Craigslist Score!!!!

A month or so ago, I had a few minutes to spare and hopped on Craigslist to see what was out there. I didn't see much in the way of furniture (I'm always looking for a super cheap deal), so I checked out the free section & this is what I saw!

Okay...you may be thinking, "That looks like junk!" but look at the lines of it! I've been wanting to replace the very uncomfortable rockers on my front porch & I thought these would be perfect! The bonus was that they were located in Brandermill! Yahoo!

So that morning after a trip to the Pocahontas State Park pool, I told my exhausted kids that we had to take a little detour before heading home. "Awwwwww!" was all I heard, but I kept on driving. I may have been speeding a little because I was worried the chairs were going to be gone!

After a few twists & turns through Brandermill, I saw them sitting next to a dumpster at the end of a driveway. It sounds weird, but I think I heard angels singing as I approached them :0). Yes...they looked like junk, but I knew they had potential! I checked to make sure they were sturdy and (despite the flakes of rust) they seemed solid. As I put them in the car, I wondered how long ago it had been since I got my last tetnus shot!

So after getting them home & I had to wait a few days to work on them...you know...three kids home for the summer :0). In the evening on day 3, I battled the mosquitos & got to work. The first step was cleaning. There was dirt & mold galore. I just got some soapy water & a rag and scrubbed. This was not fun!

The next day, I began sanding w/ some medium & fine sandpaper. Again...not fun! I was worried about sanding because of all the rust dust flying through the air, so I had the kids stay away. It took A LOT of sanding to get this job done! I was tempted to stop a few times, but I've learned...a well prepared piece will look the best in the end.

The next day, I wiped down the chairs to make sure there wasn't any dust left & got out the spray. I chose a metallic gray/brown color made by Rustoleum. I wanted to do something that made it look store bought & a lot of patio furniture now has little flecks of color to it. Before painting though, I sprayed the rusted spots with a good Rustoleum primer, just to be sure the paint would stick. the painting step also took a while because I had to make sure I got all of the sides of the iron work. I also had to run back to the store to get another can of paint. Why don't I learn & buy two??? Again...trying to be thrifty. Here's one chair after a coat of the paint.

After letting it dry all day, VIOLA! I also scored two cushions from Lowes at their end-of-the-summer clearance sale. They ended up being $12 a piece.

I loved how they turned out, but it needed a little something else. I had a few pillows from the rockers and threw them on. Not bad! In the end, I spent $24 in cushions and $7.50 in paint, so the total came to $15.75 per chair. Score!!!