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.
Thanks so much for this perfect post! I’m about to spray paint some patio chairs almost identical to the ones you show here. I just got them with a table at a local 2nd hand store! I love your table more though!!
ORB is in the hizzz-ouse.
Is ORB safe to use on just about surface/medium? I feel like I should know this with my obsessive reading of YHL and your ORB obsession, but… I don’t. And I have a patio set that is metal and wood; I’m curious how it would turn out.
I think the stuff we used is for metal and wood (and plastic) so it should work. Thin and even coats are key!
xo,
s
I have used ORB on my plastic switchplates in my kitchen, hinges, and I am toying with the idea of doing the doorknobs, so I bet it’s fine for most anything! If you use the plastic primer first, you can even use it on items from your recycling bin…you may laugh, but I have done it. ORB can be an illness.
It looks good.
Just painted a 4 piece wicker set (settee, 2 chairs and a coffee table) I purchased at a consignment shop. Spray painted it brown and plan on spraying a laquer on it to help preserve it a little longer for outdoors. I only paid $150 for the whole set! Can’t wait to finish it, find some discount outdoor cushions to put on them…and, then enjoy our back deck!
Kathy I recently did the same! Gotta say, spray painting wicker is ANNOYING – everytime I looked at it from a different angle I was missing spots! So worth it though, our wicker set was left by the previous owners and several bottles of spray paint and new cushions were much cheaper than a new set! Try overstock.com for cushions, I got a 3 piece set for about $50, which didn’t seem too bad compared to Lowe’s/Home Depot etc.
The table & chairs turned out amazing! It looks like something you would end up paying big bucks for!
Your couch leg project forced me to go out and buy the same stuff and spray my fireplace screen. Love that stuff, but I’m having a hard time with the bottle — like it’s hard to get started. I have another bottle I’m going to use to update my ugly brass fixtures in the guest bath. Love this stuff!
Mandy,
I once bought a can that was hard to get started, too! It actually ended up squirting all over my hands. Must have been bad luck, because every can after that (and there have been quite a few) has been just fine for us.
We did this exact same project last year! Such an amazing difference!
I can’t believe how great it looks! Well worth a can and a half of spray paint.
We’ve got the same black chairs on our screened-in porch. We found them in our neighbor’s trash by their curb. They were white then. We were happy to give them rebirth as black wrought iron chairs after a can or 2 of black spray paint:
http://cottagebluedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/07/plant-love.html
Happy decorating & living-
Megan
Wow, It looks awesome! I love spray painting furniture but I don’t have a good outdoor space to do it. So Jealous of home owners with big yards, I would be a spray painting maniac!
It looks fantastic; much better than the original white color. I don’t like the grungy look and that was definitely strolling down the grungy lane. You have given that set new life so ENJOY !!
looks much better! ORB LUST IS UPON ME. =)
marli, agreed! i am feeling the lust too… off to find something to paint!
Looks great! Did you do any sanding on the chairs before you sprayed it? Or did the paint “fill in” the chips?
Nah I didn’t sand, but a few thin coats filled things in really well. Maybe if you felt around you might tell, but by sight they’re invisible.
xo,
s
When I get back home I will for sure be buying me a can of this ORB! LOL! I’ve been wondering if they really did have something of this sort.
Looks amazing!
I love it! It looks brand new like you just bought it :)
I’m starting to worry that if John stays still long enough you might spray paint him.
Could happen!
xo,
s
very nice! now you need to put some containers out there with fantastic flowers or better yet…boxwood!
I love the way it turned out! We’ve been needing some new patio furniture at our house. I’ve tried to think of ways to re-vamp it as-is, but it’s PVC pipe with rubber-ish/vinyl woven seats that are fraying apart.
Thanks for all the awesome ideas on the daily!
Niiiiice! I just spray painted the base of our diving board. I actually used a primer first to kill/prevent the rust it was already accumulating. It was my first spray paint job ever, and I have to say I now have the itch to do more! It is so addicting to see fast transformations!
