Curb Sale Chairs – Update

You may remember last September when Douglas found these director’s chairs in the trash. They were in good condition, but the canvas was filthy. The chairs also had a bad paint job, but it is hard to see in the picture.

Last weekend, I decided to try to fix them up. I am lazy, so I decided that I was not going to work too hard on them. On Friday, I stopped by the hardware store and bought spray primer. The canvas got a coat.

Then, I started spraying it red with paint that I already had in the basement from another project. By the way, you will see the transformation of that little recipe box in another post. I am not yet done with it.

After many coats, you can see the difference the paint makes. Here is a comparison between the newly painted side and the as yet unpainted side.

Before I could do the other side, I ran out of paint. The hardware store was already closed, so I had to wait until the next day to go back and get another can. The painting was easy, but it did not turn out perfectly. If you look closely, you can see flaws. I probably could have avoided most of those had I washed the fabric before painting it, but as I said before, I am lazy. These are outdoor chairs that we pulled out of the trash, and I do not care if  they are not perfect.

Next, I turned my attention to the chairs. My mother was visiting, so she kept me company and took pictures while I washed and then painted the chairs.

It is hard to see the terrible paint job that was there to begin with so you will just have to trust me. There were drips everywhere and the most recent coat was only on the top. I debated about sanding them down, but sloth took over and I just painted right over the bad paint. I am pleased with the transformation.

They are not perfect, but I am satisfied with the result. They are much better than they were, and it was not much work.

In case you think that my mom only gets to see me work when she comes to visit, here are pictures that prove otherwise. On Sunday we went to the Croton Dam.

This is the Croton Reservoir that supplies New York City its water.

We walked across and appreciated the falls from the top of the dam.

Here is the view from the other side of the dam. Can you see the rainbow at the bottom?

We then walked down the north side. That is not the path that I would recommend. It is on a busy road, but we made it to the bridge below.

If you know me well or have read this blog for a while, you will not be surprised that I found a tree to climb in the park at the bottom of the dam.

We walked down to the river and took a few pictures. Kahlua was hot and thirsty, but she was too scared or too smart to get in the river that was too fast moving for her even in the eddies.

Finally, we walked up the trail on the south side of the dam. It was a nice shady walk. I love the stone walls in this area of the country. This one also had an old well.

Douglas was in Connecticut this weekend trying to kill himself. He competed in an Olympic-distance triathlon on Saturday and a half-Ironman on Sunday. He arrived home shortly after we returned from the dam and was surprised to see the transformation of the chairs when he came home. He seemed pleased, but he was so tired he would have sat on anything.

Overall, it was a great weekend. Let’s take one more look at the before and after pictures of those chairs.

Happy Homemaking!