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oceanna_gw

Have any of you ever spray painted your plastic garden furniture

oceanna
11 years ago

How did it come out?

What prep would you recommend?

How well did it last through the weather?

I have a couple of chairs and a bench that I kinda hate to put in a landfill.

Thanks!

Comments (5)

  • Robin Henson
    11 years ago

    Years ago I sprayed faded hunter green resin chairs and a loveseat with Fusion paint. The cost was hard to swallow as it required many, many cans. Did they come out okay, yes. But certainly weren't as new looking as I had hoped.

    What I have had great results with however is exterior house paint. I have many white resin chairs that are now 22 years old. I clean them well and paint with a brush or foam roller. The exterior house paint repels weather and stains and in the case of the white chairs the gloss white paint I use stays shiny for years.

    Recently a neighbor stacked up several very badly stained and weather beat resin chairs and a round resin table on the curb destined for the landfill. I hauled them home, rolled and brushed on some Zinser 1,2,3 primer and painted the collection with a smoky olive exterior semi-gloss paint left over from another project. The chairs and table look fabulous and will weather for years before another coat of paint will be necessary. This weekend I am painting several more resin pieces for a friend in Sunflower Yellow, again exterior paint.

    Try it! I think you'll be pleased. At least 2 coats maybe three may be necessary but it is a great way to extend the life of the chairs, use up leftover paint and save space at the landfill.

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Oh, thank you so much Arjay! I really appreciate the great explanation of what you did. That's what mine are -- faded hunter green, old and shabby, but still very useful for rest breaks between strenuous yard work chores.

    Both the olive green and sunflower yellow sets you did sound delightful. Do you have any photos to share here by any chance? How nice to pick whatever colors you want. You've got me excited about the possibilities as I just changed my house trim color to a pretty aqua blue and now thanks to you can match my chairs to the trim.

    Do you have any good thoughts to share about how to best clean them prior to priming by any chance? Do they have to look completely new/clean? Mine got some deck stain dripped on them. Did you sand on any scratches or just wash and paint?

  • lazy_gardens
    11 years ago

    oceanna -
    I have a plastic lawn chair I painted when Fusion first came out. It went from white to pale yellow (one can of paint, if I remember right) and it's still pale yellow.

    Scrub them well with some sort of detergent and water, rinse and let them dry. Don't use any soap that says it has oil or lotion - grease is your enemy!

  • Robin Henson
    11 years ago

    Oh, the aqua will be fabulous! Using house paint opens up so many more options versus what the spray cans offer.
    No, they don't have to be spotless clean. I have used water and dishwashing liquid, spray shower cleaner and Awesome from the Dollar Store and just hose them down real well. Just something to remove any grease or sweat. You will prime and paint over any stains and scratches.

    Your pieces will feel rough during the primer and first coat phase. By the second coat you will see and feel the difference and the third coat if needed will make them even smoother.
    The pieces I have done are at our weekend place and sadly it will be many more weekends until we can get there again, so sorry no pictures on hand.

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Lazygardens - Thanks, that's a good tip about the soap.

    Arjay - Thanks for the details. I'm glad you told me about the 2-3 coats and the roughness. Okay about the pictures. I just bet they look great! I'm so happy to know we can use the house paint. That's such a great tip. I already have a good primer, so the cost to me will be essentially zero = my favorite price! :o)