How to restore patio furniture

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Patio furniture can take a beating! The constant weather changes on the wood can really make your patio furniture go from something great and enjoyable, to drab and "I'm not using that!"

Every year, it seems as though when spring arrives, people take inventory of how there things did over the winter, and make a choice about keeping it or tossing it.  We found this double Adirondack Chair table at the curb in our neighborhood. All the pieces were there, and I assume at one time it was a great seat for two, under a nice umbrella. However, the Ohio weather had given it a beating and the wood had turned grey and there was plenty of mold and mildew. But that doesn't mean this furniture needed to go to the landfill! 

Here is how we transformed these weathered patio furniture into a pair of great Adirondack Chairs:

First we removed anything that was broken or that needed replaced. Depending on the goal of your restoration, carefully remove these pieces to use them as patterns for cutting out new pieces. Since we are taking the seats and turning them into 2 separate chairs, we disposed of all the unneeded wood. 

To make new arm rests where the table once was, we used the other side of the chair as a patern for the new arm rest. This provided a mirrored copy of the other, and made sure that both arm rests were symmetrical. 

Next we added some extra support to the bottom to strengthen the chairs as individual seats. When done appropriately, the strength will help make the chair last longer, and look as if it has always been there. 

Now it was time to sand and wash the chairs. We lightlty sanded with 100 grit sandpaper on an orbital sander. This removed the surface staining and smoothed out the grain that had lifted over the years of weathering. 

After sanding, we hosed the chairs down and scrubbed with a brush. It you were going to leave the wood natural, I would suggest a Mold and Mildew scrub from a hardware store. 

Finally it was time to paint. We went with a classic white paint to give the chairs a neutral color, and that nautical beach side feel. It is important to not go cheap on paint. Over the years, we have discovered that quality paint does go onto the furniture easier (saving painting time with the number of costs required to achieve an even look) and it lasts way longer! 

For anything outdoors, be sure to select a paint for outdoors, and don't use an interior paint. If you use an interior paint, you will be right back where you started by the end of summer! 

We used a brush to apply the paint. It takes a little longer to brush it on versus spraying it, but brushing puts a thicker coat of paint on. Plus a brush is way cheaper than buying an expensive sprayer to do the same job. 

After 2 coats of paint, the "new" Adirondack Chairs came out perfectly. These went up on craigslist shortly after they were finished, and sold for $125! Not bad for a quick and simple project. (if you are interested in starting a woodworking side hustle - check out this post).

Trash to $125 - Not a bad DIY Patio Furniture Project!