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Young House Love » Furniture & Building » How To Spray Paint A Metal Outdoor Patio Set

| By Sherry Petersik | July 14, 2011 | 288 Comments

How To Spray Paint A Metal Outdoor Patio Set

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).

Outdoor Back Patio

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.

Old Table White1

Parts of it were peeling too:

Old Table White2

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.

Patio Chair Peeling

So I just dragged everything out to the yard, set them down on items from our recycle bin (namely magazines & cardboard boxes)…

Chair Before Spray

White Table Before Spray

… and sprayed away.

Table Sprayed

Especially satisfying? Taking the nasty parts like this…

Patio Chair Peeling

… to this (gotta love that ORB glistening-in-the-sun phenomenon):

Patio Chairnotpeeling

Voila.

Table Sprayed0

Patio Sprayed

Table Sprayed2

Update: Here’s an affiliate link to the spray paint we used over on Amazon for anyone who can’t find it in stores. 

Base Sprayed

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.

Patio After00

Patio After Last

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.

More posts from Young House Love

Filed Under: Furniture & Building, Our Second House, Outside, Painting

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Comments

  1. Mika Anna says

    July 14, 2011 at 8:08 pm

    Drinking game means that I drink a whole drink each time, right? I blame you for my future hangover, Sherry.

    Looks great! Yellow and white would look rad on those chairs.

    Reply
  2. Noel says

    July 14, 2011 at 8:10 pm

    So excited to read this post- I’ve been planning to spray paint the old rusty metal bookshelves I inherited in my classroom, but I was being wussy about it. Now I’m definitely going to pick up some of that stuff and go for it…I just need to decide if I want to go with white or my new found love of ORB. Thanks for a much needed boost!!

    Reply
  3. annie says

    July 14, 2011 at 8:36 pm

    Speaking of outdoor chillaxing, I just designed and installed an urban patio/porch space for some friends who recently bought a condo in the city. The warm summer months are so precious here in Chicago, you’ve got to bask in the great outdoors every minute you can! Thank you so much for introducing me to Ana White’s website — we built the L-shaped bench seating using her plans, which were so easy and fun to make, even for us wood-working beginners. The completed space is here: http://genusloci.blogspot.com/2011/07/urban-patio-revealed.html

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 14, 2011 at 10:17 pm

      Amazing!!!

      xo,
      s

  4. Kim @ HousetoHomestead says

    July 14, 2011 at 8:45 pm

    Big improvement for minimal time and money. I love that you used what you had instead of getting something new!

    Reply
  5. Katie says

    July 14, 2011 at 9:11 pm

    Ok, so this question is totally unrelated to this post-although I am loving the ORB table and chairs! I made an imovie slideshow for my daughter’s birthday with pictures, videos, and music. I “shared” it with idvd to burn it to a dvd so it can be watched on any computer or tv. The problem-really bad picture quality…blurry, jumpy, boo-tastic :( Just wondering if you guys put Clara’s slideshow onto a dvd and if you experienced the same issues? I’ve googled the problem but can’t seem to find any good solutions. Any help would be oh so appreciated. Thanks!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 14, 2011 at 10:23 pm

      Oh no! We didn’t have that issue at all. Hmm, we exported it from iMovie to iDVD and then burned it from there onto a DVD. Maybe it’s a defect with the DVD? Or you might want to reupload it to iMovie in case it just uploaded weird. Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  6. Becky says

    July 14, 2011 at 9:17 pm

    Just painted a bench and my patio chairs a lovely black shade to match the hardware and mailbox on the porch. It is amazing what a can of paint can do!

    While I was in Walmart I bought a lovely trigger handle thingie (yes that is the real name of it)for $3 that you can attach to any can of spray paint to make it more like the sprayer on your fabulous orb paint. Hoping it will help my irritated trigger finger on my next project.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 14, 2011 at 10:17 pm

      Ooh that sounds awesome. Tell us how you like it!

      xo,
      s

  7. OwningSingle says

    July 14, 2011 at 9:38 pm

    Very timely as I’m planning to spray my similar set soon. I always have a problem with remembering that light layers are better with spray paint,

    Reply
  8. crissy says

    July 14, 2011 at 9:40 pm

    WOW! That looks a bazillion times better!

