DO NOT buy new! - these are fabulous and well worth the investment - personally I'd do them in a lovely summery west-coasty kind of colour - I'm seeing them in a gorgeous soft turquoise or a strong duck-egg/eau de nil - would contrast really well with the red brick too

If you love the lines and the design of the chairs then the investment is a small price to pay...

While white is a tempting color choice keep in mind that with such tight mesh alot of dirt will accumulate and the chairs will quickly look grimy- that is unless you are very on top of upkeep... And if you live somewhere with seasons (as I assume you do posting on the ATNY) the white will show the wear...

Personally I think the bold hits of color should come from the cushions and other accessories. This way you can change them to suit the seasons, your decor, taste...

I think a gunmetal would look very very nice- kind of a cross between metalic grey, black and chrome... mmm... gunmetal...

I agree with violetsrose. They're great! I'd take a wire brush to them. There is some stuff call Naval Jelly that will take rust right off. I like violetsrose color sceam also.

Hi Chris - I'm a Naptown native living in NYC. These chairs are gorgeous and I agree with the other posts. They are well worth the investment, especially since they were a freebie. If you saw them in a antique store window beautifully restored, won't you consider spending $600 on them?

Go Navy!

Julian's suggestion is great! Go for a gun metal paint job and accent with colored cushions and fabrics -- love it! GREAT chairs -- well worth the investment!!!!!

I third the motion for gunmetal and funky accent cushions.

Definitely restore them! The design is wonderful and the construction looks is probably better than you would get from a new piece. Another alternative color would be a metallic/pearl taupe. Won't show dirt. But, won't get as hot as a dark color since it is more reflective.

I vote for something in the cool blue family - it'll look awesome against all that terra cotta and greenery!

Another vote for gunmetal. It's not just for guns anymore! Those look like really cool chairs, bring them back rather than throw them out.

I agree with Julian. Use bold colors on the cushions and go gunmetal for the chairs. Great chairs!

If the rust is surface only (not eating away at structure), you can wire-brush the rust off -- the naval jelly suggestion is excellent -- then use Rustoleum spray paint from the hardware store to repaint them. Use primer first, then paint, and make sure its paint formulated for metal.
Cheaper than powdercoating.

I work in Annapolis--people here for commissioning are driving me nuts!!! At any rate, I would stay with white, personally, or off-white as Maxwell suggests. Black=hot if it's in the sun. Unless you want to go with a fun color. I like Violetrose's suggestion of the turquoise. I also think Green could be fun, and tie into the potted plants...

I hate to be a sycophant, but I agree completely with Julian.

Very cool chairs! Good luck and enjoy!

You'd pay AT LEAST $600 for one chair for a decent design & quality new. Go for powdercoat! I love color but white-on-white is a hot trend in modern outdoor furniture right now. The most important thing: go with your heart on color!

I sell a lot of contemporary outdoor furniture and I can easily say that clients who took a color risk, but did it following their heart, have always been glad they did. Customers who played it safe, often comment that they regret their decision.

Also, in my experience with white furniture, it doesn't show as much dirt as you'd think (compare it to how white cars hide dust much more than black ones). Plus, you should be hosing off your furniture regularly (at least once a month) to keep it clean enough to sit on. Neglect is the true enemy of outdoor furniture.

Good luck!

My two cents re. DIY rust-removal. I have used lemon juice to remove rust from an old iron bed and a glider. It works best if the rust is on a part of the chairs that can be immersed, i.e. the legs. Fill up jars with lemon juice and then stick the legs in the filled jars. But otherwise wrap juice-soaked paper towels all over the chair and cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent (or at least deter) evaporation. Leave it a few days, "basting" periodically if the paper towels dry out. If you go the toxic route, Ospho, which is sold at paint stores, works great. A friend with an ironworks business told me about it.

No gun metal (so boring). no offense Julian.

Tourquoise, or mint green - total classics! They'll like more epensive and custom if you go balls out.

Life is short, take a color risk.

Besides, basically, everything goes with those colors - so the risk is little.

Don’t get rid of them!!!—I have an acquaintance who sells this type of used outdoor furniture, and when I mentioned my parents had a set she said to make sure they weren’t given away when the house was dismantled.

So, this past year that has come to pass and I now have about 12 pieces sitting down in my basement—in about the same shape as yours and I’m faced with the same dilemma (restoration and color—mine are white). Through the years, I helped my parents repaint them—and found the wire brush, primer and rust oleum lasts only for a few years. I have also been debating whether to spend the bucks to have them professionally redone.

If you have the money I’d get them professionally done; if not, I find home furniture restoration does give one a nice sense of accomplishment.

Cool chairs! Definitely worth rehabbing if they're comfortable (I'm guessing you actually want to use them, not just look at them, but then again, they're pretty cool just to look at!)

And I agree with Mac - have them professionally done. It's hard to get every last flake of the rust off before your patience wears thin, and even harder to find a well ventilated, yet protected outdoor area where you can paint safely *and* avoid getting all kinds of dust, tiny leaves, etc. embedded in the paint.

