Have you ever struggled with an item at home that was worn or faded, tired and ugly but that still functions just fine? If so, did it ever cause you to question whether to keep it or replace with something prettier and new? That was the case with two tired, faded and rusting metal patio chairs and today I’m showing you how I gave them a whole new life with just some elbow grease and some spraypaint and then how I created a new little seating area outside our back door.

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My mother has this saying “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without”. Have you ever heard it or a version of it? Well she’ll be happy to know that it has stuck with me and sometimes I even find pleasure in giving new life to something old and worn out that may have otherwise been thrown away.
That little saying repeated over and over in my head every time I saw these chairs sitting in the corner of our deck. B and I bought them a few years ago in Charlotte, NC while we were down there celebrating our 40th birthdays. We just loved their small size and how nicely they fit on the upper part of our deck near our back door. We’d often sit there in the evenings while the dogs played in the backyard.

Simple Update with Spray Paint
They weren’t expensive chairs and sadly the sun and weather faded their bright green color. They also began to rust in spots so we moved them and no longer sat in them. Then one day I decided to try cleaning them up and giving them a fresh coat of paint to see if they brought me joy again.

I found a really pretty blue spray paint that spoke to me and I thought they’d play nicely with our blue adirondack chairs without looking too matchy. I took a wire brush to the rusty spots and gave them both a really good cleaning. Once they were completely dry and clean, I gave them a couple coats of spray paint letting the coats dry completely in between. It’s amazing how quickly these tired chairs looked brand new again!
Our New Seating Area



With the chairs done, I decided to look for an inexpensive little side table to put between them. One that was maybe also metal like the chairs. I found this cute little round one on Amazon of all places for $30 and I took a gamble on the sage green color. I’m so glad I did because when I added my mosquito plant in this really pretty ceramic container, I realized it had both the blue and the green in the pattern which ties everything together!




Now B and I can once again enjoy our morning coffee or sit in the evening with the boys on our cute little metal chairs that remind us of our trip to Charlotte. These little metal chairs clearly have a lot more life in them and I hope we’ll be able to enjoy them for many years to come.

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