    Reply
  9. Megan says

    July 14, 2011 at 10:16 pm

    I love ORB. My future plans are to paint all the doors in my house white and the hardware all ORB. Ahhh… so much better than the multitude of colors that is going on right now thanks to the previous homeowners. Who in their right might would paint beautiful, original trim avocado green, poopy brown, pink, chocolate brown, dingy white, and a couple other colors in ONE HOUSE?!

    http://www.thependletonhouse.blogspot.com

    Reply
  10. Jennie says

    July 14, 2011 at 10:28 pm

    now that i’m a homeowner myself, i think what you two have taught me more than anything else is that even if the pieces you’re using right here and now aren’t “forever” pieces, you can still make it look fabulous! thank you!

    Reply
  11. Sarah says

    July 14, 2011 at 11:14 pm

    I’m obsessed with spray paint, have done my night stands, bar stools, mirrors, sconces, artwork, even a trunk that I got from homegoods…took quite a few coats. I get so impatient taping stuff off and trying to do the prep work that I don’t always do the best job. (Do you know anything that removes it once a oops happens?)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 14, 2011 at 11:26 pm

      Hmm, that removes spray paint? Maybe mineral spirits?

      xo,
      s

  12. Leslie says

    July 14, 2011 at 11:28 pm

    I kept seeing slender brass candlesticks in all the flea markets I went to. I liked them, but I didn’t like the brass color. So, I bought some silver spray paint and now I have 8 of them decorating my mantle and I love them!

    Reply
  13. bfish says

    July 14, 2011 at 11:40 pm

    I’m gonna show my age here . . . but for some (most) YHL followers, let me note that spray painting is NOT a new thing! They had canned spray paint in the 1960s; it was just a lot stinkier/likely more toxic than what you get now. My parents used it extensively on small furniture projects, light fixtures, etc. In elementary school (also 1960s) we made Inca masks and sprayed them with gold metallic paint. I remember it had an overpowering banana-like odor.

    Of course I took the childhood experiences to heart and have undertaken countless spray-painting projects over the years. The latest is refurbishing two different funky indoor tables (one split bamboo, the other painted MDF) that we’ve been using on our covered front porch. There’s lots of taping and multiple days involved to work in three colors, primarily hunter green. It should lengthen the life of the tables plus make the porch even more of an inviting retreat.

    Like Sherry, I’m a fan of Rustoleum products. They’re worth the extra money.

    Reply
  14. Janke says

    July 15, 2011 at 3:13 am

    Nice one!
    I am kinda shocked that you didn’t paint them white ;o) BUT I like the ORB (“Cheers!”) a lot!

    Reply
  15. Kristy says

    July 15, 2011 at 6:28 am

    I am loving your ORB fetish. I want some ORB curtain poles, but am yet to find them here in the great land of OZ :(

    Reply
  16. Gina @ Temporary Nest says

    July 15, 2011 at 6:46 am

    You guys have the magic touch! I swear, nothing I spray paint looks as perfect as yours. (Though, I suppose you have a wee bit of practice haha) Well it looks totally fantastic and like a whole new patio set! Great job guys!

    Reply
  17. Wendy says

    July 15, 2011 at 7:31 am

    Looks fantastic Sherry! And you can’t beat the $7 price tag.

