Special guest post today from my mom, Karen!
Free! Who doesn’t like free? So when my very smart (thrifty) daughter called to tell me her neighbor had a pile of wicker furniture out by the trashcan, I headed right over. It looked kind of sad…it was a little broken and very well worn, but I knew it just needed some TLC.
I couldnโt decide what color to paint it so I went to my default color…black. It goes with everything and is a good base if I change my mind and want a different color next year. I used eight cans of Rust-oleum 2X Ultra Cover paint + primer (semi-gloss) from Home Depot.
After the cobwebs were brushed off and a quick repair made, it was ready to paint. Since no one will see the under side, a dowel and duct tape quickly fixed a broken support.
I placed it on a drop cloth in the grass far from anything that might get over spray on it. I painted the underside and inside the legs first and after a few minutes stood it upright to paint the topside.
Long, even, light strokes produced the best results. It was a warm day and once everything had a first coat, it was dry enough to start over with a second coat. I gave it a good 5 days to completely dry before placing pillows on it.
Do you pick up โjunkโ on the side of the road or buy bargains at garage sales or flea markets? For the price of paint and an afternoon of labor you can give it a quick makeover…I love that now I have some charming wicker furniture in my yard for (almost) free. Maybe next Iโll make a few new pillows to freshen up the rest of my outside seating.
You may find me linking up with the following: Mon: Magic Moments; How Do You Do It? Parenting Linkup; Made by You Mondays; Creative Mondays; Click and Chat Social Media Link Up; Merry Monday Linky Party; Motivational Monday; Weekend Wanderlust;Tue: Treasure Box Tuesday; Turn it Up Tuesday; Good Tip Tuesdays; Project Life Tuesday; Lou Lou Girls Link Party; Delicious Dish Tuesday; SoMe2; Wed: The Wednesday Roundup; The Super Mommy Club Party; Centerpiece Wednesday; Whatever Wednesday; Retro Repin Party; Wake up Wednesday; Creative Spark; A Little Bird Told Me; Thur: Weekly Kids Co-Op; The Pin Junkie Pin Party; Thrify Thursday; On Display Thursday; Fri: Pretty Pintastic Party; Foodie Friends Friday; That’s Fresh Friday; Family Fun Friday; For the Kids Fridays; Craft Frenzy Friday; Product Review; Friday Favorites; Weekends: Show and Share Saturday; Country Kids with Coombe Mill; The Weekend Social; Snickerdoodle Sunday; Show Me Saturday; Ultimate Link Party; Coast to Coast Blog Post Party
teryn says
Awesome post! I’m always worried about painting furniture & if the paint I choose is going to stand up to the test of time and wear. The finish on these looks fantastic!
Karen says
Thank you. I have painted furniture for years and I always use oil paint. It smells and takes longer to dry but it’s extremely durable. I also use cheap throw away brushes, but a good quality spray paint is the easiest way to paint something fast.
aimee fauci says
I love this and wish I had the ability to put my creative cap on when I find gems like this.
Karen says
Aimee, a little duct tape and paint fixes everything!
Tiffani says
OMG! For years I have wanted wicker pieces like this, but they are super expensive. I love the style of the chairs & the fact they looked brand new after the paint. Awesome!!!! ๐
Karen says
Thanks and believe it or not the chairs are very comfortable. I really lucked out with this find:)
Logan Can says
Wow the furniture looks great! It’s amazing what you can do with a little TLC. ๐ I love the pillows your mom used, also.
Karen says
Thank you. It is amazing how a little TLC can really make a big impact:)
Neely says
This post couldn’t come at a better life! I was just thinking how much I hate our patio furniture lol
Karen says
If you are tired of your furniture, paint, paint, paint:) There are some great new spray paint colors to choose from!
Alli Smith says
Hi, Paris’s mom! I love the makeover! Spray paint is my best friend. ๐ It’s amazing how the wicker furniture looks refreshed and new. Beautiful! And the pillows are lovely, too!
Karen says
Hi Alli. Thank you, I love paint too…I paint everything!
sarah says
Wow, what a find and transformation! I love the “thrill of the hunt” when you find something for almost nothing or free and transform it into something beautiful like this! Kudos to your mom!
