Flipped Fantasia
The Rusted Bench
I saw this bench posted on a sale site and had to have it. The description said "old, rusted, smells, and needs a creative person to fix it up." Normally I would have ignored this, but we are having a pool and deck installed, (hence, the wood and chaos in the picture). I didn't have any furniture and didn't want to spend a fortune on furniture for the deck, so when I saw the price of this disaster, I went for it. I paid a whole $5 for this.
That's right, $5!
The table top and cushions were removed. Thankfully they they had screws holding them down.
Step 1
Break down the bench
Step 2
Assess the damage
Once the bench was completely taken apart, it was easier to see how rusted it was. Also, the boards under the cushions were completely rotted. The table was a complete loss as well. I set the cushions and arm rests aside for later.
Step 3
Visualize the design and compile supply list.
IThis is my favorite part of flipping. I love to play around with colors and patterns. Since this is going on my pool deck, I decided on bright and vibrant.
Step 4 Start Sanding the Rust
(1.)Use any face mask and eye protection, sunglasses are better than nothing!
(2.)To start, use a low grit sanding pad first to knock off the bulk of the rust. I used 80 grit for this.
(3.) Use a higher grit to smooth out the rest of the frame. I actually used 80 grit to start, 120 grit for the rough areas, and then 220 grit to smooth out the entire frame.
(4.) make sure you get off as much rust as possible. It may not be smooth and perfect, but rust will spread and continue to eat at the frame if left.
(5.) Clean entire frame with rubbing alcohol. I drenched a washcloth with the alcohol and got as much sanding dust off as possible.
Before Picture of the rust
After sanding the rust down
Step 5 Prime and Paint
(1.) I used Rustoleum primer in flat white to start. Make sure you get ALL of the frame. This will seem to be dry, but I would wait as indicated on the can, before applying your next coat of color paint.
(2.) Apply your color paint starting with the frame flipped upside down, then flip it upright and continue to cover the whole frame. I would highy recommend going in light coats, rather than doing one heavy coat. Even with my best attempts at light coats, I still got a few drip marks.
(3.) Let the paint completely dry for a few hours before moving the frame anywhere. Unfortunately, the wind kicked up and blew debris and bugs into my fresh paint job.
**insert curse words**
I decided it wasn't the end of the world, and resanding, priming and painting was not only additional costs, but not worth the time and frustation. I convinced myself it wasn't very noticable.
Frame cleaned and ready to paint!
Primer applied and drying
3 light coats of paint applied
Supplies Needed
-Sander and sanding pads
-Drill and screws
-cheap wash clothes
-Rubbing Alcohol
-Primer for rust and metal
-Paint for metal.
-plywood for cushions (cut to size)
-1 1/2 yards of outdoor fabric
-1 yard of outdoor batting
-Face Mask and Eye Protection
-Scrap wood for table top (sealant)
Step 6
Table Top and Cushion Boards
This is where I started to lose the excitement of the project.
I decided that the cushions were in too bad of shape to save, and I wasn't 100% sure they would do well outside. So I did some shopping for outdoor foam. It would have cost me over $100 to buy new foam, batting and material. Nope. Not doing that.
I then remembered that Wally World had $7 cushions on sale. Boom. That problem was solved. ((happy dance))
I had my friend cut my boards out for me because apparently, my little skil saw was discontinued and I couldn't get any new blades. The table top is just basically 2 pieces of decking boards left over from the construction on my deck. Saved money there, which is another bonus!
I used Miniwax in dark walnut to stain the boards since they were going to be visible now. I hate tweeking projects along the way, I had a plan and a design I wanted, but no can do with the budget I had for this project.
Step 7
Attaching the Wood to the Frame
This is where the whole project went VERY wrong...
I was already bummed that my "vision" for this bench just was not going to be an option. I had already spent a lot of time prepping the frame, it was already painted, so there was no turning back...
Each board had 4 openings for the screws. I remember how hard it was to take the other screws out, but I thought that it was the age of the bench and the availability of hardware.
Well...each of those four different openings was a different depth for screws vs wood depth.
I must have went to Wally World 4 different times to grab screws, then washers, then back for more screws, and then needed a new apex bit....ugh....getting annoyed at this point.
After messing around with screw and wood thickness, and about 3 hours later, I finally attached the boards and tables. You read that right. 3 HOURS. At this point, I was over this project. In fact, I hated it...all of it. I didn't even want to sit on it.
ALL DONE!
Just Add the Cushions. Thank the LAWD!!!
Total Cost with changed supplies
Rusty bench $5
Primer and Paint $12
Plywood for cushions $15
Sand paper $4
Brush and stain $6
Rubbing Alcohol $1
Screws and washers $5
Cushions and pillow $24
Total Cost of this project $72