Just Add Paint: Vintage Lawn Chair Refresh!

Happy Friday!  I finally have a painting project checked off my ‘to-do’ list, giving my vintage metal lawn chair a refresh, with paint!

I picked up this vintage metal lawn chair for $15 four years ago. It’s served as a plant stand, a photo prop for flowers, and as a seat to sit to watch the hummingbirds zip around the Potting Shed.

I loved the patina and faded color on the arms of the chair. . .

The arms originally appeared to have been painted white and there’s also a hint of a green paint layer underneath.

The chair is still in good shape with mainly surface rust. I decided it was time to give it a couple of coats of paint to help protect it and give it a face lift. I gave the chair a good rinse, wiping it down to remove any debris and allowed it dry thoroughly before painting. If you have any flaking paint, you would want to sand or scrape these areas well before painting.

Note: Take proper precautions and determine if your vintage chair has lead paint before sanding and scraping.

I had some leftover She Shades, a chalk-based paint formulated for exterior surfaces, that I used to refresh a garden planter and a birdbath. One of the benefits of using chalk paint, is that it adheres to metal without priming. The other benefit is how quickly it dries, in an hour or less, especially outdoors in the summer heat. I gave chair two coats, allowing the paint to dry between coats.

I started with a base coat of “Pastoral Rouge,” a vibrant red color that’s cheery and bright.

I could have stopped there, but I decided I wanted to highlight the texture of the metal chair, in keeping with its vintage style. I dry brushed a layer of “Farmhouse Linens” and then “Evening Eucalyptus” on top of the “Pastoral Rouge”.

If you’re not familiar with ‘dry brushing’, it’s a paint technique using an almost dry brush to apply paint.

Dip the ends of your brush in the paint, then blot your brush on a some paper towels or newspaper (I used a piece of cardboard), wiping most of the paint off, before lightly dragging your brush over the surface.

Dry brushing takes very little paint. Even after three painting projects, you can see from the jar how little green paint I’ve actually used.

After the paint was completely dry, I sprayed on a couple of coats of flat clear sealer to help protect and prolong the paint finish in the elements.

Here she is with her new finish and sitting pretty with a sunflower pillow and ‘Fleur du Soleil’ watering can.

Watering cans are blooming with sunflowers, recycled from my Monday Morning Blooms’ arrangement.  They’re joining coleus, abelia and Limelight Hydrangeas.

The garden is looking tired this time of year after our hot, dry summer. . .just like me. ;)

The Limelight Hydrangeas are beginning their fall metamorphosis, transitioning from their creamy-chartreuse color to the burnished pink-bronze shades of fall.

Look at the size of these blooms. . . some close to 9-inches . .no wonder the branches are drooping under the weight!

If you’re looking for an easy to grow, low maintenance shrub in your garden that will provide you with both beautiful cut and dried flowers, read my public service announcement, Plant a Limelight Hydrangea. . .or Five.

Hurricane Dorian is downgraded to a Category 1 but still packing 90 mph winds, skirting the Carolinas and flooding coastal areas. Keeping everyone in Dorian’s path, as well as the Bahamian people in our thoughts and prayers. ♥

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 Between Naps on the Porch