Cheap Home Decor: How To Update An Outdated Outdoor Furniture

Cheap Home Decor: How To Update An Outdated Outdoor Furniture

Do you have outdated furniture sitting on your porch and in your backyard? Instead of dealing with the expense of replacing it, consider updating it instead. This is a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and highly satisfying alternative. Allow us to walk you through the different budget-friendly options for sprucing up your outdoor furniture.

Decoupage

Decoupage comes from the French phrase "to cut out", which is what this craft is all about. Decoupage offers the perfect way to upcycle tired old items. It’s perfect for refreshing the look of wooden items that belong on your porch, such as foot stools and side tables.

All you need to do to prepare your furniture is to clean it with soap and water and lightly sand the surface once dry. You don’t need an expensive power tool for this step; sandpaper will do the trick.

You simply cut out different designs that you like from magazines, vintage wallpaper, or even wrapping paper. Alternatively, you could cut out geometric shapes from block-colored napkins and arrange them in an eye-catching, contemporary design.

Next, coat the surface of your furniture with a layer of mod podge before arranging your chosen designs on top. Another layer of mod podge over the top will seal and glaze. Although mod podge offers a fair amount of protection from the elements, we would still recommend only decoupaging porch furniture.

Spray painting

Spray painting is a quick, cheap, and easy way to refresh the look of tired outdoor furniture. Choosing a color scheme will give the appearance of having bought a brand-new suite of matching furniture. Spray paint colors are highly versatile, ranging from bright and bold shades that pop to chic pastels. You can find spray paint options that will work on a variety of materials, letting you spray paint metal frames. plastic, or wood. Some fabrics are suitable for spray painting, which can give a great lift to fading cushions.

You don’t need to limit yourself to block color. Discover your creative side and experiment with different designs using tape. Simply cover your plastic garden chairs in lines of tape before spray painting. When it is dry, remove the tape to enjoy a gorgeous striped effect.

Replacing upholstery

Fabric doesn’t last forever, and the outdoor elements can be tough on your favorite garden chairs and swing seats. Instead of replacing perfectly serviceable items, simply strip off the old upholstery and replace it with fresh fabric. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials that break things down, but if you are not a confident sewer, it will be cheaper to buy fabric and hire a seamstress than to buy new furniture.

Protect your furniture

If your furniture is looking a little weathered, sometimes all it needs is a little upkeep. Applying tung oil to wicker furniture will not only keep it protected from the harsh elements outside, but it will deepen the color, creating a gorgeous and rich finish. When you’re finished, your wicker pieces will look brand new! The same principle goes for wooden furniture. Most wooden pieces will benefit from being lightly sanded and varnished to help protect and rejuvenate them.

Rust rescue

Give rusted furniture a new lease on life with nothing more than a basic wire brush and some sandpaper. All outdoor metal furniture is at risk of rusting, but you don’t need to get rid of it. Just scrub away at any chipped paint with a rough wire brush before sanding it until the rust has fallen away. This can take some time, but the effort is worth the results.

Staining wooden furniture

For a fresh new look, consider staining lighter wooden items a darker, richer color before varnishing. There are many different shades of wood stain available, and you can normally look at a sample piece of treated wood to help you decide which hue is for you.

Accessorize

A great, cost-effective way to give your outdoor furniture a facelift is to accessorize. For example, once your porch chair has funky new fabric, its frame has been spray painted a fresh shade of white, and the side table has been tastefully upcycled with decoupage, it might still be lacking that special something. Instead of bringing in new furniture, why not add a small but eye-catching accessory such as a hanging seashell garland? Alternatively, you may like to accessorize with some artisanal carvings such as this wood carved turtle with root base.