    Reply
  18. krys72599 says

    July 15, 2011 at 8:05 am

    Surprisingly, since we have a tendency to leave things until they are falling apart, my husband spray painted his dad’s old white patio table just two weeks ago. While it doesn’t have that lovely ORB sheen to it, and he used some leftover stainless steel colored paint, it’s a VAST improvement over the pitted, black spots that had taken over the “white” table. Since I use a tablecloth all the time anyway, the blinding reflection of the sun off the tabletop won’t be an issue. Yes, this table is old enough to have a metal top, not a glass top… Imagine the sanding… Will have to take a photo this weekend…

    Reply
  19. Joelle says

    July 15, 2011 at 8:15 am

    We needed a new hanging light fixture in our dining room…we rent a home, and the owners left one that looked like something g dub would use (that’s george washington). so we hunted down some tag sales and i found one and bargained the price to $5! it was ok, a little too silver, so we thought maybe something bright colored like orange. the orange just didn’t suit us, it was too obvious for the space…so i went with something similar to your color for the patio furniture, and it looks awesome! then i found some old frames we had and painted those the same color and put some fun pictures in them. (why when you have a can of spray paint you just want to find whatever else you can find to spray paint? My hubby says it’s like having a power washer in your possession).

    Reply
  20. Kara says

    July 15, 2011 at 8:27 am

    WOW! Those look great! We have four pretty nice wrought iron patio chairs that a neighbor gave us (the glass on her table was demolished during a thunderstorm which was just the right reason for gettig the new set she had bin lusting over) but ours have fabric on the seat and back… I think I can still spray paint it though! I’ll just cover those parts with plastic garbage bags. I’m so excited! Thanks for the inspiration- I’ll link back to this blog post when I post my before and after. :)

    Reply
  21. Kim says

    July 15, 2011 at 8:30 am

    I love spray painting… I’m addicted. See my results here http://kimberlydamphotography.blogspot.com/2011/05/whats-up-buttercup.html.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 15, 2011 at 8:59 am

      Cuuute!

      xo,
      s

  22. Jen says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:07 am

    We’ve been spray painting door knobs in the house. We aren’t able to replace all of them at this time (they are the old yellow brass ones) so I took a leftover spray can that was a brushed silver metallic color that I prev. used on a mirror frame project and sprayed a few knobs. They look great and until we are able to buy new ones, the paint job will suffice.

    Reply
  23. Sally says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:11 am

    How did you spray the table without getting the top covered?

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 15, 2011 at 9:32 am

      The glass just lifted out, so in the spraying photos it’s not on the table.

      xo,
      s

  24. Laura @ Starting Out Fit says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:24 am

    They look fantastic!!

    Makes me want to get some spraypaint this weekend! ;)

    Reply
  25. Melissa E. says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:35 am

    Seriously. That looks great. I wish I could start spray-painting everything in sight.

    I’ve started the craziness of seeing things in stores and thinking, “Hm, with the right paint colour that would look sa-weeet.” And then I remember that I don’t actually own spray paint. It’s a sobering moment I don’t wish upon anyone.

    Reply
  26. Lea Lindsay says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:40 am

    Cans of ORB spray paint should have a label…ORB has proven to be highly addictive. If you or someone you care about has an ORB addiction, please call our helpline at 1 800 ORB JUNKIE. (The helpline wouldn’t refer you to a treatment center, but it would put you in touch with an sales center where you could buy a cases of it at deeply discounted prices.)

    I bought my first can of ORB to refinish the knobs on my exterior front door, and afterwards I found myself walking through the house, can in hand, desperately searching for other stuff to ORB. The kids don’t know how lucky they were to that they were at grandma’s.

    Reply
  27. Jordan@the2seasons says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:51 am

    Amazing what a little ORB will do. Looks good!

    Reply
  28. Meaghan says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:53 am

    Wow, looks great! I’ve never spray painted anything before but you’ve inspired me to try spray painting a metal headboard I got for $25. I hope it turns out half as well as your patio furniture!

