Before and after--garden seats.

[Eibhlin ni Sheambrai]

I got these two old wood and iron garden seats-- one from Mews38 in Stillorgan and the other from Paulasfurniture in Enfield. Thank you to you both. The photos show the before condition and the after pictures show them in their new location.

[melissabell]

They look stunning!!!! and they're in a perfect corner for just chilling out :)

[paulasfurniture]

Hi Eibhlin - so delighted to see the result of all your hard work - may they bring you & your guests many years of rest & relaxation - I will pass them on to my sister too :)

Originally Posted by melissabell

They look stunning!!!! and they're in a perfect corner for just chilling out :)

[Leahsmam]

well done you are great at doing things up

[flowerfaerie]

Wow, they look great, it's amazing what can be done! I really like the blue colour you have used and the wood looks great too. Any chance you could give us a quick run through of how you did this? I'd love to have the know how to do something like this

[Laineym]

Hi Eibhlín - you did a great job on these - just goes to show that most things cab be brought back to life with a little TLC ...

Laineym

[Eibhlin ni Sheambrai]

Originally Posted by flowerfaerie

Wow, they look great, it's amazing what can be done! I really like the blue colour you have used and the wood looks great too. Any chance you could give us a quick run through of how you did this? I'd love to have the know how to do something like this

Hi flowerfaerie, this was not as difficult as it looked. I tried to sand the wood back to original but it didn't work too well till I realised that the seats had been out in all weathers for a few years I guess and what they needed was a good wash. I got a bucket of hot water with sugar soap, rubber gloves and a scrubbing brush. Basically I scrubbed and scrubbed till I was back to base. Was going to hose them down to rinse but it started to rain so left them out and let nature rinse them. Managed to catch a couple of hours of sunshine the next day so put them back out to 'cook' and then put them in the shed for a few days to make sure they were totally dry as it is no good sealing them if you are sealing in damp. Sanded them smooth, used ronseal wood stain to colour and finished off with a couple of coats of satin finish yacht varnish which is recommended for outdoor use. The metalwork was easier as most of the metal paints don't need undercoat.eg Hammerite or Triflow. just painted it with a small brush and there you go. If any of the wood needs replacing in the future, it is easy to replace a single lath and stain it to match original. Particularly pleased to get metal leg benches for the grass area as less chance of deterioration. Eibhlin. ps. don't be afraid to try things out. That's the beauty of JT-you get the item for free and the worst thing that can happen is you make a mess--not the end of the world and that is how you learn--I have a trail od mistakes behind me as well as the successes.:)

[flowerfaerie]

Thank you very much for the run through of how it's done. I would never have dreamed of trying to bring something like that back to life and wouldn't have imagined that they could have been made look so good. Now you have made it look so easy, perhaps I'll have my own before and after pics to put up.

I loved your ethos of just giving it a go and you are dead right, an inspiration. I definitely would have been afraid and wouldn't have known where to start.

[magda_ola]

great job; it must be lovely to catch up a bit of sun on them now:)