She Sees Shell-Back Chairs

A few years ago I nabbed up four wooden Adirondack chairs not far from my house.  My neighbor had tossed them out to the curb and attached a sign:  "FREE".  I couldn't resist.  The good thing is these weren't just run of the mill Adirondack chairs but solid, bonafide, cedar.  You know what that meant?  They would weather years in the elements and not rot or grow mold and mildew and would do very well in my backyard.  I painted them with marine grade paint but that's a story for another time.

A few months ago I nabbed four shellback chairs at an estate sale.  My oldest helped me cart them home.  "Mom, knowing you they'll be shiny and new in no time."

Fast-forward four months...

Here they are yellow.  Drab. Rusty.  Dinged.  Bent.  

First things first:  I power washed them using the garden hose blasting full-force and got off as much rust and mud as possible.  Secondly I used a brush and a scouring sponge with a little detergent and lots of elbow grease: 

I repeatedly cleaned each chair removing rust, rust, and more rust.  Don't under emphasize this step, your spray paint finish will look so much better and smoother with the rust removed.

Next I let the chairs dry completely.  In the sun with a little zephyr they were dry within an hour.  So I spread the paint cloths and started with two chairs.  I like to let one chair dry while I move to the next.  Sort of tag team spray painting. 

 

I do the underside first.  That way I'm not navigating under the chair with a spray can trying to get into each crack and crevice.  Once the legs are thoroughly dry you can focus on the right side up -- which is what people see and where they will marvel at your fine, fine paint job!  These two chairs took three cans of paint so about 1 1/2 cans per chair.

 

Next, slowly, evenly and methodically spray the remainder of the chair.  I apply at least three coats depending on the level of rust.  Pay close attention to the rusty patches and give them an extra dose of spray.  Oh, and I prefer using Rustoleum's hammered paint but cannot find it in cheery, cool colors.  Man!  That hammered paint is awesome!  Next best thing is Rustoleum's Ultra Cover 2X Glossy used on these chairs in Seaside (blue).

After a couple hours drying here's the finished product.

Purely speculation on my part but I think these are going to look snappy on the patio this summer.