Thrifty Decorating: Refreshing Old Patio Furniture

Get your outdoor area ready for summer with this easy budget friendly patio furniture refresh.  
Summer is definitely here, so it's time to get your outdoor area summer ready. I don't know about you, but after a long winter our outdoor patio furniture is looking pretty shabby. We have a wooden deck in our backyard, but it isn't covered, so the Texas sun can be very unforgiving to say the least. 

We plan on building a cover for our deck in the near future, but currently it's just not in our budget. My family spends a lot of time outdoors in the spring and summer cooking out, so what I can do is a simple summer refresh to make our outdoor area a little more inviting. 

The Wrought Iron Patio set that we have is still in really good shape considering it's 6 years old. The table and chairs have some fading, but really all it needs is a small face lift and a few decorative items to bring it back to life.  

Today I'm sharing my simple summer patio refresh while still keeping my budget in check. I pulled this summer refresh together for $25 with products I picked up at my local Walmart. I'm so happy with how awesome this project turned out, and now our patio set looks brand new again!!!!!

This is the before photo which looks pretty bad and faded. So does the deck, but that's a project for another day. The best inexpensive option to refresh this type of patio set is to use spray paint. A can of spray paint can go a long way at taking just about anything from sad to fab! Plus the color choices are endless which means you can change the colors every couple years or keep it the same. 

I chose to keep our set black and went with Krylon's Supermaxx Black/Satin Spray Paint. There is no sanding or priming needed which makes this project even simpler. Just wash down the patio set with soap and water and let it air dry before starting. I purchased 4 cans priced at $3.86, but it only took a little over 3 to complete the project.

The Kyrlon Supermaxx has a rust protectant and a fast dry time which I needed, so this is a good paint choice. Once I got started it took me just one day to get the whole set painted. Keep in mind that is painting on and off throughout the day since we are already in the heat of summer. Once I started painting, I could already see a major difference. 

Another thing I love about the Krylon and Rust O Leum Spray paints is that they bond to metal, wood, glass, ceramic, plastic and more. Our umbrella holder is made of a thick plastic and the spray paint adhered so smooth and dried quickly. It used to be tan, but I think it looks so much better painted black to match the table and chairs. 

I spotted these Mainstay Red Outdoor Resin Seat Pads on clearance for $1.50 each in the garden center, so I grabbed 4 for a total of $6! Each cushion has a soft foam inside, is UV treated, fade and weather resistant. I chose red, but they come in a variety of colors and patterns. 

My plan is to just bring the cushions outside as we need them, because it gets super toasty here in Texas. We also have a Basset Hound that chews everything, so it isn't a good idea to leave anything in his reach. 

I think the cushions add the perfect pop of color to the chairs. If you want to add even more of a decorative touch Walmart has outdoor throw pillows on sale for $5 each in a variety of colors and patterns to easily mix and match with your cushion choice. 

To finish off the look I added a Cutter Red Tin Citronella Candle and planted some red and white impatiens in my Texas planter which was a purchase from last summer.    

So there you have it my $25 Budget Friendly Summer Patio Set Refresh!!! If you look to the left of the table you can also see our DIY Outdoor Brick Fire Pit that I made back in 2011. If you have been wanting a fire pit, but don't have big budget to purchase one, check out the link at the end of this post and you too can make an easy DIY outdoor brick fire pit.  

Next on our summer to do list will be staining the deck and painting our picnic table. For more outdoor inspiration using products from Walmart check out the following posts. 


Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program I've been compensated for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions stated above are my own. #sponsored #wmtmoms

1 comment

How lovely! Always feels sooo good to get anything 'refreshened'. I'd love to sit out there with you and enjoy some sweet tea together. =)