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.
Roxanne says
So, I know it’s not the dog, but I saw this online and immediately thought of you, Sherry.
http://www.zgallerie.com/p-10432-owl-umbrella-stand-22.aspx
;-)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s cute!
xo,
s
shari says
I am getting ready to attempt the same type of project, although there are a couple rust spots on the table edges. should i sand these first or prep in any other way or just go for it with the Rustoleum?
YoungHouseLove says
It definitely wouldn’t hurt to sand (outside wearing a mask) just to smooth them out before spraying. Good luck!
xo,
s
Lolly says
Did you finish with a varnish or anything? Or can you just spray the paint and then use the chairs? I always wondered. I’m about to spray-paint a mirror (first-timer here) and didn’t know if I should be spray-varnishing afterwards. What do you think?
YoungHouseLove says
Most high quality stuff (like the Rustoleum we used) is nice and durable by itself (it’s made for exterior conditions and that specific material, etc). As for your mirror- I’ve sprayed many without varnish and years later they look great. I’d just do a few thin and even coats of paint (and possibly some spray primer first if you’re going over a glossy surface and worry about adhesion). Good luck!
xo,
s
Emily says
I’ve been mentioning this project to my husband to update our dated set of patio furniture. It’s actually quite nice, but the original forest green color has faded unevenly. He’s convinced that he needs to POWER-wash them before I can paint them and frankly, I might as well wait until next year with all the projects on his list!
Please say that I can get away with just brushing off the cobwebs before ORB-ing it and surprise my hubby by taking something off of his massive list!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, I would use a nice firm brush to get all the cobwebs off and then wipe them down with a damp cloth and then let it all dry and then spray them (ideally with paint + primer stuff like the exact Rustoleum stuff we love). Good luck!
xo,
s
Shannon says
I was thinking of painting an old rusty patio set a friend gave me for free. The back and seat are a mesh kind of fabric. Not sure if it is plastic or not. Do you think I can spray paint that?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah I bet Rustoleum Universal spray paint will work (it’s cool for metal, plastic, etc).
xo,
s
# honda Odyssey for Sale says
Hey this is kind of of off topic but I was wondering
if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML.
I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding experience so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
YoungHouseLove says
We use WordPress and it offers both options so you can see the WYSIWYG version in one tab and the HTML in another!
-John
Becca says
I just stumbled across this blog thanks to pinterest! I am about to paint my patio set that looks just like yours but with WAY more rusty/chipping spots — am I correct to assume that you didn’t sand or power wash to remove the chipping first? And, if so, is it still holding up OK? If I could get this done quickly without sanding first, it would probably greatly increase my chances of actually taking care of it. :) Thank you!
YoungHouseLove says
Spray paint like Rustoleum with built in primer is actually made for going over rusting metal, so as long as it’s not flaking off or chipping (in that case I’d scrub it with a wire brush or something to get that off first) you can just spray paint it. I like their Universal All-Surface spray with the built-in primer most. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Jen says
Did it really only take 1/2 a can of ORB spray paint? I was buying some today, and the guy at the hardware store SWORE that it’s going to take a lot of paint to cover mine, since they have a lot of “blank” space (i.e., the space where your paint goes through to the ground). I bought 4 cans for 4 pieces of furniture, and hope I can return the extra (if there is extra!)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah for furniture you’ll go through a lot more, but really try to spray lightly and evenly and hopefully you can return a can or two!
xo
s