My husband and I are what you might call DIYers. We enjoy doing things ourselves. We take on projects usually for two reasons: 1) for the challenge of it – and that awesome feeling we get when we succeed and 2) to save some money. In this “disposable world” we tend to toss things in the trash when we don’t want them or, sometimes, because it’s cheaper to get a new one rather than get the old one repaired or upgraded. But sometimes I feel that it would just be a shame to throw something away, especially if it seems to have a lot of usefulness left in it.

So, when we decided to have the families over to celebrate our children’s promotion from 8th grade, we took one look at our patio set and knew we needed to make a decision: toss it (and buy a new one) or DIY it (and save some serious cash). My husband looked at me and said, “What do you think? Can we save it? What could we do with it? Or should we just buy a new set? Can we afford it?” I thought about it. And I thought about it. What I really wanted to do was buy a new one. This one was about 12 years old and the metal frames were incredibly faded from the sun. Plus, I had a lot to do anyway to get ready for the party and knew it would just be soooooo much easier if we just went out and bought a new one. But this one was still in good condition. We hadn’t abused it. It hadn’t rusted at all. I cringed inwardly and had to admit that it probably could be saved. I sighed, put my selfishness aside for a moment, and told him I could try spray painting it. He thought that was a great idea. We headed to the hardware store and picked out a color that would match the fabric.

And so it began. I tried the paint on one of the chairs. It looked great. I kept going – a little at a time until I’d finished the table, the umbrella stand, and 6 chairs. There they were in all their Spruce Green glory. I’d spent more than I wanted to on paint, but saved hundreds by not buying a new set. And the results were terrific. In fact, someone at the party asked if we’d gotten a new patio set. Go figure.

It’s something anyone can do, really. The sense of accomplishment you feel when you’re done and it looks great? Aaahhhhh. And it might just save you a bunch . . .

Here’s a picture of the before and after . . . Happy DIYing!