Spray Painted Rattan Chairs

I saw potential. When I found these rattan chairs for my front porch on the neighborhood garage sale site, I knew they had some life in them yet. They were about $50 and I would have loved to pay less, but I am a terrible negotiator. Still, rattan chairs cost a pretty penny on other sale sites so I really got a pretty good deal even if it wasn’t a steal. Anyway, with a little clean up and spray paint, they would be an amazing addition to the front porch.

The original rattan chairs in all their stylish glory.

Foam Cushions

I planned to change the cushion covers. Shocker, I know. White slipcovers fit the bill because the color is neutral, white wouldn’t fade, and the slipcovers could be bleached if needed. Once I took the cushions apart to recover, I realized that the foam was pretty much disintegrating. That was a messy discovery. I ended up purchasing new foam online. Here’s a great foam supplier that can precisely cut many sizes, densities and shapes of foam. Cutting foam yourself is messy and not very accurate. These foam guys are not that expensive. Sometimes it is worth it to get foam professionally cut with a laser.

Outdoor Fabric

The outdoor fabric and zippers were purchased from Joann’s, with a coupon of course. The zippers are non metal so they will not rust in the humidity or from rain. Purchasing prefabricated cushions would have been easier to do, but I could not find any deep enough for the seat. Sewing skills to the rescue! A cute outdoor fabric covered the outdoor throw pillows I bought on clearance at the end of summer, years ago. The original color and print of the clearance pillows were not to my liking. Buying the pillows on clearance made it way more affordable than buying the pillow forms from the fabric store. I was taught that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Ha ha.

The chairs took about an hour to clean and a few hours to spray paint. Each year the chairs will get a touch up coat of paint. The touch up coats will be faster to paint and will take less paint because the base color will already be applied. Here is a recipe for a slow cooker dinner of pork carnitas that you can get started before your project.

Supplies:

Chairs
Bucket of warm water
Bleach or at least white vinegar
Scrub brush
Access to a hose or way to rinse off chairs
Tarp
Spray paint

I used three cans of Rustoleum 2x Ultra Cover in Navy Blue

Latex gloves

That would have been smart since I had some in my garage

Light face mask
Open area to spray
Non windy day

Typically the earlier in the morning, the less gusty it will be. No promises.

Instructions:

Step 1:

Remove the cushions and place chairs on a surface near the hose bib and rinse them off.

Pre-rinse the dirty chairs then fill a bucket of water with a splash of bleach or vinegar for scrubbing clean.

Step 2:

Use a bucket full of warm water with a splash of bleach or vinegar to scrub the dirt off of the chairs with a scrub brush. This was surprisingly easy and also removed any loose varnish. Double win!

Look at all that grey weathering on the rattan. Not such a pretty finish. Paint would definitely not adhere to that surface!

Look at how well these chairs clean up! Use wood glue to affix any loose pieces and you are good to go for painting.

Step 3:

Once the chairs are completely scrubbed (the water may need to be changed a few times) rinse the chairs once again with clean water. Let dry completely. I’m in Texas so this does not take long.

Step 4:

Lay out a large painters tarp- but a plastic sheet could work also -and place the chairs upside down upon the tarp. I painted the underside of the chairs and then flipped them over and painted them from the top and sides. With the rattan being round, it is trickier to hit the surface area from one angle to get full coverage. Follow the instructions on the can for best results. Let dry.

Look at that transformation. I can hardly wait to add the cushions and pillows.

Step 5:

Apply a second, or touch up, coat and then let the chairs dry completely until they can be moved to the porch to finish curing. Leave the painted chairs a few days to let the paint completely harden before placing anything on them. Kind of like when you paint your fingernails. Leave plenty of time for the finish to harden before you apply any pressure, otherwise all the work you put into it is marred.

While the painted rattan chairs were drying, I ended up sewing the cushion covers. Hooray! Here’s a great update to my front porch that was relatively inexpensive, yet had big visual impact.

Are these even the same chairs? They completely transformed with just a coat of paint and fresh fabrics. Love it!

**I make different pillow covers for each season or holiday that I can rotate so that the porch always looks cute and fresh. Each spring I do a touch up coat on the chairs because the harsh Texas weather can put some serious wear and tear on anything left outdoors. Doing a yearly touch up coat is way less work in the long run. These chairs are really comfortable, just ask our neighbor’s cat that likes to lounge on them each evening. My dog is jealous.**

Brightening up the front porch is an awesome way to make a house a home. Please share your Spray Painted Porch Chair projects with me, I would love to see what fun colors make you happy. 💙