Karen says
Thank you. I love a bargain and free is even better! Some of my favorite things are “junk” I picked up by the side of the road!
Lauren says
That makeover does look super easy! I really need to get some old furniture and make it over!
Karen says
It is very easy! I hope this inspires you to try:)
Addie says
What a transformation!! Your mother is quite crafty, I love the black and with the vibrant pillows ๐
Karen says
Thanks. If you ask my granddaughter she will tell you “black” is my favorite color…it goes with everything!
cindy says
I’ve done this too. But I think shine makes it look even newer. So, if I can’t find Rustoleum GLOSS, then I add a clear shiny gloss on top too
Karen says
Great idea! I like the shine too, I will remember this when I end up with paint that I can only find in a “satin” finish.
Julie says
Spray paint and Duct tape, what great things to work with ! This looks fantastic, just don’t let your daughter’s neighbour see them now or they might want them back!
Karen says
Thanks Julie, I live about a mile away so hopefully they will never know ๐
Michelle James says
I love the transformation and I agree with your choice of black for the color. They look fantastic!
Karen says
Thanks, I love black, it always looks crisp and classic!
Claire says
Oh wow, you have done a great job with these!! They look great ๐
Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays…
Karen says
Thank you!
Kim~madeinaday says
Nice makeover your furniture came out great! And who doesn’t love free!!! Thanks for linking up on Merry Monday! I will be sharing on my twitter today!
Kim
Karen says
Thanks Kim!
Melissa Vera says
Wow what a great transformation. Thank you for linking up this week on the #HomeMattersParty looking forward to seeing what you link up next week.
Karen says
Thanks Melissa:)
Alexis @ Chemistry Cachet says
Spray paint is seriously the best thing to make old things look new again! It looks great!! Thanks for sharing this ๐
mybigfathappylife says
Thank you Alexis!
Simply Rachel says
What a beautiful transformation!! (And the quick broken support fix was brilliant!)
Thanks for linking up to ‘Favorite Things Friday’ with Simply Rachel & Hip Homeschooling!
mybigfathappylife says
Thank you Rachel!
Jamie says
So beautiful – it amazes me, how you can make something over and it looks even better than it did new!! Love these!!
mybigfathappylife says
Thank you Jamie!
Rebecca from Hip Homeschooling says
I love this! I need my mom to come fix up some furniture for me! Ha ha. I love wicker, no cat hair, looks great, holds up pretty well! Thanks for linking up at Favorite things Friday! Next time add a link back or button, I’d love to feature you on my blog and social media ๐ Hope to see you again this week!
mybigfathappylife says
Thanks Rebecca!
Bethany @ The Southern Couture says
Isn’t it amazing what a little bit of spray paint can do? I love good makeover projects, but it just gets better and better when the work isn’t as hard. Thank you for sharing at the Motivational Monday link party. I can’t wait to see what creativity you share this week too.
Have a great weekend!
Bethany from The Southern Couture
mybigfathappylife says
Thanks Bethany!
Lauren says
Hey! We did this last year to our outdoor wicker furniture with rustoleum spray paint but after one season it’s is all chipped off and looking even worse than when we bought it (from a thrift store). We live in Colorado at 5,000 feet so, the sun is intense, but I was shocked that the rustoleum didn’t hold up. Do you have any thoughts, tips, or suggestions to keep it looking nice for longer? That spray paint get’s pricey!
mybigfathappylife says
Lauren, my mom’s painted her wicker furniture last year and it has not chipped off yet. A couple things maybe: making sure that the wicker is clean of all dust and dirt and dry before starting. Also hers is under an overhang so it’s protected from the sun and rain. We also live in South Louisiana so we don’t have any snow ๐ I hope these help! On a side note we use to live in Colorado Springs (for two years) when I was in elementary school – I miss the mountains.
Kelly | Typically Simple says
Now I’m going to be on the hunt for a wicker furniture set at garage sales! I love how you added the pillows for some pops of color. Thanks for sharing at the Creative Inspiration party!
mybigfathappylife says
Thank you Kelly!
Shirley Wood says
Thank you so much for sharing with us at Merry Monday. We hope youโll come to the new party. Weโre celebrating our anniversary with a big Giveaway.
mybigfathappylife says
Thank you Shirley!