How to Update Metal Outdoor Furniture with Paint

The table is about 20 years old and every year I swear I'm going to give it a coat of paint to make it new again. 

Finally this year is the year! I'm using Rust-Oleum Chalked ultra matte paint in Charcoal. 

The color is perfect for this table. 

As you can see the table is stained, rusted, and chipped. 

The problem is just on the top of the table so that is all I'm going to paint for now. 

I grabbed a small roller and a recycled plastic tray from cookies. 

It works amazing as a roller tray! 

I was a little afraid of dripping onto our new Treks decking so I used a large paper bag drop cloth under the table and just slid it around under where I was working. 

Very professional don't you agree? 

Anyway, I used a light coat of paint and did two coats. 

I luckily didn't have one drip! 

You can see the difference in the table as I began to paint. 

When I was finished, the table took about 10 minutes to dry. 

You could use an outdoor sealer at this point but this paint is self sealing and I'm going to skip that step. 

If I need to give it another coat or two in a few years I'm willing to do that. 

The whole project took about 5 years to get around to do and 15 minutes to actually paint. 

We were back in business and ready for lunch out on the table a little while later. 

The 2 coats of paint covered all the chips, stains, and rust that were plaguing this table for so many years. 

If you have a project you've been putting off like adding outdoor curtains to the gazebo, or anchoring a gazebo to the deck, ... get on it, you'll be so glad you did. 

See the Hanging Outdoor Colander Light that found its way onto Apartment Therapy by visiting the bold links.