    Reply
  29. nat says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:53 am

    Just found your website a few days ago. I love it! Since I’m new to this – what is ORB:)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 15, 2011 at 10:01 am

      It’s just short for oil-rubbed bronze (the color of the spray paint). I’m hopelessly addicted! Haha.

      xo,
      s

  30. becky says

    July 15, 2011 at 10:04 am

    i have a spraypainting disease – in that there are at least 50 cans of spray paint on a special “spray paint” shelf in the garage. i like to dig through the thrift stores and find ugly old vases/frames/etc. and paint them. we just painted our new bathroom mirror a bright red and our new kitchen island (which is an old woodshop station – and had been “shabby-chiqued” white) and now the lockers are gunmetal gray. hmmmm. what else? the list goes on and on – like the vents in the ceiling – that was fun for our neighbors – 30 ceiling vents on boxes all over the lawn (but they’re used to me and my spray paint by now).

    Reply
  31. beekeebear says

    July 15, 2011 at 10:11 am

    We just got a can of the spray paint for plastic, because we got a firepit for the lovely backyard at our new (first!) home, and we had 4 mismatched plastic Adirondack chairs to go around it. We got the paint to make them shiny and new–and matched! But it was like a $6 or $7 can of paint. And it only covered the FRONT of ONE chair! So at $12-14 to paint each chair, we didn’t think it was worth it. New chairs only cost about $17! So for now we have 2 old tan chairs, 1 dark green chair, and one chair with a shiny mocha front and a drab green back. :)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 15, 2011 at 10:14 am

      Oh man, that stinks! At least now you know. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  32. carrie says

    July 15, 2011 at 10:31 am

    I <3 this…it is so what I want but can't find :( Maybe i can find something in a yard sale and pait like this…HMMMMM!!!

    Reply
  33. Logan says

    July 15, 2011 at 10:48 am

    Spray painted two bar stools that I bought for $7 at a garage sale several years ago. This was a repeat paint job because the black paint had chipped off and showed the original white underneath. I painted black again. Do you think I ought to put a clear coat on top to try and prevent the chipping? The worst chipping was on the support bar where people tend to rest their feet. I am the worst one to do that too!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 15, 2011 at 10:50 am

      Hmm, maybe if you live in a hot to cold climate, putting them in a garage or basement during the winter months might make it last longer? I’m not sure a clear coat will do much (it will just crack/peel when the paint does most likely).

      xo,
      s

  34. Amy @TriangleHoneymoon.com says

    July 15, 2011 at 11:28 am

    Looks great! We’ve loved finding stuff that our previous homeowners left behind and giving it new life!

    Reply
  35. JoDi says

    July 15, 2011 at 12:43 pm

    Looks great! I love the way you guys renew and refresh old stuff instead of just replacing it. And ORB is my favorite metal finish so I just LOVE how this turned out!

    Reply
  36. Michelle says

    July 15, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    This week I sprayed the hardware on an old nightstand silver, and the handles look great! It was a lot easier than trying to find new handles that would fit in the holes (apparently they are a weird size) and now I have an almost full can of silver spray paint leftover for another project!

    Reply
  37. Lindsay says

    July 15, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    I must say, I drank the kool-aid. I finally overcame my fear of ruining something with the wrong color and I spray painted something. And all I could think of while I was spraying, was, “Sherry would think I was so cool! Oh, wait, she doesn’t know me! But, if she did, she would think I was cool and that my new lamps are BAMFs!” Thanks so much for all the inspiration, you guys were such big helps during our home reno last year also. Keep on keepin’ on!!

    Reply
  38. Chris says

    July 15, 2011 at 2:36 pm

    Thanks for sharing my spray paint obsession :) We did the ORB thing a while back in our updated master bath. I painted light fixtures, switch plates, and the ugly gold edges of some giant mirrored doors. It still looks great a year later. Most I recently saved $200 by spray painting ugly old hinges and gold door knobs a nice matte silver :) Then I got crazy and painted our brown (like the old super cool station wagon paneling)oven handles SILVER too. It came out great! I now have my eye on several old lighting fixtures around the house…..LOOK OUT….I <3 spray paint!

