Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Cleaning Vintage Patio Furniture?

I'd love to have your input today on my new-old patio furniture! I got to choose some beautiful vintage patio furniture pieces from my grandmother's house last month. I've always admired them, and feel so happy when I see them on my own deck. The cushions are all still in our shed, as are the chairs for our dining table, because of the delightful pollen we've been experiencing here in Virginia.

Forgive the extreme, "bare bones" photos here, but this is clearly in the beginning stages of planning.

The white pieces are from my grandmother's home...the rest were purchases from Target or Lowe's.

My grandmother kept her furniture on a covered deck or covered patio for years and years, which is why the pieces are in such excellent condition. I want to keep them in good repair, which is why I thought I'd come to you guys for some advice. 

How would you clean these guys before repainting them?

The paint is not in bad condition, but they could all use another coat of white. No rust anywhere...just dirty where the lawn guy didn't air them out/clean them off. 


What do you think? Soap and water, Clorox, 409??

I'm also a little unsure of how to go about painting them. I've considered looking into having an auto body shop coat them for me, but I have a leetle feeling that might be out of my price range. I guess my friend Google is going to come in handy, unless any of you have direct experience in painting/spray painting metal patio furniture? 

Please chime in if you have any suggestions!


16 comments:

  1. Lucky you! That looks like nice, sturdy furniture. Real Simple tweeted these tips just yesterday: No matter what it's made of, it only takes 2 steps to clean your patio furniture: http://simplystated.realsimple.com/2012/04/24/how-to-clean-patio-furniture/

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  2. I love free furniture! I don't have any experience cleaning or painting patio furniture but my parents repainted theirs several years ago and the paint is still looking good. I think they just used spray paint.

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  3. Last year I redid a set, but it wasn't in good condition - it was all bumpy. I just worked with my sander and then primed and sprayed. However, a reader had suggested having it sandblasted and sprayed just like you said. Mine is under cover, but in the long run it might be what I have to do, I am not sure if it will hold up or not.

    Good luck!

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  4. I would assume they'd clean up with the same process I used for my aluminum siding - dish soap, water and a little bleach. That combo was ridiculously effective.

    These are going to look great!

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  5. Krud Kutter from Lowe's works well on outdoor furniture (I use it in my power washer too). Before I panited my set, I washed everything down and used a steel brush to "scrape" it up and take off any bumps. I then sprayed the pieces with Rustoleum outdoor spray paint. They look like new!

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  6. Hey girl, I snagged some granny furniture of my own a few years ago (in white) and gave it a power wash, let it dry in the sun, sanded any chips and spray painted with RustOleum outdoor ORB - lasted two years and two season, had to touch it up in spots in the third but just store a spare can for the future!
    Kate

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  7. Lucky you! I'm so glad you got your Nannie's furniture!

    If you're going to paint it, I doubt you need to do too much to clean it. If it's not "bumpy" feeling, you can probably just clean it with a bleach solution and let it dry thoroughly in the sunshine. If it is "bumpy" at all, I suggest rubbing it with steel wool then hosing it down good with a powerful jet of water (or a power washer if you have access to one).

    As for paint, I think you'll have great results from RustOleum's outdoor spray paint. That stuff is great! And you can keep an extra can on hand in case you need to touch up--very affordable and doable. :)

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  8. I'm in the process of redoing a mismatched set I got from Craigslist's free sectin & Goodwill. I used hot soapy water to clean & Rustoleom Outdoor Spray Paint...so far so good :)

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  9. Oooh! Those are lovely! I'd try warm soapy water to start. I think bleach might be to harsh unless its *really* diluted. Never had experience in painting metal furniture, sorry I can't help you there :-( I can't wait to see what you do with it though! :-D

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  10. Love vintage furniture! We have always used Krud Kutter on our outdoor furniture as well (faux wicker)...hubby uses our pressure washer to clean them every year. We too have pollen and mold!

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  11. I redid a couple of black outdoor chairs last year. I just scrubbed them down good with a mixture of dish soap and water. Then I painted them with some good quality outdoor spray paint. After the new coat of paint they looked brand new, and they still look good this year too.

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  12. Fabby! So fun and just think of the fun cushions and what a great patio you will have!!

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  13. I have the same exact "loveseat" and two of the chairs in the last pic...hand~me~downs from my MIL. I originally cleaned them with good ole pine~sol and water. I've had them eight years and they have gone from their orginal white, to spray painted ORB, and now spray painted green; two coats has always been enough to cover for me {I've never primed first}. One tip - I don't bother to spray paint the plastic strap thingies that suppport the cusions since one cannot see them.

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  14. Soo cute! I love vintage patio furniture. And how nice they were your Grandma's. : ) Good luck freshening them up. You'll have to do a post once your done and they're all prettied up with their cushions.

    ~ Catie

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  15. Try "Awesome Cleaner" from the dollar store. It works on everything, and is, well, awesome! Good luck! I can't wait to see the finished product!

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  16. Aren't you lucky to inherit this great patio furniture? I'd much rather have vintage over new any day. You'll have to let us know what worked for cleaning your pieces.

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