how to paint adirondack chairs

alternatively titled: how NOT to paint adirondack chairs.

Alright. Let's get started. These are the chairs BEFORE I got my productivity on. (just the two big ones, the little one stayed red). I've had them over 5 years, and they were beginning to look a little (ok, a LOT) worse for the wear. So I started by handing Camden a sanding block and letting him go to town. He lasted about 5 minutes. I spent a little more time (maybe 5 MORE minutes), just sanding the rough spots so they felt smooth.

The next morning my mom decided to bring lunch over and my sister was going to join us on her lunch break. While we waited for her (she got held up at work), I asked my mom if she wanted to prime my chairs. Surprisingly, she said, "Sure!", so we put Charlie down for his nap and slapped some primer on these babies. (I already had primer, and it's interior/exterior Kilz brand, so I figured it would work). A couple of hours later, ta-da! I start to think that maybe I should have chosen white as my finish color!

But, no, I had chosen a dark blue spray paint. I had it in my mind that spray paint would be easier to apply. Boy, was I wrong. That evening (after the primer was good and dry,) I sprayed one of the chairs. I used an entire can of spray paint and got one coat on one chair. It was hard for me to get the paint on evenly with the spray paint, and I felt like I was wasting a lot with all the overspray. Plus, my pointer finger was getting tired from all that spraying!  So the next morning, I went back to the store, with a piece of cardboard I had sprayed with the spray paint and asked the paint counter to color match it. I bought a quart of satin finish, and it was more than enough for the two chairs. The quart was also more cost effective than the spray paint. The quart cost me under $10. The spray paint was $4 per can and I would have needed at least 3 cans, possibly 4. Headed home and Grace helped me with the first coat on the other chair. Here it is with one coat brushed on.

The next day we did the final coat on both chairs, and now I'm in the process of letting them get good and dry before I'll let anybody sit on them. (The fact that it rained last night kind of makes me a little crazy, but whatever). I spent less than $20 bucks and got two good as new adirondack chairs. And I am loving the color. I think I might be over my red phase. (Except when it comes to shoes, of course).

What do you think? Have you "saved" anything lately with a fresh coat of paint? I can't help but think of all the other things I could transform now, with a little paint and a couple of hours. : )