patio furniture refresh

we purchased a patio set from ikea last spring to host a crawfish boil when my folks came to visit. we were in a temporary rental + didn't want to spend much on the set so we got the table + chairs for about $130.

over the past year, it's seen its share of rain, sleet, snow, hail + isn't in the prettiest shape. the table has warped + the chairs are really chipped. i can't completely blame the weather, since we didn't bother to cover it, varnish it, or anything else over the past year. we left it in the elements, poor thing. i thought i owed it to the table to try + salvage her before tossing her to the curb.

first, i sanded with 220 grit sandpaper to remove the flakes. then, i hosed off the pieces to remove the dust. they actually look better wet. if i could keep them perma-wet, i'd have left them as-is.

then, a coat of primer...

followed by a few coats of krylon's sun yellow gloss...

they look better, but not super great. whatever oil finish ikea put on them made it really tough to paint evenly. the wood would just soak up the paint, then suddenly it would pool + drip in a section. i probably should have sanded more + added at least one more coat of primer. but really, i'm not sure it'd have been worth the extra effort. the table's a great extra serving surface for the patio + the chairs weren't that comfy to begin with, so we'll fold 'em up + store them for extra seating when needed.

but i really like the bright + cheery color they add, even on the dropcloth against the grass.

project costs:
sandpaper 3 sheets = $3
primer - 2 cans @ 3.50 ea = $7
paint - 6 cans @ 3.50 ea = $21
TOTAL: $31


linking up to Sarah's spray paint project party...