Any time I see a wicker chair at the thrift store for less than eight bucks, I snatch it up. I don’t know why I choose 8 dollars as my limit and not 7 or 9…it just seems like an awfully nice number. Like the Blake Shelton of numbers. I would get along with an 8.
Anyhoo…I found these two wicker chairs at different thrift stores at different times and they have been sitting in my garage waiting for a makeover.
The white one was really really dry. It had obviously been outside and the paint cracked and was flaking off.
I want to use these outside – so the first thing I did was whip out my wire brush. It’s a great tool for cleaning in crevices like these. It did the job pretty well with the dandruff.
Then I used our new Amplifi to spray the entire thing down. What is an Amplifi? Well I am so glad you asked 🙂 It’s like a hose holder and a pressure washer washer had a baby. And the thing came out all dark gray and hairless. The fine folks at Briggs & Stratton sent us one and we’ve been playing with it every.single.day since.
I think the technical term is hose powering and storage system. It takes a regular ole hose and turns it into a high powered cleaning and watering tool…and a wicker-chair makeover tool. I wish I had a picture of me in action with this bad boy (but I didn’t want to risk ‘cleaning’ my Mark II). Anyhoo…it’s awesome…you want it. I did. I just didn’t know I did.
So after I got done spraying the entire chair, it was looking clean and ready for paint.
Now let’s take a look at the black one.
It’s finish wasn’t quite as bad…just a few flakes and a bit of Amplifi-ing got it ready.
Now are you ready? Here’s the finished product – a couple newly spraypainted chairs. I used the Rustoleum’s Oil-Rubbed Bronze and love it so much.
Since the black chair wasn’t as dramatic – I decided to show ya just the white to black transformation. Doesn’t it look so much newer and cleaner? I love the sheen that comes with the spraypaint (although black would look good too – I just wanted that extra ORB glimmer). Oh and the cushion is from Walmart. Much better, huh?
Plus – it’s great that we have a his & hers chair out front…you know…so that we can greet those girls knocking on the door for Will. And yes, we are holding weaponry. A mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do 🙂
Absolutely fabulous! Your $8.00 rule makes me laugh because I do the exact same thing! $10 is way too much but $8 makes me feel so much better. I found a place that does $8 eyebrow waxing. It’s like they know they won’t get a tip if they charge $10!
They look AMAZING!
They look perfectly awesome, Katie. Such a nice addition to the front porch. Also, I didn’t get a chance to comment on your office. Absolutely beautiful. It’s so serene and girly. I feel inspired to use that lime green color on something. Are you enjoying the office and using it alot?
You and Sherry share that ORB obsession. Hopefully, Clara will not be greeted with weaponry. The chairs look great!
Cute chairs! I like the ORB on them and that they’re not identical.
Katie, I LOVE it!! It is so Southern and screams Relaxing Southern Summer Day. Sigh…I miss the South.
Those look awesome Katie! Love the ORB and I love that it’s not a matching set. Like the paint ties and cushions tie it all together, but the fact that the chairs are slightly different is really nice 🙂
You find the best stuff at thrift stores! I need to visit wherever you go 🙂 job well done! Love the ORB. Über classy
Amazing as usual! I might have to rethink all those ugly white wicker chairs that I normally pass up. Your chairs look awesome on the front porch!
Nice job KT! They look so inviting. I would have never of thought to buy wicker chairs, until I saw this. 🙂
Lovely! Let us know how ORB holds up…am thinking of putting the sprayer to work with some type of exterior paint for better wear. We’ll see!
They look great! Good idea to make not quite matching chairs really look good together.
Oh man! I love this, thank you! We have a set of white wicker furniture that has definitely seen better days, as we don’t have a covered patio right now….This will be just the thing I need to refer to when we move next year and I have to convince hubby not to get rid of them!
How many coats did they need? Can you see the white paint color in all the crevices of the wicker?
What did you use to protect yourself? I am pregnant too and want to spray paint so badly but have been banned by my husband.
Looks great Katie! How do you find these deals? I mean 8 bucks..wow! I once found a wicker chair on the side of the rode with a “free” sign on it. It was dark out and I had my daughter in the car so we jumped out, quickly looked it over, stuffed it in the car and got it home and realized it had a broken leg! Still waiting for my husband to fix it!
