We found this old cast-iron table buried under some over-grown flowers.  Parts of it had started to rust, but it was just worn out. 

Before

After

This project cost about $10.  

Materials:

-Primer

-Spray paint

-Clear gloss spray paint

Read on for our process...

The rust was isolated to around the bolts, so I didn’t feel the need to remove it.  The chipping paint was pretty extensive.  So I needed to remove that to make the new paint look good (and adhere properly).

Primer

This is the primer we used:

It covered really well.  As with all spray paint, you just need to be careful not to spray in one place for too long or it will start pooling & you’ll get drips.  

The primer revealed characteristics I didn’t notice before.  There was a lot more detail & potential in this piece than I thought.  This project was going to be a lot more satisfying than I expected.  

Base Coat

At first, we planned on just painting the whole piece a single color and that being it.  Once we saw the detail, we changed the plan and decided this was just a base coat.

I bought both of these colors after texting my wife with options.  I knew what she would pick, but having options is nice. She picked the darker of the two and we saved the other one for a different project.  

It needed two coats.  We did them a day apart because kids are distracting. :)

Details

Painting the details was an adventure.  There were flowers on top, flowers on the legs, and the lower shelf.  So many options.  We did paint some of the flowers on the legs, but we focused mostly on the top & shelf.

I started with the lower shelf.  I wanted to accent the hearts.  We used acrylic paint.

Then I moved on to the legs, but wasn’t really happy with how it was coming out so I decided to stop.  

Here’s a close-up of the legs:

I painted other parts of the lower shelf and then my wife got inspired.

With the lower shelf finished, attention turned to the top.

Top Gloss

We finished things off with a top coat of spray gloss. 

Is there anything at your house/garden that is old and could be restored? A little bit of paint & time could really spruce up your homestead for just a few dollars!