How I Saved Money on Patio Furniture
Before I get into how I accomplished DIY-ing these chairs, let me just say I’m not a professional! I have no idea if this is the ‘right’ way to finish furniture but I’m happy with my results and this is a way to make it work! If you’re anything like me when it comes to liking nice things but can’t always afford it, this is one solution. This is extremely easy and much more affordable than buying a brand new patio set. Plus if you thrift your furniture, it’s more unique and the chances of anybody else having the same kind as you are slim!
I was looking at patio sets online and was willing to spend the amount of money for a brand new one. The patio sets I was looking at were priced around $150-$200 and I honestly couldn’t justify spending that much money on something I thought looked extremely basic/boring. My next option was to go out in search of patio furniture in a thrift store and that weekend I struck gold! The quality of these chairs feel as if they’ve hardly been sat on and I can’t forget to mention how spacious they are. For the heck of it, I want to see if it I actually ended up saving money. Let’s do some math!
Thrifted Furniture ($60) + Spray Paint ($35) + Tarp ($8) + Painting Gloves ($13) = Total $116
p.s I didn’t include the cleaning wipes because it only takes water and a cloth to clean the furniture. I just had the Lysol wipes around the apartment & thought why not! All in all I saved some money in comparison to what I was willing to spend and my patio furniture is unique! Score!
The DIY Process
What You’ll Need:
- Thrifted Furniture
- Spray Paint
- Cleaning Materials (Water & Cloth will work just fine too!)
- Gloves
- Plastic Tarp (If you’re painting in an area you don’t want to ruin)
Step 1:
Before painting, clean off thrifted furniture. Dust it, wipe it down, and make sure there isn’t any gunk on it. I cleaned one of my chairs and was amazed at the difference of color vibrancy. I honestly didn’t think it was that dirty. The photo doesn’t really show how huge of a difference it is, but its very important to clean the furniture before hand. You’ll be sitting on dirty furniture & never be able to clean it if you just paint it directly. Can you spot the difference?
Step 2:
Shake your spray paint for a minute or two and then complete a spray test NOT on the furniture! Sometimes the spray paint cans have a mind of their own and will spray too much product. Be sure that its spraying properly before giving it a go on the furniture. Once the spray test is done, slowly start spraying your furniture.
Step 3:
Go over the furniture with one coat of spray paint and let it dry for the spray paint’s can suggested timed. Once it dries, feel free to go back over it if you missed some spots. I know I definitely had to go back over it!
Step 4:
Decorate & Furnish that patio!
This is only the beginning of furnishing my patio! I do plan on getting pillows for the chairs, a rug, lights, and tons more decor for this space. Little by little I’m working on each room in my apartment to make it feel more home-y. This is the first time in my life I’ve actually wanted to stay somewhere for awhile and decided to invest in it. Making a home definitely takes time to do especially if you’re a single little lady like me on a budget. I hope you enjoy seeing how I flip things and make them work. I plan on sharing more of my home makeover with you!
Until next time,
Raven