Do you have an old patio table and chairs that need an update? Maybe you’ve considered purchasing a new set, only to realize the cost is more than you want to spend and the quality is less than what you have currently. We were in the same boat! So instead of spending BIG money to buy new furniture, I decided to refurbish our patio table and chairs. The paint cost, though more expensive than I originally considered, was MUCH less than buying a new patio set. Read on to see how you, too, can refurbish a patio table and chairs with very little know-how and simple tools.

How to Refurbish a Patio Table and Chairs…

We purchased our patio set from an auction about seven years ago, and though everything was in pretty good shape, the furniture is probably about 15 years old. The arm rests were starting to show rust and the paint on exposed areas was beginning to fade. Let’s not even talk about the cushions! I ended up purchasing new cushions last year, but haven’t used them because I was waiting to repaint the furniture. Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t repaint sooner…it really only took a few hours total. Here’s what I did:

1. Used a wire brush to sand rusty areas and remove paint chips. (Could use sandpaper, too.)
2. Removed glass tops from tables. (each table is different, so be careful here)
3. Scrubbed paint surfaces on tables and chairs with a degreasing cleaner.
4. Covered the glass table tops with newspaper to prevent over-spray on the glass.
5. Placed dried chairs and table legs on bricks in our yard. Placed glass table tops on overturned 5-gallon buckets in the yard.
6. Sprayed tables and chairs using Rustoleum Hammered spray paint, following manufacturer’s instructions.
7. Let dry. Reassembled

These two pictures show my fabulous trick of using patio bricks to elevate the legs in my grass so I could paint the legs on the tables and chairs more easily. 🙂 I did turn the bricks over so I only got gray paint on the underside. 🙂

Below is how we taped the large patio table so we could paint the rim without getting paint on the glass top.

This picture shows my trick for holding up the side table for painting…overturned 5-gallon buckets!

We did retighten all the screws on the chairs prior to reassembling on our patio. We also cleaned both sides of the glass tables very well prior to reassembling…that is hard to do when the top is on the table! You will also want to purchase the spraying tool below…my spraying finger actually went numb before I realized we own one of these. Get yourself one!!! You will be sooooo glad you did!

Overall, we are very happy with how the furniture came out! See…easy! Now you, too, can refurbish a patio table and chairs with little effort and cost. (The entire cost for our paint was about $50 since we purchased 8 cans for five chairs, a large round patio table, a love seat, and smaller side table.) Here are a few close-ups of our finished products! 🙂

If you’d like a little help to complete this project, please print out the free printable below. Though every patio set is different, this should help get you going.

How to Refurbish Patio Table & Chairs (1)

Let me know how your project turns out! I’d love to see pictures! 🙂 Have a wonderful day and happy painting!!!

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