How I Upgraded My Old Patio Set for $50!

How can you spend around $50 and instantly upgrade your old worn down patio set?! A little patience, and some good quality materials. When we first toured our current home in an open house, I absolutely LOVED this dining set. It was a good quality wood, but was a little run down and worn out. We were lucky enough to have the previous owners leave this for us. I am not an expert DIY-er, but I like to consider myself someone who isn’t scared to at least try out little things here and there. In this post I will break down what I did to bring this outdoor dining set valued at almost $2500, back to life with just $50 👍🏽

WHY I DECIDED TO SALVAGE THIS SET

After a little brushing and cleaning to have dinner at this set one night, I spotted tiny labels that read “Crate & Barrel” 😲. Underneath all of the chipping and worn stain was some good quality craftsmanship! I knew just then that this piece was probably worth salvaging. Here are some photos of similar sets that are currently on sale on the Crate & Barrel website:

WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS DIY

  • Wood Stain (we chose to mix two colors: briar smoke and dark walnut).
  • Staining foam brushes
  • 150 and 220 sand paper
  • Mixing cup (if you are choosing to mix two colors together)
  • Rags to wipe the stain
  • Stain Sealant (this will protect from mildew and seal out any water)
  • Sanding tool
  • Wood Pre-Treatment: This is a primary step to get the wood ready for staining. We used this one HERE.
  • *OPTIONAL: for this project, we weren’t aware of how many layers of stain and or paint were possibly underneath the surface layer. Therefore, we decided to use paint stripper to make the process a little easier for us. The one we chose is this one HERE.

PHOTO JOURNEY OF THE PROCESS

wooden table after being scraped with wood stripper.
First we applied a generous layer of the paint thinner, let it sit, and scrapped it off.
man sanding wooden table
After applying the paint thinner, letting it sit, and scraping it, we began the sanding step. First we used a 150 grit sand paper, and followed with a finer 220 for a perfect smooth finish!
wooden table after being sanded and dusted off.
Make sure to wipe clean the table from all tiny wood dust debris that may be there. Before you stain you want to make sure that you aren’t locking in any tiny dust particles.
wooden outdoor chair before repair
What the chairs looked like BEFORE
After stripping, sanding, and staining with one coat of the stain, this was the way the wood looked. I love all the dimension it has! We finished everything off with two coats of the wood sealant.

THE FINAL LOOK

FINAL LOOK OF NEWLY STAINED WOODEN TABLE AND CHAIRS
The final look! The set is smooth, and looking brand new! It is a little lighter than pictured when in the ☀️
Final look of newly stained wooden outdoor patio set

I cannot express how happy I am with how this all turned out!! Upon first look, this set was something that I thought we were going to have to replace, honestly. It looked chewed up and spit out. I am so blessed to have a wonderful handy husband who is always down for a little project 🔨!

All together, using some of the materials that I already had and with what I purchased new for this project, I only spent around $50! I have enjoyed every day out here at this very patio set eating or just chatting with my husband. This has truly completed our little backyard oasis 🌺 Well worth the time and effort to have a “brand new” patio set 😃.

How willing are you to partake in home DIY’s?

Alysea-5

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