For years, we’ve had this old lounge chair sitting in the back of the garage. It came with the house, so it’s at least 20 years old. The metal frame is in good condition, but the vinyl straps are broken. I kept it around with the vague idea of restrapping it – but when I finally got around to looking into it, I discovered that it’s a really difficult job, especially with the type of frame we have. And it certainly wouldn’t be cost-effective to take it anywhere to have it done. But I hated the idea of throwing it out, since the frame is much better than most of what you can buy today.
Then I had the bright idea to put wood slats on it. (Well, to have DH do it.) I have a cushion for it, so it wouldn’t really matter if it looked a little odd, as long as it was functional. And if it was a failure, it could just go out with the annual neighborhood cleanup next month. He had some scrap cedar fencing in the garage, so tried attaching a couple of pieces to see how it worked.
Not bad! So he picked up a couple more pieces of wood, and ta-da!
We have a fully functional lounge chair! And it’s already gotten a good bit of use in the past few days. Quirky, yes, but it goes with the house.
The other yard project I worked on today was the periodic painting of the metal chairs. These chairs are even older than the lounge chair – close to 30 years old. Every 2 or 3 years when they start showing some rust spots, I spray them with a new coat of paint and they’re good to go.
I’d hate to think how many coats of paint these chairs have on them after all these years, but they’ve certainly earned their keep.
Now we’re all set to enjoy the beautiful warm days.
CabledSheep 
Okay. Now you’ve got me inspired to spray paint my ancient-and-very-rusty-but-still-perfectly-serviceable metal patio set. Hints? Tips? Advice?
It’s easy-peasy. I just clean them with a little soapy water and a brush. If you have any really crusty rust spots where the metal is actually flaking, you might want to take a wire brush to them, but I’ve never had to do that – I just paint right over light rust spots. Let them dry well in the sun. Then I just grab cans of Rustoleum enamel spray paint (gloss or flat – your choice) in the desired color, and spray away. I turn them over and start with the bottoms first. Once they’re dry to the touch (a couple of hours), I flip them over and finish up. It takes 1 to 2 cans of paint for the 4 chairs, depending on how much painting they need – sometimes it’s just a few spots that need touch-up. You might need more if you’re doing a first-time all-over paint job.
Your patio furniture is some of the most comfortable, and stylish, than any I’ve seen!
Nice. I’m definitely thinking more about how to reduce what i throw out by repurposing.