The Patio furniture was all rusted so the question was...
"Do we need to go buy new Patio Furniture?"
"Well no, not at all!" is the answer.
We had bought a wrought iron Patio Set 2 years ago and a cover to go over it to protect it in the winter time.
I chose it because of the blue and white mosaic pattern which I really like and I knew it would brighten up our patio.
The first winter we dutifully put the cover over the 4 chairs and the table but we had a very very stormy winter and so the wind would catch under the cover and sometimes was strong enough to actually move the set.
Several times we would have to go out and fix the cover back into position and sometimes move the table and chairs back too. Hence, because we are a lazy couple we got fed up with that and then last winter we didn't bother to put on the cover at all.
Well that was a big mistake because this summer we really noticed the rust taking hold on our otherwise sturdy chairs and we were not a happy couple then.
So I got on the internet and did some reading round the great DIY blogs that are out there to find out what we could do to get rid of the rust and save our Patio Set.
Having done that I proceeded to tell Fred that we needed to get brushes to rub over the chairs and get rid of as much of the old paint that was lifting off the furniture as we could. Then we would need the rust treatment to paint over it and then the proper paint.
Fred headed off and came back with 2 steel brushes (one softer than the other)
and
one tin of paint.
Now being me as usual I said
but that is not what I read in the blogs
Fred however told me that in the shop they explained to him that one type of paint would be perfect for the job because it was a
dual purpose one,
it treats the rust and paints it.
but it would require 2 coats of this paint.
So off we started.
BEFORE
1.
The table was hardly affected by the rust at all but Fred gave it a quick go over with the softer brush anyway as we were going to have to paint it because originally the wrought iron was a dark grey but the paint we had got was black and the table & chairs would have to match up at the end.
2.
You can see here how bad the chairs were both front and back and underneath.
However the whole set was still very sturdy it was just dirty and rusted.
PREPARATION
3.
We had to tackle the chairs with the harder brush on the rust and I rubbed the white around the mosaic design part with the softer brush to clean it up as well.
There is a scraper on the harder brush and Fred needed it to help make it quicker to lift the old peeling paint.
Look at the nice sunny day we had for starting our project.
PAINTING - First Coat
4.
When all the chairs were well brushed over and wiped down we were able to start the painting.
It wasn't long before we were sitting down while painting and then also down on our knees to get at the lower and underneath parts.
We needed some masking tape to protect the mosaic part while I tried to paint around the tops of the chairs.
When we got the first coat of paint on the chairs we were tired and really had done as much as we could for one evening.
So then after a discussion of
rain or no rain tonight?
we put the chairs into the garage because I was sure it was going to rain.
PAINTING - Second Coat
5. Well we had quite a spell of rain over the next few days but eventually we got back to the chairs to give them and the table a second coat.
Notice it is no longer shorts and T-shirts but trousers and jumpers as in the two weeks we were doing this the temperatures changed dramatically, but then we are in Northern Ireland!
6. Now there was one last thing to be done and that was the cleaning up of the table.
You can see how bad it was close up and how much better it looked after I had worked on it for a while.
The very centre out to the second round of light blue tiles was done using the softer brush and then some thin bleach rubbed along it.
The next section of dark blue tiles and next ring of light blue was done only with the bleach.
And then a small part of the outer section of mixed tiles was done with only the brush.
Definitely it is worth doing all of it with both brush and bleach as the centre part is really white now.
AFTER
7. So now the job is completed and the Patio set is back in its place on the Patio
The Patio set was not very expensive 2 years ago at £199 but I certainly did not want to have to pay money for a new set next year and so investing in the brushes and paint was a much better option. Plus the fact that Fred and I tackled a job together which makes the chore more bearable and we had some good fresh air while doing it.
Note it must be stated that it was definitely more Housework than Funwork for this project.