    Reply
  39. Amanda says

    July 15, 2011 at 3:00 pm

    For some reason the people before decided shiny brass upstairs and cheap fake brushed nickel downstairs was the way to go for door knobs. So I took every door in the joint off its hinges, removed the knobs and sprayed knobs, hinges, screws and latch plates ORB. The secret to keeping it strong and tough on such a manhandled object is to scrub, sand, prime, paint, then coat with a clear top coat. Also, be sure to follow spray directions EXACTLY (they really mean 48 hours) and let it cure as long as possible. Mine sat in the garage for 3 days, then another 3 days on the doors while we were out of town. Lovely! And SO much cheaper than replacement. Works for dated towel bars, light fixtures and TP holders too! Try sticking the screws into styrofoam for easy spraying.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 15, 2011 at 4:04 pm

      Love that! Can’t wait to do ours!

      xo,
      s

  40. Sarah says

    July 15, 2011 at 3:57 pm

    I find myself itching to spray paint something every time you guys break out the can

    Reply
  41. Ashley @ DesignBuildLove.co says

    July 15, 2011 at 6:17 pm

    LOVE them!!!! Looks phenomenal! Once again… ORB to the rescue!

    Reply
  42. Becca says

    July 15, 2011 at 6:53 pm

    Looks great! We have a horribly placed well head right outside our front door. I am not a huge fan of the fake rocks that people use to cover them. Once I saw Karl’s legs I ran out and bought a can of ORB and sprayed the well. I still wish the well wasn’t there but at least it looks kinda cool now lol

    Reply
  43. annie says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:03 pm

    we have the exact same table but it has a marble top! craziness!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 15, 2011 at 9:19 pm

      So crazy! Table twins. Fraternal though, not identical. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  44. Lindsey P. says

    July 15, 2011 at 11:39 pm

    The most recent spray painting around here was my husband painting a plastic barrel black so we can use it as a composter. He scored two 55 gallon barrels originally used to ship olives for only $16 each, so now we have a rain barrel and a composter for super cheap. :)

    Reply
  45. maikib says

    July 16, 2011 at 4:26 am

    it looks amazing! what a terrific make-over. you’re always inspiring me to do a DIY project! my last spray painting project was a china cabinet make-over; in this case glossy black. :)

    Reply
  46. Erin says

    July 16, 2011 at 9:03 am

    I really, really like those chairs and the color totally unifies them with the table!

    I recently spray painted an ugly old yard-saled milk can for my front steps. I have a can of that ORB with the awesome trigger and I can’t wait to find something to use it on!

    Reply
  47. Andrew says

    July 16, 2011 at 12:29 pm

    The garden looks fabulous! Such a change in so little time. I know that you are enjoying doing it.. cingrats!

    Reply
  48. Nuha says

    July 17, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    love it! I’m just curious though..where is the table from?

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 17, 2011 at 3:24 pm

      Not sure where it’s from (the previous owners left it behind). Anyone seen anything similar for Nuha?

      xo,
      s

  49. Katherine Sanneman says

    July 18, 2011 at 10:08 am

    I just painted some thrifted $1.99 lamps that had that peeling brass look. I love the ORB spray paint as well! It’s really quite amazing. I love your patio set, you should NEVER get rid of it…it’s too cute! (I haven’t shown my little project on my blog yet, but will need to soon!)

    Reply
  50. Michelle K. says

    July 18, 2011 at 7:04 pm

    Hi YHL – We’re looking for a french provincial dresser on craigslist and have found a few we like. We want to spray paint it a fun color like yellow (if we can get ourselves to be that bold). Will spray painting it leave it sticky vs painting it with regular ole paint? What’s your preference when painting furniture? We’d love your opinion since we’ll most likely be dropping a few hundy’s on one.

    Thanks!!!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      July 18, 2011 at 7:45 pm

      This is the only method we recommend when it comes to painting large wood furnishings (since it has worked for us, and spray painting hasn’t on things that big and wooden): https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/02/how-to-paint-furniture/

      xo,
      s

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John and Sherry Sitting On Woven ChairHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
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