Thank you for this post. I will now use it to convince my husband to paint our patio set. Wish me luck!
I’ve been spray painting a bunch of stuff with ORB paint lately… just did door knobs, hinges, and cabinet pulls for the vanity that were all brass when we bought our house. Next up are some great big wall letters for the kitchen and the legs of a Craigslist coffee table that I’m going to turn into an upholstered ottoman. I love spray paint!
I must say they do look fab! (you said it first) I am currently spray painting a wooden screen door (after hours…days?) of removing paint. I highly recommend wearing a mask when working in the garage (she says after the fact…Yes, I have perfect hindsight!). I have had a spraypaint hangover for 3 days now!
Wow, I just totally embarassed myself with the first comment I left. *ducks* I am such a dork, LOL!
You are not! Haha. We have the dork thing covered.
xo,
s
I laughed! :)
You mean with the hizzz-ouse? Haha, no worries- fellow dork here too! I once called Home Depot “Home to the Po” and my fiance wanted to die. :)
That’s catchy. I call it Home Deep Ots sometimes. You know, put the wrong emphasis on the wrong syllable. Haha.
xo,
s
I do that too!! Haha
I’m spray painting a brass chandelier. It’s going to be black and will hang in my office. I want to paint the metal railing on my deck, but can’t decide what color. It’s tan right now and looks kind of old ladyish…probably because this was an old lady’s house before I bought it.
Yup. That is certainly fab.
Wow, this looks amazing! ORB does look way better outside. I can’t believe what a quick improvement that made, with the glowing-in-the-sunshine effect and all. It’s spray-heaven over there this week. I would like to say that I used Ben’s nap today to… do nothing and read your blog. Do nothing as in I’ve been hungry for the last thirty minutes and really should consider feeding myself. Wow. Can you believe ORB can distract me that way? Me neither.
thanks. now i’m drunk at work.
i have some macrame chairs that my hubby’s grammy made a long time ago that i would love to spray ORB so that the colors of the chair really stand out! (you can see them here in the last pictures: http://neatheringourfest.blogspot.com/2011/03/front-yard-overhaul.html)
alas, i’m pretty sure if i do that i will be disowned from the family. so until further notice i will just have to live vicariously through your ORB patio furniture…
(oops – i said it twice more. sloshed.)
My most recent spray painting project: http://cottage1910.blogspot.com/2011/03/shiny-shiny.html
But I have a few in mind to do in the next few weeks if the rain will hold off!
Very NICE!
Looks so much better!!
I just painted some cabinet hardware in ORB in my kids’ bathroom. Figured I test those before I move on to the kitchen! So far they’re holding up!!
Slowly getting rid of the nasty gold EVERYTHING!! we inherited with our house.
i love that ornate pedestal and the ORB color! i have been painting everything turquoise and a sort of yellowy green, most recently a tray I use on our TV console and brings a nice pop of color.
So funny because I too have been on a spray painting binge here recently. I’ve spray painted some primitive metal stars red to go in my son’s already blue and red room. I also spray painted my kitchen cabinet hinges when I repainted the cabinets and got new ORB pulls. It sure beats having to find and buy all new ones!!
WOW! What a difference! You guys are so inspiring. I mean I have the urge to go buy a bunch of cans of spray paint and just randomly start spraying things around the house :-)
I couldn’t find small black end tables that I liked for our deck, so I bought 3 small plant stands at Ikea and spray painted them shiny black. Also a wrought iron table for next to the grill…found the right style at Home Goods but it was ivory so I spray painted that too. Your ORB table and chairs look great, and brand new. I’m a believer.
Love the updates! I’m guessing the chairs and table weren’t a set originally, since they were different colors? The reason I ask is because they totally look like they were purchased as a set after your spray paint work….nice job! And that color is fantastic!!!
