Waste not, want not. That was my attitude when it came to using up the rest of the oil-rubbed bronze spray paint from this project that I had leftover. So I turned my attention to the mismatched patio furniture that we inherited from the previous owners (seen here in an old photo with my dearly departed ceramic dog, sniffle).
Sure, I like painting things white (and white ceramic animals, and white chocolate among other snow-colored objects) but sometimes white things outside = grungy. As this shot demonstrates, any time it rained little dirt and leaves splashed into the crevices of the table and looked all grubby.
Parts of it were peeling too:
And you should have seen this guy in March/April in the height of allergy season. Yeah, it was fuzzy and yellow. So I figured a coat of ORB spray paint could cure his everything-shows issue. And unify those chipping black chairs.
So I just dragged everything out to the yard, set them down on items from our recycle bin (namely magazines & cardboard boxes)…
… and sprayed away.
Especially satisfying? Taking the nasty parts like this…
… to this (gotta love that ORB glistening-in-the-sun phenomenon):
Voila.
Update: Here’s an affiliate link to the spray paint we used over on Amazon for anyone who can’t find it in stores.
The whole shebang took about an hour and a half. Maybe two if you count brushing everything with a stiff brush (from our dust pan) to shake all the junk off, and carrying stuff out to the grass and back after they were dry. Oh and it took another can of ORB to get all three pieces done, but we figure spending a little more for that second can and using the rest of our leftover one (from this project) sure beats investing in new patio furniture.
You might not see it yet, but adding some pillows (or chair pads), some swagged bulb lights, and a few other festive patio accessories might just take this old set from drab to fab. Yes I just said drab to fab (she types as she buries her head in her hands).
What have you guys been spray painting lately? Any outdoor chillaxing going on? Anyone shocked that I didn’t paint everything white instead of ORB? Anyone turn this post into a drinking game (and sip every time I mention that three letter abbreviation)? Just went back and counted, but I only said it three times. Not enough: ORB, ORB, ORB. There, done.
Gina says
It looks great!
Just a tip: My mom has been re-painting the same patio furniture for years (whenever rust appears)… she has found that using a roller works better than spray painting. Maybe you could try this next time and compare?
http://beatbeatheartbeat.com
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! I worried I wouldn’t be able to get into all those little webbed parts of crosshatched metal with a roller- maybe it has to do with the patio furniture’s design/material?
xo,
s
Lauren says
Our daughter got a toddler-sized trampoline (the kind with the net walls around it) for her 3rd birthday last week. Last night I was finally able to spend some time on the hammock since she’s occupied and not trying to tip me out of the hammock all the time anymore.
We just ORB’d a chandelier in May!
Amanda H says
Nicely done – it looks so good!! The pedestal/table, especially :-)
Your new hairs are pretty cute, too.
Lane says
I love ORB spray paint. So far I have painted a builder grade white light fixture and an old brass lamp. I have started on our brass door handles, but it is quite the project.
Beth says
I just made some chair patio cushions for a similar set of chairs last week. I used piping and it was easy. It was my third ever sewing project, and aside from sewing the ribbon on the inside of the first pillow, it went without a hitch.
Here’s my blog post about:
http://sunshineontheinside.blogspot.com/2011/06/patio-progress.html
The cushion part is at the very end of the post. Scrolling=No Fun. Sorry.
Ashley Bird says
I just recently did this with some plants stands from Goodwill! SO CHEAP! and looks so FAB!
Beth says
And by making my seat cushions last week, I mean last month. Need. More. Caffeine.:)
Lizz says
I weatherized an old wrought iron dining set earlier this spring by spray painting it bright green and recovering the cushions. I love how it turned out! Here is my post on it:
http://www.leadingthegoodlife.net/2011/05/08/diy-patio-furniture/
kathy says
WOW! Lizz, Your patio set turned out gorgeous!! I really love the cushions and pillows that you added too. SO colorful. Beautiful fabric. Nice job…and now I’m inspired! :-)
YoungHouseLove says
So fun and festive!
xo,
s
Sarah says
I am a little surprised they’re not white. However, ORB would be my second guess.