Do you know how expensive new outdoor furniture is?!?! Have them sandblasted and then professionally powdercoated. Soooo jealous. Especially love the lounger.

I would clean these up and paint them black, with orange trim. I think that would look really really good in annapolis. I would also drag them to 60 college avenue every april or so, set them up on the edge of the brick pathway and sip champagne while watching people play croquet.

Wow,

The decison is in on having them powder coated - I'll do it. Great advice on the color - I'll go with my heart. I'll send in before and after photos when they're done.

Neat part of the story - I was taking Amtrak from BWI to NYC on business yesterday and getting on the train right behind me is my generous neighbor. I told her about my plans, AT blogging, etc... and she told me that her grandfather has 5 more pieces sitting at his place on the Eastern Shore (Chesapeake Bay) of Maryland and I'm welcome to them.

Par-tay.

Thanks for all you help!

Chris in Annapolis

Pfff... These chairs are so great, they're going to look fantastic no matter what colour you go with. I'm hoping to see them in something bright when the 'after' pictures appear, personally.

Yes, definitely save those beauties! My first color instincts (even before seeing the other comments) were: turquoise, robin's egg, seafoam, white or black.

I like the mint green idea. Those are VERY cool chairs.

Since we're all for powdercoating these beauties, where in the world does one get this done?! I have an old bedframe I'm dying to do this to but haven't had any luck figuring out the correct name (now I know!) and where to start to look to get it done.

Craigslist? Auto body shop? Any tips in the NYC/NJ area would be greatly appreciated!

Kiran

Kiran,

I did a quick search and found this outfit in Brooklyn: http://www.carterpowdercoating.com/

Their website shows some of the work they've done including furniture.

The place I went to north of DC had some similar furniture projects as well as some salvaged architectural pieces that people where having blasted and coated (a gargoyle, an iron gate and old English postal box).

The Lexus Racing Team (HQ'd in Baltimore) had sent over an LS 430 stripped down to the frame that they wanted powder coated before they turned it into a race car.

The owner told me he's done appliance shells, bathtubs - all kinds of stuff as long as it can withstand the curing oven at 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit.

This link explains how it works: http://www.finishing.com/Library/pennisi/powder.html

Chris in Annapolis

Have you thought about going for a metal finish, like chrome or copper?

I'm thinking wayyyyy into the future now...if the plating or paint starts chipping off, how easy will it be to have it repaired? The metal plating would probably be the hardest to fix up/touch up.

However, the paint would be much easier. You might want to have them either match up to a spray paint that is currently on the market (and pick up a few cans for future touch-ups) or have them give/sell you a little tiny jar in case of tiny nicks.

If you're going to be doing a lot of furniture, try to have it all done at the same time, and it might even be less expensive per piece with a larger order. Plus the paints will match perfectly.

I'd make them white with black accents. The circular parts of the chair as well as the leg part I'd make black. The parts that essentially outline the chair and border the mesh, I'd make black and everything else including the legs white.

Nice chairs.

If you do plan on powder coating these I would suggest a couple of things. Specify a zinc-rich primer prior to the selected top coat. Also, depending on what color you end up selecting, you should find out if it is suitable for exterior use. Not all powder coats are rated for exterior conditions. If you are really sold on a particular color and it is not an exterior grade powder coat, see if they can clear top coat the piece with an exterior grade clear coat. Also, if the lounge piece does not currently have some kind of rubber bumpers on the underside of the bent tubing base, I would put some on the underside. Over time, the powder coat will have chipped off from being slid around on the terra cotta and will start to rust. Remember, the terra cotta will always hold moisture, you don't want bare metal and moisture coming together or you will soon have rusting metal chairs again.

As for the color, you will most likely be limited to what the powder coater has in his arsenal, unless you are doing enough work to warrant them buying a box of powder that you might choose, a point you might want to remember if you are going to add to the collection. Also find out about the texture, different powder coats come in different textures. That may not be evident if you are only looking at a powder coat manufacturer's color chart.

That being said, I like the suggestions of using a vibrant color that contrasts with the terra cotta. The forms of the chairs have an organic, leaf-like quality which could suggest a green. There is a particular color we've used that would work nicely on these pieces. It's called Paradise Green (UG56-30024-C50), I think it's a Sherwin Williams PC but I'm not positive. If you're putting cushions on these I would also look at flowers, plants, etc as a basis of inspiration. The best thing to do is get actual powder coated chips from the powder coater and some fabric samples and spend some time looking at them in the space. And as other people have suggested, go with your gut, but take out as much of the guesswork as possible.

As far as using multiple colors on these pieces, most powder coaters will not do this. As for plating, if the pieces are currently rusted, they will not look very good post plating. Plating will not hide imperfections in the finish of the metal.

Hope this helps.

Chris,

I am planning on powdercoating some similar furniture as yours. I was wondering where you're having the process done as I live nearby in Baltimore & can't seem to find a good source.

Thanks,
SP