A few weeks back, Johnstone’s paint got in touch with me about a new campaign they were running. The ‘Do-ers’ campaign is all about encouraging people to get projects done around the house and in the garden. When asked about the campaign, the first thing that came to mind was our rather sad garden furniture which was in serious need of some TLC. A couple of years ago, we were given a wedding anniversary gift of this beautiful old bench, along with a very old table with a cast iron base.
I had all the best intentions in the world of doing something with them, but as it does, life got in the way. 2 years later, some motivation and inspiration (along with help of my very DIY savvy Mom) has led to this bright and loved corner of our outdoor living space. Read below for some more details of our garden furniture revamp with Johnstone’s paint.
The Before
Here’s a little look at what we started off with. Two really nice pieces, but as you can see they were in serious need of attention. The bench come from a salvage yard, and the cast iron sides have some really intricate detail.
The Products
Here are the three products from Johnstone’s paint that we used:
- Each of the products were easy to work with. We gave the bench a light sanding and applied 3 coats of the red in total. Similarly, we gave the table top a light sanding before applying the paint.
- For the metal we sanded off some of the old paint by hand as best we could before applying a coat of the smooth Metal paint. Again, it was easy to apply with a medium sized brush with minimal dripping.
Below is a picture of the bench after one coat of the signal red, non-drip gloss. We used an electric sander to remove residual varnish from the bench, creating a smoother surface for the gloss to stick to. There is a lot to be said about good prep work, and results in a much better finish overall.
The Result
I am really delighted with how the furniture has turned out. The boys Little Tikes slide at the other end of the garden inspired my colour choices. The bright, bold, primary colours are eye-catching and fun (though I can appreciate, not to everyone’s taste!). This colour palette has injected some much needed colour into an otherwise grey corner of our outdoor living space. The cushions and candle holders are from IKEA.
For more ideas and inspiration from Johnstone’s paint, check out their outdoor products and indoor revive range of up-cycling products.
Johnstone’s Paint kindly gifted me the paint used in this project. That said the end results speak for themselves and my experience and opinions are my own.