Dear Katie,
This is the first time I have left a comment on your blog and I’m really excited to finally say hi. I’ve been reading your blog every day now for a few years. Your descriptive language is so funny and entertaining. You have so many beautiful skills and I love hearing stories about your adorable family. I am also a wife and mom of an energetic toddler boy and can relate to a lot of your stories. I read the YHL blog and think it’s so great you found each other. God bless you for making so many people smile and be inspired 🙂
Holy Crap Katie. They came out great! I like the wire brush tip too. Wouldn’t have thought of that myself.
How crazy that you’ve got matching chairs from two different stores!! I need to start looking better a thrift stores! They look great:)
By the way, were winners ever chosen for the giveaway day you hosted at the end of April?
I would have never thought to ORB wicker chairs! But I love it!! They look great on your front porch! 🙂
You are too cute. 🙂 Love the chairs. I wish the thrift stores had awesome stuff like that here in Canada.
Yes – the winners are emailed directly – so make sure your email listed for giveaways is the correct one!
xo – kb
I wear a mask and always do it outside. And yes, even with the mask on I hold my breath 🙂
xo – kb
YES! I love it in there. Now to get that giant padded room I can lock Will in. KIDDING (sortof).
xo – kb
Will do! I hope they last a little longer since the porch is covered.
xo – kb
You can’t see the white – and I just used two cans.
xo – kb
Aww thanks Lauren – and don’t be a stranger!
xo – kb
Firstly, I love your blog. It’s so stinking great!
Secondly, That chair transformation is wonderful!
Thirdly, I seriously love the fact that you said you’d get along with Blake Shelton. Every time we watch The Voice I tell my husband how much I want to be his friend. My husband’s actually given me permission to marry him if he dies and Miranda Lambert dies. Haha.
And the “he” doing the dying is my husband, not Blake. I wouldn’t marry a dead man.
Love, love, love it!!!
ME TOO!!!
All my local thrift store has is JUNK that smells weird
Love it! They look great on your porch!
Emily
They look fabby! Will you make cushions for them, too?
In Feng Shui circles, the number eight is their fave, a perfect number- so you picked a good one 🙂
BTW, my son sold his first piece of art to a person not related to us via Etsy today-proud mom moment here today 🙂
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mfrancoart
What a great makeover!! The chairs look awesome!
I love, love, love! The cushions are cute too! Did they have any in the same pattern for a bench? I actually live in a town without a Walmart, so I can’t just run and check. I actually have to drive 40mi to get to a walmart or target 🙁
So cute! I always see those old wicker chairs but I never thought to spray paint them. Let us know how they hold up!
Yay for thrift store wicker! I picked up a matching chair and loveseat for, get this, $15 TOTAL at our local Goodwill. I was so stoked. They are white and definitely need to be refreshed so now that I’ve seen you do it, it’s really time to get on that project. I love how yours turned out with the ORB but I think I’m sticking with traditional white for our cozy brick Cape Cod-ish house.
And I have to show my husband the Amplifi because he has been dropping hints about a pressure washer!
They look great!! And where did you find the planters by your front door? I’ve been looking for some just like those!
so funny you posted this today – my husband and i JUST picked up a set of wicker furniture last night off of craigslist! we’ll be spray-painting this weekend!!! great tips, and I love your Wal-mart cushions!
I have 2 wicker chairs I saved from the sidewalk (poor things …) and I’m willing to revamp them a bit. Unfortunately; we don’t have ORB spraypaint in France so I’ll have to find another color. Good job !
I love the color of the chairs in front of the gorgeous red doors. I wonder how the orb would look on the door trim.
LOVE them! I too am a sucker for cheap wicker.
I got these at Home Depot. They were more than I would care to pay but I figured it would be okay to splurge for something that looked so perfect 🙂
xo – kb
I’m not sure. I do know that this was only 1 of 2 wicker chair cushions available.
xo – kb
Your front porch just keeps getting better and better! Those chairs look so great! I have a question about the ferns though! You seem to have a knack for plants (or maybe I see everyone who doesn’t automatically kill plants that way?!). I seem to have knack for killing them. How do you keep those ferns (Boston Ferns?) looking so full and healthy? I had some hanging from my porch, but they are near death’s door.
