How to Spruce Up That Old Dingy Plastic Lawn Furniture and Spend Little Money

Have some old plastic lawn or patio furniture that is looking dingy and stained?  Don't throw it away.  In these days of pinching pennies, you don't have to buy new furniture and you don't have to use it the way it is.  Simply give it a new paint job!  All you have to invest is a couple of cans of multipurpose spray paint and a little of your time.

Dingy looking lawn or patio furniture can be easily reclaimed with a coat of paint.  Note the 3 holes drilled in the bottom of the chair.  This allows the rain water to drain from the chair so you don't get a soggy butt after a rain storm.

Before you begin, wash the piece of furniture thoroughly to remove all of the dirt and grime possible.  If you have access to a power sprayer, that would be the ideal way to clean them.  That may even do the trick if the furniture is not stained too badly.  However, if the stains cannot be removed, give it a coat of spray paint.  One benefit of doing this is... you can change the color of the furniture if you want!

Keep Water from Accumulating in the Seat of Chairs

While you are prepping the piece of furniture, if it is a chair or something that tends to gather water in the seat when it rains, take the time to drill a few holes in the bottom of the chair before you paint it.  If you are not sure where to drill, set the chair on a flat surface and dump a cup of water in it. Mark the area where the water lays with a hammer and nail.  Remove the water, dry it, then drill the holes.  You won't have a soggy butt again!

Prep is Everything

If you do not intend on using a primer or are not using a painter/primer combo, you may want to take some fine grit sand paper and lightly scuff the surface to 1) remove any scratches or nicks that may stand out in the new paint job and 2) rough up the plastic surface just enough to make the paint stick better.  After sanding, give the piece of furniture a quick rinse with the hose and allow to dry.

Paint Away!

Finally, choose your favorite color of multipurpose spray paint at your local hardware or home supply store.  If you are doing a small chair, it may take 1 can.  If you are doing a lounge chair or something larger, it will most likely require more.  Check the paint coverage on the can before you purchase it and calculate how much you need.

When repainting your plastic patio furniture, make sure to select a paint that will adhere to plastic.

Once you have your paint, make sure you use a well ventilated area and place papers or drop cloth under the furniture and make sure you are not near any object that may catch the over spray from the can, especially if you are doing this outside.

When repainting your plastic lawn furniture, don't forget to turn the chair upside down and get the underside as well as all the nooks and crannies in the legs of the furniture.

One coat may do the trick, or if you are not satisfied with the finish, apply another.  However, the more coats you apply, the more paint you are going to have to purchase.  If you don't watch, you may spend as much as you would have if you bought new furniture!

A reclaimed plastic patio chair that was old and dingy.  My son came home and thought it was a new chair.

Once the paint dries, wallah! No more dingy looking plastic patio furniture.  If the paint begins to chip or peel in a year or two, simply sand and repaint!