Yeah I think they were separates. The chairs matched each other but not the table. So happy a little ORB unified them.
xo,
s
Looks so good! It really is so amazing what a can of spray paint can do…especially for outdoor stuff!
I did a couple outdoor painting projects this summer: http://thelifeingreen.com/2011/06/12/2011-outdoor-projects/
Sherry, you are my spray paint hero and spray paint queen!
Do you take this “new” good looking patio furniture for Claras monthly birthday picture?
Elisabeth
Oh yeah her pic! We plan to squeeze that in this afternoon.
xo,
s
wowza! that’s awesome – i don’t think i’m familiar with the ORB spray paint, so we might have to get acquainted!
i just recently used spraypaint to create this:
http://rositadesigns.blogspot.com/2011/06/graphic-wall-art-tutorial.html
I’ve been meaning to thank you, you got me totally turned on to ORB spray paint from an older post. We used it to turn an aged, formerly white-but-was-yellow-with-dirt-and-grime fan to looking new and spiffy. Our screened in porch had this sad fan when we bought the house. My husband was thinking of just replacing it when we painted the wood trim white and the ceiling sky blue as it stood out like a sore thumb. Instead, I channeled my inner Sher-dog and said “spray paint ‘er!”. We did the fan housing the ORB, and blades a shiny black. My parents thought we’d bought a new fan it looks so sa-weet! With the remaining ORB, we painted a similarly yellowed plastic outside thermometer that hangs on the porch. The only sad part of this tale is I have yet to use the ORB on its initial purpose: interior doorknobs and hinges.
Does anyone know if you can you spray paint bamboo furniture?
Hmm, I think Rustoleum All Surface might work. Anyone know?
xo,
s
YES! I found a bamboo table with a glass top at an estate sale & spray painted it black to match the rest of my outdoor furniture and it looks great! It is actually easier to spray-paint than wicker because you don’t have all those weird crevices you miss if you don’t spray it from EVERY SINGLE ANGLE IMAGINABLE – lol…
It looks fantastic. I heart ORB spray paint (“put an ORB on it” is now a phrase in my house). I just ORBed a $10 light to make it look like something from restoration hardware. So much nicer.
My other project was removing 9+ layers of wallpaper and paint, plaster and sand, and then paint my closet’s closet. It looks so much better now (and the paint was leftover from another project which means FREE!).
Hopefully the previous owners don’t read your blog…they’re going to want their patio furniture back!
Haha, they do read occasionally. Uh oh! Haha.
xo,
s
That looks great! Great “not wasting” ;P
Yup, just spray painted chairs for my girls birthday party. Purple really took them from super craigslist drab to party fab ;)
http://fishly-fishly.blogspot.com/2011/07/nine-dollar-party-investment.html
Big improvement on your set – do you use a special nozzle on your spray can?
Nope, I just spray right from the can. I love the trigger design though. So handy.
xo,
s
i painted my brown outdated kitchen cabinets white and spray painted the hinges and hardware silver. turned out just right!
We spray painted our kitchen hardware silver, too. So much cheaper than buying everything new… We have had issues with some of the paint on the knobs rubbing off. Any ideas?
Maybe try sanding and then use spray primer before respraying them again (high quality paint helps too!).
xo,
s
What a lovely set. And It looks better with black. Maybe after a while when you get bored from this color, you can paint it fresh green or yellow…
I thought that Yellow will be better…
Looks great! We just recently did a quick spray on some Craigslist chairs.
http://lifebeginsatthirtyright.blogspot.com/2011/06/inspired-by.html
Spray paint is the best :-)
It looks so much better. But I’m not sure ORB is the best “outdoor” color either. Seems like you need something more dirt/dust colored (with a swap out for all yellow furniture in the pollen season)! We have an ORB pergola and it shows too much dust/dirt for me. Keep us posted on the “dirt show” factor, K?
Will do! So far (after a big rain storm and lots of leaves dropping) only the glass is dirty on top.
xo,
s