How to Spray Paint Wooden Adirondack Chairs
5 Materials
$12
4 Days
Medium
We've had this red wooden adirondack chair for a few years now. It's lived outside it's whole life. We never put it in storage in the off season. It's survived harsh east coast winters, the relentless rainy seasons of the PNW and a cross country move! It definitely needed and deserved some love.
I'm going to show you how I gave this chair a makeover - and now it's one of my favorite chairs again!
This chair was in semi-decent shape. But the red didn't really go with our current house. It was rusty, some screws were loose, and it was really dirty! Also - some paint was chipping off in some areas.
Oh yes - and it was missing a very important section of the seat! The slat completely broke off and half of it was missing. (Who knows what happened there!)
First thing I did was buy course grit (80) sandpaper. I sanded the whole thing down. Then I cleaned it a bit in some areas - wood does absorb water so you want to be careful here. I didn't want to saturate it with water. I used a cloth to wipe away excess dust. A lint free tack cloth helps here.
If you don't want to sand - you can try a liquid deglosser. I just sanded!
I also tightened the screws and repaired the missing slat area. You'll never believe was I used here! A WOODEN GARDEN STAKE! My hardware store sells them in various lengths for under $2. It's not a perfect match, but I was painting over it anyways. It's super sturdy wood. I screwed it in the chair with my hubby's drill and used a hand saw to cut off the excess length. Then I sanded the end down so it was smooth.
And don't worry - my husband sat in the chair to test it and we are good! 
After that I got to work spray painting! I used Rustoleum Paint and Primer in Gloss white. It's a fantastic paint for outdoor furniture! You want to make sure you are spray painting in a well ventilated area. It took 2 full cans of spray paint to completely cover it. This paint states it will adhere to metal, wood, plastic and more. This photo was taken after the first light coat.
It's best to spray in light coats. You can reapply coats minutes apart within the first hour. After that - it's best to wait 48 hours for it to fully dry before adding additional coats.
And here it is all completed! The paint is good for indoor/outdoor use. I love sitting out in my new chair on a beautiful day- reading a magazine or watching the kids play. It's heaven! Don't give up on those old wooden adirondack chairs - it's amazing how they can be transformed.
I'm so happy with my new chair!
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