Cast & Crew - Iron Outdoor Seating for the Volunteers of Local Shelter
6 Materials
$45
6 Hours
Medium
I am a volunteer at a local animal shelter (okay a kitten socializer) and I received this email -
"Hello. I'm seeking a volunteer or two for an unusual project. We have a wrought iron, glass top table and three chairs (not sure what happened to the 4th) that we'd like to spruce up for use by volunteers and staff in our outside yard area. They need to be wire brushed and then touched up with black spray paint. The three chairs also need thick pieces of plywood cut/inserted for us to then place chair cushions."
This was almost as good as kittens - so I heeded to call to action.
Luckily the shelter was able to deliver the furniture.
First I gave the table frame and chairs a wipe down with bleach. Since the items were at an animal shelter I wanted to make sure the items were sanitized. There were a few rusty spots which I sanded with fine steel wool. I let the furniture dry and set up my open air spraying station.
There is a steady breeze that goes in one direction so I prefer to spray paint in the open but some prefer spray tents to confine the spray mist. To protect the immediate surroundings and plants I placed a fitted sheet against a fence. Put on a mask to filter the air before applying spray paint. To coat the uneven surfaces use short blasts at least 6 inches away to avoid dripping.
Black attracts birds and birds like to make deposits...so I choose a highly reflective metallic grey to update the piece's look and the shininess naturally discourages birds. Since this furniture is going to be outdoors, I sprayed it with two coats of paint. I also turned the chairs and table upside down and spray painted. Wait an hour in between coats.
The chairs still needed 3 seats and so I drew a template on cardboard then traced the shape on some pressed board and cut the seat shape.
I gathered the materials needed to build the chairs, some waterproof linen donated by Plain Jane's when they found out what it was for, old pillows and a staple gun.
Do you collect items for projects but not sure exactly how they will be used? I have enough pillows saved for a massive pillow fight. Once this King sized pillow was cut in half it was the right size for two seats. Evenly distribute filler and close off ends either by sewing shut or stapling directly to the seat back.
Using old pillows gives you a built-in form to work with so that you don't need to buy poly-fil and batting to keep the filling in place under the fabric. I wash these pillows on the specialty setting of the washing machine. Any of these washing machine settings will work: stuffed toys, pet beds or pillow setting and will sanitize and keep the filling fluffy!
Staple pillow to wood backing. Lay seat upside down on pre-measured material. Leave enough material to cover back of seat completely. In order to get the seat material taunt, you need to have a heavy weight or spouse stand on the seat, in turns, as you fold and then staple material using an envelope or present pattern.
Because the seat board is thick, the staples needed to be long or risk the staples coming out. I found out that staples come in 3 lengths. Although my stable gun is small the longest staples did the trick and held all the materials in place. You can always hammer any troublemaking staples down.
The seating material is great because it will resist spills and outdoor debris with a quick sponging. The paint will protect the metal from rust. The colors work well together but something was missing. The 4th chair; though I didn't have a chair I had a small bench. Quick spray with matching paint and a coordinating stencil and the set was complete.
The shelter replaced the glass and were so grateful. There are so many ways to volunteer; it is great to DIY but even better to Do it for Others!
Resources for this project:
Rust-Oleum 244228 Stops Rust Metallic Spray, 11-Ounce, Charcoal
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Comments
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2 of 32 comments
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Wow very pretty
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I enjoyed this so much n even more that u feel as I do. Doing things for others makes you feel good in your heart. Thats so generous of,you n now id love to follow all your projects. Its,not always about making money or showing off your talents.,its the love you put into it for others n gives you a loving heart. Hugs n God bless you.i don't no much about following on here. But my mail is vyknwic@Gmail.com. Please add me Dear. N God,you n urs n all u do.
Frequently asked questions
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I was given to old weather beaten outside rocking chairs. The seating dry rotted. The seats are made by a twine but are so bad that they are not safe to sit in. What do you suggest ? How can I revamp to sturdy seating?
How did you do the buttons on the bench? Looks gorgeous! Great job and thanks for the tip about the choice of paint color! Never had even considered that. 😍