Monday, April 27, 2015

Red bench rehab

This is actually an old upcycle. But it's one of my favorites!!!


I had gotten this bench from a friend while we were living in Georgia. We were about 45 minutes away from Savannah so we would get salt air and humidity you wouldn't believe. Seriously you'd walk outside and feel like someone left the shower on! Doing your hair? Forget it. 

It all adds up to your outside furniture quickly rusting and looking old and weathered. Quite fitting for the area. I did truly love it there don't get me wrong it was beautiful! Just didn't like the humidity and the bugs. The difference in Texas is it's a dry heat. Sticking your head in the oven vs. hell's sauna. Back to the point.... I know I know. Anyway. This bench sat there on my porch looking the same way as I got it. Sometimes it would move to my back porch that had even less cover from the weather.


One day close to the time we were going to move to Texas I decided to use up spare paint I had left over. So I sanded the bench lightly down. And covered the patio. I took a can of Rustoleum Universal metallic Hammered look in the color black, and sprayed the metal legs and backing. Being sure to cover any rust spots I found. Then I started on the wood. I took the rest of a barn door red can of outdoor paint and painted all of the wood parts of the bench making sure I got full coverage. Followed that with a Valspar antiquing glaze and rubbed it over the entire bench and then really good into the area's I wanted to "antique." left for twenty four hours to dry then took a two cans of polyurethane and sprayed the entire bench down. Left to dry for another twenty four hours.


Here was the finished product. All the neighbors fell in love with it. This bench has since survived four more moves and two hail storms. It's color is holding up perfectly.  I'm a firm believer that paint solves everything. Whether it's the color of a room or an old bench that just needs some TLC. 

Have an upcycle you have done that's one of your faves? I'd love to hear about it.

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