DIY Refreshes For Your Outdoor Furniture This Spring

After a long and brutal winter, there’s a strong possibility your outdoor furniture will look drab and worse for wear. Furnishing your patio or deck can be expensive, which means you'll want your existing set to last as long as possible. While buying something new might be out of your price range, there are lots of great DIY ways you can make your existing furniture look better.

Effective ways to refresh your outdoor furniture include deep cleaning with soap and water, pressure washing, or sanding. Spray paint or a fresh coat of sealant can bring life to your older pieces, and new foam can make chairs and couches more comfortable. Consider adjusting the layout, improving the floor, and adding thoughtful mood lighting to help your furniture stand out.

If your outdoor furniture is making your entire yard look shabby and depressing, it’s time to do something about it. You don't have to buy a nee patio set. There are more than a dozen ways to give your worn furniture a refreshed, improved look. Keep reading to learn how to make your outdoor furniture look better this spring.

Great Ways To Give Your Outdoor Furniture A Spring Refresh

1. Spray Paint

If you’re looking for a quick, inexpensive way to fix most types of outdoor furniture, consider spray paint. Adding a fresh coat of paint is a great solution because it's easy to achieve an even coat on most surfaces. Spray paint is particularly effective on wicker furniture and other woven pieces. You can find the right product for wood, plastic, and even metal furniture. While this refresh won’t endure for many years, it is a great way to quickly improve your outdoor spaces before summer arrives. 

2. Repair Broken And Wobbly Furniture

Improving your existing furniture often involves more than simply making it look new again. Chairs, tables, and other items get damaged over time. This spring, take the time to repair unstable and damaged pieces so they are fully functional. A screwdriver will tighten loose table and chair legs and you can use glue or other adhesives to make the furniture stronger. Take the time to inspect your outdoor furniture in early spring, and repair items as needed.

3. Sand And Apply Fresh Sealant Or Paint

If you want to give your existing furniture a new look that will last for years, you’ll need some sandpaper. You can increase the lifespan of wooden and metal furniture and help them look brand new if you sand them down a bit. Then repair the damaged exterior and apply a fresh coat of sealant or paint. Once you complete the process, the furniture will look great and last much longer than if you did nothing.

4. Replace Old Foam For New Cushioning

If you have cushions on outdoor furniture, such as couches or recliners, the foam may degrade over time. If your once-plush outdoor furniture is now uncomfortable and deflated, consider replacing the foam. You can purchase various types of foam online or at home supply stores. It is significantly cheaper to buy foam than to replace entire cushions and pieces of furniture. Ensure you have accurate measurements and the right tools for the job to achieve professional-looking results. 

5. Wash With Soap And Water

As soon as spring arrives and you take your furniture out of storage, give it a thorough cleaning. Don’t simply hose it down from afar. Instead, use a sponge and soapy water to thoroughly clean off the dirt. You’ll be surprised by the big difference a sponge and soapy water can make in transforming your old furniture. It will shine and have vibrant colors, especially on painted and plastic furniture. Properly cleaned furniture is also more appealing for visitors looking for a place to sit.

6. Give DIY Reupholstery A Try

The art of reupholstery is a skill that takes years to perfect, but it’s a great DIY hobby. If you’ve never tried it, consider reupholstering one of your outdoor pieces of furniture. If there is torn or damaged fabric, try replacing the fabric instead of simply throwing everything away. Reupholstering outdoor furniture is a great way to learn this skill, and it can breathe new life into old, cushioned chairs and couches.

7. Use A Pressure Washer To Remove Grime

If you have access to a pressure washer, use it to remove tough stains and grime from your old outdoor furniture. A low setting is effective at removing mold, mildew, and dirt stains from various types of furniture. At a higher setting, it can remove chipped paint from wooden and metal furniture, saving you some time when sanding. 

8. Remove Rust From Metal

Rust is an inevitable problem that anyone with metal outdoor furniture must address. Rust makes your furniture look old and ugly, and it also destroys the metal. Inspect your metal furniture for rust in the spring and summer. Wipe it away, and cover it with anti-rust sealant to prevent it from returning. 

9. Make New Pieces Using Free Materials

New furniture is expensive when you buy it from a store, but it can be free when you build it yourself. You can use wooden palettes or other cheap and free materials to create outdoor tables, chairs, and even couches. Outdoor furniture can look rustic, so there’s no need to spend money on expensive wood, especially if you don’t need it to last for more than a few years.

10. Use A Heat Gun To Refresh Plastic

If you have plastic outdoor furniture with scratches or weather damage, consider applying heat. If used carefully and precisely, a heat gun can soften plastic and smooth its surfaces. Heat can make cracks and other surface damage disappear in a matter of seconds, allowing your plastic furniture to live for another season.

11. Create Weatherproof Throw Pillows

Throw pillows are the perfect accessory to breathe new life into older chairs and couches. Outdoor throw pillows are relatively cheap, but if you want ones built to last, consider making them yourself. Buy weatherproof fabric and use a sewing maching to make pillowcases. Pillow cases are among the easiest products to make on a sewing machine, making them an ideal project for someone new to sewing.

12. Upgrade The Flooring To Help Furniture Shine

Sometimes, improving the space around your furniture helps make it look better. If your old furniture sits on a concrete slab or dirt, consider upgrading the ground rather than the furniture. You can easily paint concrete to give it dimension and style. You can also cover dirty ground with various types of gravel, adding functional elegance to your muddy outdoor space.

13. Change The Layout For A Fresh Look

Another great way to improve the way your outdoor furniture looks is to move it around. Just as interior spaces require rearranging from time to time, your outdoor spaces do as well. Consider the flow of your outdoor furniture and find ways to stage it more functionally and stylishly. Experiment with different setups, and find the one that looks and functions the best. 

14. Incorporate Creative Mood Lighting

If you plan to use your outdoor spaces at night, think creatively about improving the outdoor lighting. Not only will it make the area safer and more functional when it's dark, but good lighting can bring style and whimsy to your outdoor furniture. Consider string lights, lanterns, or uplighting and fixtures to make your outdoor space more beautiful and mask the look of slightly worn furniture.

Wrapping Up DIY Ways To Give Outdoor Furniture A Refresh

Outdoor furniture is something most people need time to budget for. If your current outdoor patio sets are shabby, but you can’t afford to replace them, you need to find ways to upgrade what you already have. First, clean the furniture thoroughly with soap and water or a pressure washer.

Spray paint is a quick fix for various types of furniture, but sanding, resealing, and properly painting will yield lasting, professional results. Consider rearranging your furniture, enhancing the floor space, and adding mood lighting for evening entertaining. Vibrant throw pillows can breathe new life into old furniture, and a heat gun can repair scratched and damaged plastic furniture. 

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