Ahhh it's SUMMERTIME and the living is EASY!!! Well maybe it is if you are a couple of kids enjoying the fun of splashing around all day in the swimming pool. That's pretty much what Michael and Grace have been up to since school has let out. And when they are done with the pool they have always taken their respective towels to our front driveway and spread them out there to sun themselves.
I've always found that to be a rather uncomfortable way to sunbathe, so recently I did a little internet searching to see if there was a way of sprucing up a couple of old wrought iron chaises and their cushions we happen to have in the garage. I wanted to do something practical but fun...you know with bright summertime colors.
I found a spray paint specifically made for painting fabric, but I felt that the price was way too costly for the old beat up and faded cushions we already had. So I stuck with a common tutorial which seemed to work for the people who tried it.
The one I decided to go with involved just a few products. First I purchased a quart of exterior paint in a flat finish. The color I chose was Rainwater by Behr paint. Next I purchased a fabric medium by Martha Stewart over at Michael's craft and supply store. The last few items I needed were a paint brush, which I already had, along with some good old tap water and a clean sponge.
The technique is pretty easy with no exact science to it.
Just mix roughly two parts paint to one part fabric medium along with an equal amount of water. I made sure my cushions were clean by running them through the washer and dryer before starting. Next use your clean sponge (I stress clean because you don't want any little pieces of "ick" stuck to a dirty sponge falling off onto your cushions) to dampen the cushion before you begin to paint. It took about three good coats for complete coverage. I brushed the paint on thinly and then let it dry thoroughly before adding the next coat. (Hint: make sure to do this on a dry sunny day, this will help to reduce drying the time between coats and move the entire project along much faster.)
The below pic is my cushion after 2 coats.
Once the cushions are painted they do have a bit of a "plasticy" feel to them. A few tutorials suggested sanding them down between coats, but for me that "plastic" feel was just fine. I liked that they will now repel water, can be rinsed off to clean, and hopefully not fade out as easily in the intense summer sun. (I'll have to post an update at the end of August)
I also went ahead and spray painted both chaises white. I thought this would be a much prettier contrast to the new bright blue color of the cushions.
The little brown table between the two chaises also received a fresh coat of ivy green paint.
I picked up a couple of cute outdoor pillows from Walmart for five bucks each.
This project's total breakdown...
Plus $10 for the new pillows for a complete cost of $55 before tax.
Not bad since it would have cost at least $70 just to replace the cushions!
Are they using the chaises now???
YES!!!
And it is two thumbs up from the peanut gallery!!!
Hope you are enjoying a glorious start to your summer!!!
XO
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