Patio Bistro Set Makeover: From Dainty to Daring

A friend generously donated this darling patio bistro set to me for a makeover.

I removed the cushions before I realized I should have taken a “before” picture — oops. But the fabric I’d selected was so awesome that I couldn’t wait to get started!

Step One: Disassembly

Here’s a pic with the original faded material. This set was in great shape but definitely needed new fabric and paint. First, I unscrewed the panels holding the cushions from the backs and undersides of the frames.

Step Two: Cleaning

I gave the trio a good going over with a wire brush and my mix of dish soap, vinegar, and water. Using a wire brush on metal furniture is important to remove any flaking paint. If this isn’t done, the new paint won’t adhere correctly. In this case, there was a peeling topcoat of black over an old green base paint.

Step Three: Repair

Next, I pulled up all the rusty staples holding the fabric in order to discard the old print and check out the condition of the foam and wood. As I expected since they’d been exposed to the elements for some time, the foam and batting were mildewed and unsalvageable.

What I hadn’t expected was that all the wood cushion forms would be rotten. That was definitely a setback because wood is SO expensive right now. But there was no saving these. Using the originals as patterns, I used my jigsaw to cut new forms.

Step Four: Paint

I selected “Meadow Green” spray paint from Rustoleum® to brighten up the metal portions of the table and chairs. This product has a primer built in, so I could skip that step. This color was really going to make the fabric I’d selected pop!

Step Five: Reupholstery

Once the paint was dry and the chairs ready for their cushions, I tackled replacing the foam and fabric. I chose products suitable for outdoor furniture to discourage mold, mildew, and fading. After cutting the foam to size with my electric carving knife, I beveled the top edges to give the cushions a nice curve.

Normally, you wrap foam in batting before covering with fabric for a chair, but that’s not the case with outdoor furniture. Batting would simply absorb water and encourage mold and mildew growth. For the seat bottoms, I wrapped the fabric directly over the foam and attached it to the undersides with my — YESSS!!! — Surebonder® pneumatic staple gun! I love that thing.

Replacing the fabric on the back of the seats was trickier since the fabric is viewed from both sides. First, I stapled the new fabric to the back of the form.

Then I overlaid the front of the form with the foam and topped that with more fabric. The next step was to hand sew around the edges to connect the two pieces of fabric. Then all that was left was to screw these cushions back into place.