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Home Ā» DIY & Tutorials Ā» DIY Project Tutorials Ā» How To Transform Rusty Metal Patio Furniture the Easy Way!

How To Transform Rusty Metal Patio Furniture the Easy Way!

May 13, 2015 by Kara Cook 39 Comments

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This Rusty Metal Patio Chair Makeover was part of the porch nook sprucing up that I showed you last week. I wanted to share some tips for how to paint rusty metal patio furniture. It’s easy if you have the right tools!
How To Transform Rusty Metal Furniture in just minutes!Several years ago we picked up some metal patio furniture at a yard sale. I had great plans to sew new cushions and give it a new coat of paint. But life got busy, and it sat under our deck. For two years. Please tell me I’m not the only one with a room full of projects just waiting to be done.
How to transform a rusty metal chair.The chair was in pretty good shape when we bought it, just a few rust spots. But after two years of neglect, those rust spots took over everything. When I pulled it out, my white chair was no longer white. . .
Don't toss out your rusty patio furniture! I'll show you how to make it beautiful again!A pretty sad state of affairs. But then I used a magic wand. A magic wand in the form of a can of spray paint. Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer. Have you ever heard of it? It’s the bees knees. For reals. It covers up rust, and blocks it from spreading. Then you can use any color of spray paint that you want. I told you it was magical!
Rusty Metal PrimerHere’s a close up of my chair after I sprayed it with the primer. It also comes in a rust color, but I like the grey because it’s easier to tell where you’ve sprayed.

Spray paint for rusty metal Amazing, isn’t it?
I covered the entire chair. You want to make sure you get in all the nooks and crannies. Which is a much easier job with spray paint than it is with brushes! I sprayed the front of mine, then let it dry for a few minutes and flipped it over so I could get the back sides and legs.

Here it is all primed and ready to go. No sign of rust anywhere.
Patio Chair Makeover with Rusty Metal Primer from RustoleumAfter the primer dried, I sprayed the whole chair with Rustoleum Aqua spray paint in a satin finish. Isn’t she lovely now?
Metal Patio Chair Makeover with Rustoleum Spray PaintNext up I sewed a new cover for the cushion. I simply used a seam ripper to remove the fabric from the foam pad,  then I traced it onto my new fabric.
New patio chair cushionI just sewed the two pieces together right sides together, leaving the back open. Then I flipped it right side out, shoved in the foam pad, and hand stitched the back closed.
Patio Chair Cushion CoverTo make the cushion more weather proof, I sprayed both sides liberally with Thompson’s Water Seal for Fabric.  It makes any water just bead up and roll right off. So cool!
Patio Furniture MakeoverThen I just added my newly covered cushion, and she’s all ready to go. No hint of her former rusty old self in sight. 🙂
Don't toss out your rusty patio furniture! I'll show you how to make it beautiful again.

If you have rusty metal patio furniture, don’t toss it- just give it a new look with some primer and spray paint!!

Here are the supplies I used. I usually get the spray paint at Home Depot or Walmart, but the rusty metal primer is really hard to find in grey, at least in my area.

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Filed Under: DIY Project Tutorials, Furniture Makeovers Tagged With: diy, furniture, spray paint

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joseph Davis

    May 13, 2019 at 11:13 am

    Very cool, I did not know what could be done that way. Really are good tips to save and leave beautiful antique furniture. Thank you

    ..

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      May 15, 2019 at 10:30 am

      So glad you found it helpful! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it!

      Reply
  2. Brown6

    May 10, 2019 at 2:59 am

    Anyone tell me please about wooden primer.

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      May 15, 2019 at 10:29 am

      If you are going to be spray painting or using an oil based paint, you can use a spray paint primer on the wood. If you will be using latex paint, you need a water based primer. I like Zinsser primer. If you will be using chalk paint, you don’t need a primer. Hope that helps.

      Reply
    • Evelyn from routertable.me

      May 15, 2019 at 10:37 am

      Thanks Kara. Yeah, This helped us a lot. we are very greatful to you.

      Reply
  3. Akshay Thakur

    August 24, 2017 at 6:42 am

    Hi Kara,
    I have couple of chairs which are getting rusty and I am going to throw in dustbin But after I read your blog and thinking to restore it.

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      August 25, 2017 at 6:26 pm

      Glad to hear you will be saving your chairs! It really is a simple project.

      Reply
  4. carlos

    June 9, 2017 at 9:45 am

    Well, I really liked the idea.

    Reply
  5. Nicole

    April 18, 2017 at 9:15 am

    Great tips, I really appreciate that you used pictures along with your “how to’s” as well. I just bought a wrought iron patio set that needs painting and have been looking around for techniques and products others have used. Yours has been the most informative so far, I feel like I can do this now. Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      April 23, 2017 at 6:28 pm

      You’ve got this! It really is a simple update. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  6. Fabiano

    January 13, 2017 at 7:04 am

    I also have several of these, which are rusty thanks for the tips

    Reply
  7. Adam Yale

    December 27, 2016 at 3:18 am

    I have many such stuffs which are rusted a lot and need to be renewed and painted. This post helped me a lot!

    Reply
  8. Kaitlyn

    December 22, 2016 at 8:59 am

    Wow! What a makeover! These metal chairs turned out great. That shade of blue is so pretty.

