One of the things I was really glad the seller of our home left when he moved out was all the outdoor furniture.
Most of it was dirty and gross and not my style, but we would definitely use the furniture until I found something better…after I cleaned it all up.
Okay, fine. We sat in it before too. It was an immunity-building experience.
Of the three outdoor dining sets (yes, three!) that were left here, the one I liked the most was the one that was in the worst shape.
Of course.
It is a classic metal outdoor dining set and you really can’t go wrong with those. This set looked like it would have been right at home in an English garden as opposed to my overgrown New Jersey garden.
I’m not sure if this outdoor dining set can be considered vintage, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it is as old as me. So, definitely NOT vintage.
Cue the jokes…it’s okay. My over-the-hill self will weep in the corner can handle it.
There was nothing wrong with this outdoor dining set that a lot of a little scrubbing, wire brushing and paint couldn’t cure.
I scrubbed all the green stuff off of the chairs and table. There was definitely a science experiment growing on the legs that I had to put an end to. I’m going to feel bad if that green stuff was the cure for cellulite though.
Then it was time to deal with the chipping paint.
My kids thought it would be fun to help me wire brush the dining set.
They lasted 10 minutes, which is 9 minutes longer than I anticipated.
I probably spent a good 40 minutes wire brushing all the loose paint flecks off the table and four chairs. That was the extent of my commitment to the prep for this project. Read into that what you wish.
Then I broke out the spray paint.
Spray painting this type of furniture with all of the holes is a nightmare because at least half the paint is wasted.
Do you know where all that wasted paint ended up?
On my feet.
That was not cool.
It was also incredibly poor planning.
But, hey! I got to show you my feet again, you lucky ducks!
I decided to paint the outdoor dining set black for a few reasons. First, the set has some scroll work that is just a bit too dainty and feminine for my decorating style.
I thought the black color would offset that design feature a little.
Second, I wanted to use this set on our front porch. Our house is painted white and we have white railings, so I needed the outdoor dining set to contrast with its surroundings, not blend in.
Third, we have black accents on the front porch and I thought a black dining set would complement those accents nicely.
Oh, and let’s not forget this dirty little secret. I’m hoping the black might hide any science experiments all the dirt that is bound to collect on these things!
Someday I’d love a porch swing on this covered porch, but in the meantime we’ve ended up using this outdoor dining set quite a bit in the last two months.
Handy Husband and I like to have our morning coffee out here. Last night we sat out here with the kids and had ice cream.
This is also the space where my daughter puts out the cat food for the outdoor cat that we inherited when we moved in. The cat still doesn’t trust us, but she eats our food and seems to keep the outdoor area free of mice, so I’m fine with this relationship.
Bonus points if you spot the cat food dish.
I’m not sure how long I spent on this outdoor dining set makeover, but it was probably less than two hours. I do know I ended up using four and a half cans of spray paint on this project.
So for about $20, I feel like I got a tremendous bang for my buck on this outdoor dining set makeover.
More importantly, this was an easy win. Sometimes in the midst of a bunch of hard projects, I need to take a break to do something that’s easy, rewarding and will make me happy. For whatever reason, this type of project gives me a jolt of motivation to get back to the hard stuff.
And there’s a lot of hard stuff!
Well, this has been fun! If you’ve got more time, I have another project to share. These are my five most popular pins on Pinterest for July/August 2019.
Nightstand Cord Hack (this one is a runaway)
DIY Live Edge Coffee Table (I can’t take credit for this one, except for taking the pictures)
Turn Building Blocks Into Christmas Ornaments (Christmas is already in the stores!)
Erase Furniture Scratches Without Sanding (This is sort of clickbait-y)
Books My Kids Are Reading Part 10 (I’m not sure why Part 10 is more popular)