Love those chairs! What a great revamp for a super cheap price; never thought of revamping a peeling wicker chair!
amazing, katie!! they look brand new!
so, target has a smith & hawken double wide doormat that would be perfect with your new happy chairs. check it out:
http://www.target.com/p/Smith-Hawken-Coir-Doormat-Stripes/-/A-13774155
They look fantastic and your porch is so inviting! Way to go!
Hey Kat,
I absolutely love these chairs. I am plaining on doing this with two chairs I have in storage. I was acutely wondering how many cans of the spray paint you used for each chair?
Love me some ORB! Those chairs look awesome now! And we need one of those sprayer things because our house is in need of a good power wash!
I love me some ORB too. Chairs look great. In unrelated topic, have you ever thought of painting the trim around your front door red to match the door….just as a temporary fix, since I’m sure you have a whole plan of attack in your head already?
I love Wicker furniture my mum used to have a wicker chair which was once white, then lime green, then it disapeared when we moved, i dont know where it went haha.
I have had my eye on a wicker style shelving unit thats been dumped outside someones house for the past year… but i dont have the guts to go ask if i can have it!
I am not a wicker person but I feel compelled to tell you how good those chairs look, and how they look so so soo much more awesome because they are different, his and her chairs are so charming and I can’t help being reminded of UP.
Ok thank you! 🙂 I will look online too!
Sometimes it’s ok to have that splurge item that you know you will love! 🙂
love these! wow! they look so great. i never would have thought to paint them with the ORB but they look fantastic!
I’ve been doing a lot of work to spruce up our front porch. I’d love to see the rest of yours. I could use some more outdoor decor ideas in a bad way.
Katie! You’ve inspired me to ORB some wicker furniture (scored for cheap on craigslist) for my own front porch! Question… how long did you let these dry after blasting them with the Amplifi?
We have a whole lotta trim to paint – including some repairs to be made before we can even start to think about painting (it’s gonna be a huge job)…so needless to say – we definitely have thought about it 🙂
xo – kb
I used one full can for each chair 🙂
xo – kb
Yours might be getting too much sun or too little water. I water mine at least every other day and they are very well shaded. I hear that when it comes to plants – if it don’t work…move it.
xo – kb
eight bucks?! score!
The chairs look great and what a bargain. I’m headed off to check out my local thrift stores – fingers crossed!
The chairs look great, Katie! Another one for teh “good idea” file.
Katie, these look fantastic! I love that you see such potential in thrift store finds.
I have a question about the Amplifi. The pictures of it online make it look really big. Were you able to move it around or did the boyfriend have to move it? My mom would use it a lot but she would have to move it by herself.
Thanks!
Chrissi
Well…it is large – it’s about the same size as a hose holder…so I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily easy to move but its not something you would want to move all the time. If you take the hose out, it’s not heavy 🙂
xo – kb
I spray painted come outdoor chairs this weekend too and now my pointer finger is totally numb! Has this ever happened to you and does it go away?? Im freaked!
Katie-
Love the transformation of the chairs. As soon as I saw yours I thought that black wicker chairs would look perfect in front of our brick house on our porch so I went on a thrift store hunt for 2. No such luck 🙁 Then my mother in law informs me that she is getting new ones and we can have hers for free…and they are rocker wicker chairs!! I am thrilled and very excited to spray them (as soon as it stops raining here!!)
Also I wanted to send you a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS on the pregnancy. I follow your blog but have been away for a while (plus I just had a baby girl, Madeline, at the end of February) I was so excited to see that you were expecting again. I know you were having some difficulties getting pregnant for the second time and I wanted to say I was right there with you. I too had issues getting pregnant with my second. and now I have a beautiful, healthy baby girl who will be 3 months old on the 28th of May. I wish you nothing but the healthiest, happiest pregnancy.
Best Wishes 🙂
-Jen
These look amazing! I have been wanting wicker for a long time, and never considered used. What a difference!