Can’t wait to see the patio with some lights. Outdoor spots are my favorite! Especially when they’re all lit up on summer nights…*sigh*…and in the perfect world Mosquitoes would be non-existent :)
Brian says
HA HA HA – is it even LEGAL to abbreviate oil rubbed bronze to ORB… I had to read it a few times. Krylon makes a BUNCH of fun colors in that series, I’m still trying to figure out how the “hammered” bronze one actually pools up in little squares/shapes and looks hammered…
Jessica says
I couldn’t believe you took pictures without pillows since you love your props! Ha! They look great!
I recently spray painted a plate rack and towel rack for my daughters nursery. Found here: http://cresslife.blogspot.com/2011/07/allisons-diy-nursery.html
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo,
s
Lauren says
Amazing! What a satisfying project. Have you guys had any luck with spray painting wood? I have a simalarly sized wood set of a table and chairs that desperately needs a coat of paint. What do you think?
YoungHouseLove says
For bigger wood furnishings I have had the best luck applying paint with a small foam roller- just so it doesn’t get drippy and uneven. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
carolinaheartstrings says
I love spray paint. I have spray painted everything from frames to lamps in the past. My current want to spray pain is a really nice chair that we have just sitting in our backyard. It is white an grungy and cannot get clean no matter how much pressure washing/bleaching you do…..so I want it to be a bright color and have it sitting under the arbor one the side of our shed.
erica p. says
This is really random, but do you guys watch Watch What Happens Live? Andy Cohen does a drinking game similar to the one you mentioned in your post…you drink every time someone says the “word,” which is usually something related to the Real Housewives of wherever. Totally fun!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- I think I’ve caught the show a few times but haven’t seen the drinking game part. Too funny!
xo,
s
Rebecca says
Do you have a little citrus tree growing in a pot out there? (spotted in pics 11, 12) Is that real or faux? Looks so pretty!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s sadly faux. Wish it was real. I “planted” those fake branches from Pier 1 in an Ikea pot back when I lived in a tiny lightless NYC studio 6 years ago. Ah memories.
xo,
s
Melissa says
You have turned me into a spray painting fiend! I recently painted a pot for plants and a side table for my deck to match, my vinyl-top craigslisted table top with rubbed bronze (it looks super expensive now), and I have spray painting ceiling medallions (for wall art), a file cabinet, and picture frames on the list. I seriously think it’s an addiction!
elaine says
Fantastic! Upcycling at it’s best :) Looks great. In responce to your question, I’ve been spraying a ton of things as of late! I’m working on redoing our deck area into more of an ‘outdoor room’ feel so have tackled planters, and old chandelier and even some frames and such that I’m using as outdoor wall art. The last isn’t on my blog yet but about half way done. Tis the season for outdoor sprucin’! :)
Lonely Wife Project says
That is going to look amazing when it’s styled! Fab job.
Jamie B. says
That is an A+ improvement. Lovely!
Lyssa says
Last weekend I turned a hideous laminate dresser fabulous with some white spray paint.(fun story, purchased from a stripper on craigslist…the boys I sent to pick it up recognized her. awesome) I don’t have any ORB in our house, and I took a cue from you and picked some up for the hardware. Now its gorgeous and the perfect place to store my craft supplies. The mirrors are about to go up as a faux window. Pretty excited. The tiny dining room/craft room/ record player room is turning awesome.
Lyssa says
oops here it is ;) http://miss-lyss.tumblr.com/post/7493512707/craigslistdresserflip
YoungHouseLove says
Oooh pretty! Love the bones of that piece- amazing makeover!
xo,
s
Jennifer W. says
Just so you are aware.. glass table tops can explode!! We just had our 6 person table top break into about 100,000 pieces (because it is tempered glass.. the pieces aren’t very sharp luckily ;) We still can’t figure out what happened though.. we came home after work on a really really hot (100 degree) day, and found the table top in pieces! After that, I googled around and saw horror stories about tables exploding onto peoples laps sending them to the ER. I will not be buying any glass patio tables again! I wanted to make a new top out of a DIY mosaic tile project.. but we didn’t have time for that. We ended up just buying a new table.
Love the color by the way. You guys rock!
