Before & After: Patio Table Gets Rustic Chic Makeover

Intrepid DIYer Emily was looking for a patio table, and happened to score this one on Craigslist for free. But it wasn’t quite love at first sight. The chairs were covered in a weird mottled brown paint, and the cushions were falling apart. Plus, Emily admits, she’s not such a huge fan of glass top tables. (Not that I can blame her — my roommate and I had a glass-topped table in college and that thing squeaked. I can still hear it now. Squeak squeak squeak. Squeak squeak squeak.) But with the addition of a little outdoor fabric, some spray paint, and some old fence wood, things were looking up. 

Huge improvement, no? Emily did away with the indifferent brown finish, and spray painted the table to match the chairs. She re-covered the cushions with outdoor fabric, and then replaced the tabletop with a top made from old fence boards — perfect for outdoors. And she did it all on a tiny budget:

The whole project cost $20 for outdoor fabric and spray paint, and the rest of the supplies were all freebies. I may add some edging around the top and do a resin pour so that the tabletop is totally flat and sealed while preserving the look of the old wood. Craigslist FTW!

Indeed. Nice job, Emily!

Emily Grace King is an artist, designer, and maker in St. Petersburg, Florida. You can see more of her work on her website. Read more about her outdoor projects in this post. 

(Images: Emily Grace King)