summer was to treat and paint our outdoor furniture.  For the wood pieces, I used Thompson's WaterSeal wood protector in clear.  The metal furniture got several cans of Rust-Oleum spray paint or Krylon Fusion spray paint.  We also used the Rust-Oleum Specialty Plastic on the resin chairs (not pictured here.)

First up was my brand new picnic table which I have wanted for years.  This one was purchased unfinished from Home Depot for me for Mother's Day this May.

I had help from my six year old adding the second coat of sealant several weeks after I applied the first one.  We have had so much rain here this summer that finding a day with no storms forecasted was a real challenge.

I'm not sure I'm satisfied with this.  The wood looks much darker than when it was unsealed, and it is starting to look like there are dark mildew patches on it even though I can see the rainwater bead up on the surface.  I may paint it a hunter green color to match the doors on our farmhouse.

Next, we tackled this small metal table on our front porch.  I couldn't find a way to easily remove the glass top, so I covered it in newspaper and tape.  We then used just one coat of the Rust-Oleum spray paint in a satin hunter green.  The clothespin flower pot and impatiens were a handmade Mother's Day gift from my 10 year old son.

I am very pleased with how this turned out, and it matches our front door.

I received this large unfinished porch swing years ago for a Mother's Day gift, and I never sealed it.

So both my daughters used the Thompson's Water Seal to protect it from any further weathering.

I purchased a pair of outdoor pillows on clearance from our local Kmart, and I bring them inside when we aren't using them to prevent the cats from taking them for their own beds.

This metal table and chairs belonged to my husband when we met, so I don't even know how old they are.  They're still in great shape but were beginning to rust, plus there were spots on the table where our older girls had spilled nail polish and Wite-Out many years ago.

With the help of my 13 year old daughter, we sprayed 2 coats of paint on the table and chairs.  Unfortunately, we ran out of paint and couldn't find an exact duplicate at the local hardware store.

We ended up having to cover all of it with a final coat of the Krylon Fusion in black satin.  I am very pleased with the results, and we realized that we love to spray paint!

I found the umbrella at Ollie's Bargain Outlet, and it has withstood our numerous storms this summer.

At our cabin, we discovered two resin chairs, but they had gray mildew stains that would not come out with bleach.

We started out using the rest of the can of hunter green spray paint, but we didn't have enough to even cover one chair thoroughly.  I definitely underestimate the amount of paint needed.

When I returned to the store to buy more, they were sold out of all colors of spray paint except dark brown and black.  The cabin has a dark brown wood exterior, and I would have preferred a color that would stand out a bit, but both chairs were only partially painted and we are expecting company this weekend, so I settled for the brown. This spray paint is made to fuse with plastic in one coat.  Hopefully, it will hold up well.  My teen daughter and her friend painted them for me yesterday, and I think they look pretty good; although, I may change the color again later.