I love to take a piece of furniture that I already have, and find a way to give it new life for just a few dollars.
This one has had me a little baffled though. I’ve been looking at this rocker for awhile and just couldn’t decide what to do with it. I really wanted to use it in my guest room, but with a cast iron bed and antique colonial dresser, it just didn’t quite fit with it’s 1980’s country style. So, it’s just been hiding in a corner upstairs for the last year, sitting on the verge of Goodwill. Until the day, one of my daughter’s said, “Look at this table I spray painted!” Hmm… spray paint! I never thought of that! It’s worth a shot!
So…. here it is… just before the overhaul attempt…. lovely, right? UGH!!!
After taking the rocker outside and removing the cushions, I realized there was cloth tacked over the springs. I thought about removing it, but I wasn’t confident in my abilities to replace it. Plus, I was ready to get this job done! So…. after a quick inspection of how the cloth was attached, I headed inside to my kitchen pantry and grabbed the aluminum foil. What for, you say?
Don’t judge me! It took less than 5 minutes to cover the cloth with the foil… hopefully this turns out to be one of my better ideas (it doesn’t always work out that way).
I wanted the rocker to come close to matching my bed frame, so I selected this Rust-oleum Black Satin Paint + Primer. I used both cans – it covered amazingly well and I was very pleased! The foil held up well too (Stop laughing! It worked!).
On a side note – I have a little warning for you if you are spray painting outside in the country….keep your eyes open for little “friends” who want to help out. This tiny one scared the living daylights out of me when I went to grab the can. Honestly, my hand came very close to grabbing him. After the screaming subsided, I realized that I probably scared him 100 times more then he scared me! Still… no thank you!
And now…. this is where things went downhill. I should have stopped while I was ahead, but I didn’t…. I decided that I may need to touch up a few spots and maybe coat the whole chair with a clear protective coat. So, I headed to our local hardware store. I found the same color in a different brand spray paint, and also grabbed a clear protective coat.
The Valspar black satin successfully covered up the few spots I was concerned about, so I let it dry and decided to come back later with the clear protective coat.
Clear protective coat = Bad mistake! Atleast with the brand I used! Here’s a picture of what it looked like AFTER it dried! Pretty far from being “clear”. It should have been described as a “frosty top coat”. I was so sad… I took a 2 day break and decided to start over from square 1.
This time, I bought Krylon in Satin Black. In the process of trying out 3 different paints on one project, I realized that I like Rustoleum the best and Krylon being a very close 2nd. Both of those paints come in cans that were easy to spray, unlike the Valspar. Plus, when it comes to Valspar… Will the color on the lid actually reflect what comes out of the can? I don’t know… I’m not as trusting anymore, Valspar (for obvious reasons pictured above). Seriously though, you may not think the “easy spray tips” are a big deal, but after you are holding down the spray button with your index finger for 10 minutes, you might change your mind.
So… on to the finished project! I am super happy! 2 cans of the Krylon Satin Black, allowed to dry, and a super cute outdoor cushion from Kirklands…. ta da!!!! I love this new addition to my guest room. I will probably look for a little throw pillow to use for back comfort, but for now, it’s perfect!
Have you spray painted any furniture? I’d love to hear about your project/experience!
When I see things like this – something that was ready to be tossed away to the junk pile, but now is restored to a whole new beautiful purpose, I am reminded of what my Lord Jesus Christ did for me! He pulled me out of the mud, He cleaned me off, and gave me new life through Him. Do you know Jesus Christ? If you don’t, please send me a message. I would love tell you all about Him!
Until next time and by His Grace,
+Linda