YoungHouseLove says
Yikes! So sorry to hear that! Our old set has been around for a while so I hope that means it can weather both the cold (we moved in with 5″ of snow on it) and the heat (two days ago it was 100+ here!).
xo,
s
Heather W. says
I too have a glass table for years (at least 11) and it has stayed outside the entire time and has cracked or chipped. I live in Indiana which is the humidity and heat capital! yuck! It isn’t in bad shape but I have definitely been thinking of spray painting it in ORB (look at me haha)so perfect timing for this post. THANKS!
Heather W. says
oops meant to say that it HAS NOT cracked or chipped the entire time we have had it.
Kat says
I have a dog food and cat food plastic bin (different colors of course)in the kitchen. I want to prime with plastic primer and then paint a great spring green to coordinate with some other items. I’ve just been delaying and now for the next week or so it will be too hot. Oh well. Sometime this summer it will get done!
I don’t have any ORB in my house (I know – you’ll revoke my reading privileges LOL) – but your table and chairs look great. Love how they glisten in the sun. Painting Karl’s legs got me thinking. I have a Ikea loveseat with silver plastic/metal gross legs. Thinking of colors to update the cheap look.
rachel says
I love it! I have some old adirondak chairs that are worse for the wear and need a fresh coat of paint. Do you have any tips on how to tackle that project?
YoungHouseLove says
For those I don’t think I’d spray paint. Not sure though because it might help to get stuff in the cracks better than a brush. But sometimes a small foam roller (and a brush for the cracks) is a more foolproof way to paint wood furnishings (since spraying large items can result in drips and imperfections). Whatever you do I’d use primer first for better adhesion. Good luck!
xo,
s
Casandra says
We need a Sherry spray painting video tutorial! A sort of sequel to the cutting in painting video.
YoungHouseLove says
Not sure I can do that without getting spray paint on my video cam! Haha. It’s a hazy dusty process!
xo,
s
Kate says
We’ve been using an extremely ugly neon green 5-gallon bucket to collect our cans for recycling (in Iowa, you have to pay a deposit when you purchase canned/bottled beverages. You get the deposit back once you take the cans/bottles to the recycling centers at grocery stores). All of our other recycling goes stright into our giant bin outside.
Sooo I got crazy one day and decided I wanted to paint our “bottle bucket” Electric Cherry Explosion Red. At least, that’s the name I gave to the cheerful bright red can of spray paint I found. I followed Sherry’s painting instructions – when sprayin’, arm should be swayin’ – and it turned out beautifully! A much brighter and more cheerful addition to our pantry.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like the most fun recycling bin ever!
xo,
s
Allyn says
I’ve been spraypainting an old rolling butcher block cabinet ($5 at Goodwill! Holla!) for the past, oh… month? Yeah, it’s pathetic. But our wedding is in 23 days. that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Haley says
I just can’t get over how creative and thrifty you guys are! The patio set looks brand new, and I can totally see the potential of a great space with the accessories you mentioned.
I’ve been thinking about spray painting an old wicker chair I have, but just haven’t found where I want to incorporate it into my house yet.
http://adashofkennedy.blogspot.com/2011/06/wicker-re-do.html
Any Ideas?
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh I’d go ORB. Haha. Or dark navy or charcoal. Yummy!
xo,
s
Amber says
(Sherry, I just joined Pinterest and loving it so far! I tried to find you to follow, but I am having trouble doing so. Not sure why.) I love the fresh coat of paint on the patio furniture. It’s crazy how a little paint can make something look so much better.
YoungHouseLove says
I think going to pinterest.com/younghouselove should help!
xo,
s
mariam says
gorgeous! looks brand-spankin-new and quite haute couture! like a parisian patio! good on ya!
Teresa says
Earlier in the week I spray painted outdoor table and chairs. Now I wish I had painted them ORB instead of hunter green. Your furniture looks great.
allie says
I have been a spray painting spree turning brass doorknobs and brass ceiling fan hardware into brushed nickel, saving me tons of money on new doorknobs and hinges.
Libby says
Terrific idea! I just spray-painted a couple of wicker indoor chairs (lime green!), and love the inexpensive little push they give our eating area.
