Last year I bought a couple of inexpensive but really cute tables at a store called 5 Below. Everything in the store is, you guessed it, 5 dollars or less. I still really like them, but the great outdoors was not very kind to them and left them looking faded and a bit rusty. I decided to spruce them up a bit and I’m so glad I did.

Here is what I started with:

The first thing I did was rub them down really well with some steel wool, especially the rusty spots and areas of loose paint. Once that was done, I wiped them down with a damp rag and then dried them off. After that I sprayed them with a bonding primer, I think is was by Rustoleum. As per usual, I was using supplies that I already had on hand because I’m frugal (or cheap, take your pick).

I applied two coats of primer because I wanted to make sure I had really good coverage. Once that was dry I applied my base color coat. I used a dark teal paint that was left over from my daughters wedding.  I did end up having to purchase an additional can of paint because I ran out, which was a bummer because I really like it when I get away with spending zero dollars on something. I also applied two coats of base color and I put them in the sun to dry. It was a nice day, unlike today, the weatherman has threatened us with accumulating snow; I sure hope he’s wrong…

Anyway, After that dried I decided they needed to be a little more interesting and I happened to have a can of really shiny gold spray paint sitting on the shelf, so I experimented. I sprayed around the perimeter of the table top with the gold and I am very pleased with results. I have a couple of terracotta saucers, those things that go under plants, that I use to add a little weight to the tables and to also add a little display area at the bottom. I decided I would also paint these gold. So, I cleaned them up, gave them a good coat of white primer (I thought they would be shinier with white under the paint instead of the gray I used on the tables.), and then sprayed them with the gold. Once everything was painted, I gave all of the pieces a solid coat of clear poly.

Here is the finished product:

You may notice I didn’t paint the center of the gold saucers; I didn’t paint the bottom either. I want water to be able to seep through them so I can use them for a small flower pot when its warm enough to do my planting.

I really love how they turned out, and I’m so glad I decided to salvage them for another summer season on the deck. I can’t wait to sit out there and enjoy the fruits of my labor!

Who else is looking forward to long summer days and warm summer nights?