    Reply
  9. Marcelo Cintra

    December 22, 2016 at 6:52 am

    Great tips to save and leave beautiful antique furniture. Kara =)

    Reply
  10. Luccas

    December 4, 2016 at 12:31 pm

    Very good I had rusty iron table and did not know what to do now with these tips to make a good one and not have to spend money buying a new one. Thank you!

    Reply
  11. Brian

    November 2, 2016 at 8:31 am

    Looks great! Covering up all the rust with that paint was a great idea rather than trying to scrape it all off! Thanks for sharing your project!

    Reply
    • Kara

      November 6, 2016 at 9:53 pm

      You’re welcome! It is definitely much easier than trying to scrape off the rust, that’s for sure. šŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Belinda

        November 6, 2017 at 7:28 am

        My metal chair is painted. I can get some of the paint off where it is flaking with my finger. Do you recommend the same method you described or something different?

        Reply
        • Kara Cook

          November 7, 2017 at 7:45 am

          It should work as long as you scrape off all of the loose paint.

  12. B

    October 25, 2016 at 3:26 pm

    How would i turn a white metal sconces into a gold accent rust look ? With this product ? Which color? I’m beginner and I like your simplicity method. Thank you

    Reply
    • Kara

      November 6, 2016 at 9:52 pm

      You could use the primer, and then you could spray paint it any color you want. They do have some metallic spray paints. I’ve never tried the gold, but I have used the silver with good results!

      Reply
  13. park furniture Perth

    October 4, 2016 at 2:44 am

    Lovely seat. Sometimes when i walk in the park i love the type of benches they have. I wanna put them in my garden.

    Reply
  14. Whitney

    August 3, 2016 at 3:42 pm

    Love how it turned out! I was given a whole patio set of metal furniture by a coworker! Two gliders, two chairs, and two side tables! I’m definitely going to follow your tutorial and update mine!

    Reply
  15. Lisa

    July 26, 2016 at 9:17 pm

    I have an old mobile game in my backyard was thinking of throwing out, but I think reform will be good too. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  16. Jim R

    July 22, 2016 at 2:10 am

    Awesome job saving that chair. I imagine this method is only going to work if you catch the rust before it progresses too far. At some point the metal will just lose strength and have to be tossed out unfortunately.

    Reply
  17. Raul Cioneski

    July 7, 2016 at 7:00 pm

    Very cool, I did not know what could be done that way. Really are good tips to save and leave beautiful antique furniture. Thank you

    Reply
  18. Sydney

    July 5, 2016 at 12:24 am

    Lovely outdoor furniture. And really cool to look at. Lovely article.

    Reply
  19. Jessica

    May 6, 2016 at 7:47 am

    very good I had a rusty iron chairs and did not know what to do now with these tips to make a good retirement and not have to spend money buying a Anova. Thank you!

    Reply
  20. Joan

    April 7, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    I have a metal bench where the paint is peeling off in chunks in spots and then just flaking in others. Do I have to scrape it or sand it all off first? It has all these flowery patterns, so it’s hard. But it’s a pretty bench for my patio, and I think it can be saved with your spraying. How do you suggest I get the old black paint off? Thanks, Joan

    Reply
    • Kay

      August 22, 2019 at 7:38 pm

      I used the electrolysis method on a rusty wrought iron table that had an intricate top. It took off enough of the paint and rust so that I could use a wire brush and a bit of scraping and then I used the RustOleum rust converter. It worked great.

      Reply
  21. Ashley | Free Wills Studio

    March 12, 2016 at 5:58 pm

    Thanks so much for this! I was given a great little patio set with some rust and was unsure if it could still be used. Now I can stop putting off the makeover (bc yes I’ve got a whole list of waiting-to-DIYs, too). šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Kara

      March 14, 2016 at 7:57 am

      I know what you meant about a list of waiting projects- mine’s about a mile long! Luckily this one is fairly quick and really easy!

      Reply
  22. Allie

    May 20, 2015 at 10:45 pm

    Love the new look! I’d love it if you shared this at Worthwhile Wednesdays.
    ~Allie http://www.craftyallieblog.com

    Reply
    • Kara

      May 21, 2015 at 9:51 am

      Thanks for the invite Allie, I jut linked up. šŸ™‚

      Reply
    • Allie

      May 26, 2015 at 5:05 pm

      Hey Cara,
      I’m featuring your chair tonight (8pm Central time) on Worthwhile Wednesdays.
      ~Allie http://www.craftyallieblog.com

      Reply
  23. Bonnie

    May 20, 2015 at 9:08 am

    This is awesome. I have actually passed up cute pieces of metal furniture because I was afraid of a little rust. It’s nice to know there is a cure. And you aren’t alone. I have more projects than I have time for and sometimes you just have to wait for the right idea to hit you before you pull it out to transform it. šŸ™‚
    ~Bonnie

    Reply
    • Kara

      May 21, 2015 at 9:54 am

      I was always scared of rust before. It’s nice knowing how to fix it. Opens up a lot more possibilities at the thrift store!

      Reply
  24. Joani

    May 16, 2015 at 2:00 pm

    Nice. I have an old iron bed that I’ve been wanting to paint and wasn’t sure how to proceed. I think this will do it. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Kara

      May 21, 2015 at 9:52 am

      Yay, glad you found this! Good luck with the bed. Let me know how it turns out. šŸ™‚

      Reply

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Hi. I’m Kara, and I love to create! I share recipes, DIY tutorials, craft projects, and thrifty home decor. I hope that I can inspire you to create something!
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