Kelsey says
It looks so great! Great way to waste not :) Love it!
angie says
Did your glass top remove easily? I’ve been wanting to tackle my pation set (also left behind by previous tenants) but am not sure how easy it is to remove the top.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup it just lifted off. So I had to not be a klutz for ten seconds while I carried it to the grass. Amazingly I pulled if off.
xo,
s
The Perfect Palette says
I’m loving the before + afters!! What a transformation!! So charming + inviting.
Chrissy
The Perfect Palette
Lauren says
Quite an upgrade.
I live in a highrise in a city so no spray painting for me unfortunately. I painted my nails last night though.
Candice says
I bought a cab of ORB paint to paint my iron headboard this weekend. I bought it at Home Depot and the salesman said to do three thin even coats just like you! Wish me luck.
Your chairs look similar to my mom’s chairs that my sister inherited, but sister painted them black.
YoungHouseLove says
Good luck! You can do it!
xo,
s
Nevin says
I just spray painted a ceiling fixture in my bathroom with the same brand, yet in satin nickel. LOVE IT! I also sprayed an old lamp with funky shapes on it (it’s over 40 years old:/) – it looks amazing! My daughter is taking T college for her apartment. It’s soooo hip now! I, too, love spray paint!
Jo @ Let's Face the Music says
The ORB furniture looks great! Can you believe how terrific it looks after that quick fix? I’m more of a Metallic Charcoal girl which I used to transform a used-to-be white bistro set. http://charlieandjo.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/bistro-love-before-and-after/
Thanks for inspiring us. Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
YoungHouseLove says
Cute!
xo,
s
J'Ann says
Never fail to work magic guys! Love it :-)
RebeccaNYC says
Are you kidding? This set looks fabulous now. If you ever decide to get rid of it, just let me know…
renee says
Not related to this post, but wondering what the youngsters think about the new Netflix price breakdown and what you will do? I’m leaning towards just streaming movies and dropping the discs.
YoungHouseLove says
We really don’t watch streaming much at all, so we went with disks only. We don’t have a device to view streaming on our TV so we just have 13″ laptops for that. Maybe that’s why we never use them for that. Haha.
xo,
s
LaVerna DuBois says
Ok, so I’ll admit I have not read all 174 comments, so I hope someone hasn’t already said this but if they have, oh well, you get to hear it twice. :) If you spray the piece with plain black first, then go over it with the ORB you will get more projects out of one can. It is a very good way to save a few bucks.
YoungHouseLove says
Smart!
xo,
s
Raquel says
OMG! I spray paint everything. I can give you a run for your money, Sherry! Most recently, two peeling white wooden patio chairs transformed into beautiful burnt orange. Three trellis inthe back yard. Countless picture frames. Four kitchen chairs went from ho hum natural wood to two burnt orange and two striking blue chairs. A magazine basket. A little shadow box for my daughter’s room. What I can’t quite figure out yet is how to paint ceramic so that the paint sticks. Help?!
YoungHouseLove says
Sand it to rough it up, then spray primer, then this Rustoleum All Surface stuff. Good luck!
xo,
s
Kel says
Love your little prjects. It’s great too see you working with what you’ve already got.
Nicholin says
ORB.
There another one for anyone playing a drinking game. Ha!
Donna Huebsch says
Gosh – this looks great! I haven’t spray painted anything in quite a while, but am considering doing a windmill – yes, windmill. We have one of those miniature country-style windmills out back and it’s rusty and yucky and definitely needs new paint. I’m just not sure if I can spray paint right over the rust or if I’ll have to remove it first…guess I’ll have to do a little Googling first :o)
Jeanine says
It looks like a brand new patio set! Gotta love a little ORB!
I can totally see the swag lights and the pillows. Perfect place for dinner on a summer night!
holly says
We spent two days one weekend spraying our outdoor light fixtures. It saved us a ton of money and the light fixtures look brand new. Before spraying them they were the old nasty brass and now they are a textured black.I despised them before the spray and now I love them. Plus the hubs is relieved I didn’t go out and purchase new. Amazing what spray paint can do!