
Our outdoor patio dining area was a sight for sore eyes after a rainy winter. Plus one of our benches had broken the summer before, thanks to a rowdy dinner party. It was time for a change. The table above was too big for the space and our growing trees. With a little bit of searching I was able to find a budget friendly outdoor patio set for only $50 on Facebook Marketplace.

Here is what it looked like when I purchased it. The chairs were black and had some markings on them and the table was starting to rust in spots and definitely needed a new coat of paint. In terms of the size it was perfect for our small outdoor patio dining area.

I was lucky enough to work with Rust-Oleum on this project and was really excited to use the Tremclad Oil Based Rust Paint Aerosol Spray which is specially formulated to penetrate rust and bind to metal prevent further rusting. This would ensure our furniture would be able to withstand the rainy Vancouver winters. The colours I chose were Flat White for the chairs and Semi-Glass Black for the table.
Materials:
- Gloves
- Face Mask
- Sand Paper
- Cloth
- Rust-Oleum Comfort Spray Grip
- Tremclad Paint (in a colour of your choosing!)
- Tape and posterboard to cover chair seats
- Drop Cloth
A fast and easy way to update your outdoor dining furniture is with Tremclad paint plus primer. It’s so easy to use! You don’t need to prime the pieces first and it’s a budget friendly way to refresh your patio. With Tremclad paint you’ll be dining al fresco in only one day!

Step 1
Prepare your pieces. Depending on the state of your metal furniture you can sand the surface or use a wire brush if there is a lot of rust. By using the sand paper or wire brush this will remove any rust and old paint, allowing the paint to adhere properly.

Step 2
Clean the surfaces with a damp cloth. Now that the pieces are sanded use a damp cloth to wipe away any dust or debris.


Step 3
Tape off or cover sections that are not going to be painted. For the chairs, I created and cut out a template to cover the seat, the table did not need to be covered, I simply took it apart. Making it easier to get even coverage.

Step 4
Paint! Now you’re ready to start painting. If you have many pieces, like an outdoor dining set, the Rust-Oleum grip handle is a huge help! Paint a light first coat with back and forth motions. The best part about the Tremclad Rust paint is that you can use it at any angle, even upside down! This really helps to get even coverage.

Step 5
Chairs – wait about 30 minutes then apply another coat. I applied three coats total for the best coverage.
Table – for ease I took the table apart to paint it, I waited 30 minutes between coats and then around 2 hours for the first side to dry before flipping over.

Step 6
Let cure for day before using or setting up your dining set. You don’t want the paint to chip or smudge.

Estimate Time:
To complete 4 chairs and the table took around 4 hours. To make the most of your time, paint more than one piece at a time, then you are in a rotation. By the time I was finished the 4th chair, my first chair was dry.

AFTER: Everything gets better with love and attention
I love how this project turned out! I would highly recommend Tremclad Oil Based Rust Paint Aerosol Spray it was a really great paint. Easy to use, easily covered up all my rust and prevented further damage, plus I could easily spray every area using the can upside down! We will be having dinner al fresco in year every night!
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