Making Lemonade.

When life gives us lemons we are to make lemonade, right?  Well I started this ready to chuck the lemons and buy new, but DH of all people inspired me to make a little lemonade!

Last summer I painted our adriondack chairs, I posted about it here.  They were great and I loved the color.  I had did everything right, or so I thought.  I sanded, primed and painted.  After that I asked DH if we should seal them.  (Here is the decision that would change my spruce green chairs to yuck)  He said, no they don't need it!  Now I am not pointing fingers, cause I love the final result, but I should have known better!  Here is what they looked like after a few months outside.

Pretty bad, huh! We live in So Cal, so our furniture sits out all year.  This is mainly from rain, and the patio getting hosed off, water!  I was ready to go buy new, but then DH had an inspiration.  He said, 'I sort of like the rustic look', now I don't know if he was kidding, but 'like' and 'rustic' in the same sentence usually doesn't happen.  Then a light bulb went off.  See the little turquoise table there,  the one that withstood the weather?  Well I had painted her and then sanded and stained her.  She still looks great!  So what if I sanded the chairs and stained them and then sealed them?  Rustic, no?  Couldn't hurt to try?  I mean I was going to buy new so...

  So I got my sanding wedge out and spruce green paint was a flying!  Here is the pile of remains.

Yuck,  I started with the little footstools first, they weren't that bad, but I was liking what I was seeing.  With the stain added, it gave them an awesome patina.  Like they had been sitting on the edge a lake for years.  Loved it.

Such character.  So on to the next footstool, then I just had to do a chair.  Awesome.
Here is the before after sanding.

Here is the after, with stain added.

This was all done on Saturday, and with yesterday a family day for Easter, I didn't get back to them till today.
So I consulted my friend Marian at Miss Mustard Seed, and Kate at Centsational Girl. as to the best way to seal these beauties and decided on Minwax Polyacrylic.  So off to Lowes I went to get my supplies.
Here is a pic of the stain and polyacrylic.  The stain is Aged Oak.

 
The footstools were first, the first coat is done and I am waiting for them to dry to lightly sand and put on another coat!  I still have the back and bottom of one chair to finish with the stain.  So hopfully I will get everything done by tomorrow.  Cause wouldn't you know it, it is supposed to rain!  Yeah for 3 days!  Yikes, So I have to get at least one coat of the sealer on before then so I can get them protected.  Hopefully I will be able to cover them as well.
Here is a pic of the footstool with it's first coat of sealer.

Love how they turned out, so you can turn lemons to lemonade with a little elbow grease!

Have a great week,

Laura

PS.  As soon as it stops raining, I will get updated pics of the set.  I was in such a rush to get it finished, dried and covered, I didn't get a finished pic.