Are you looking for outdoor dining furniture?

There’s nothing better than sitting outside in the breeze, drinking a glass of wine eating a delicious dinner surrounded by friends and family all sitting on a beautiful patio set. Ahhhhh!

I wanted an outdoor dining set. A pretty one. But not for a lot of money. Ha! Who doesn’t, right?

However, I have a problem with outdoor dining sets. I don’t care for most of them and the ones I do like will have me selling body parts to pay for it!

Anyone know what I am talking about?

Metal and glass outdoor table and chair sets tend to be no-maintenance which is nice but I find them cold and uninviting. 

I really love wood but it is not a no-maintenance option. Teak wood is very low-maintenance but very high-priced.      

I was ready to give up on the whole thing when I remembered the beautiful table I had sitting right below me in my basement art room. 

Wait a minute.  THAT table is gorgeous and affordable (ha!)… what if I could make it OUTDOOR friendly?

There had to be a way.    

I started researching outdoor and boat varnish and sure enough, there was a thing called marine varnish or spar varnish.  I’ll be darned! 

It provides protection from temperature changes, moisture AND sunlight. Perfect! Wow, who knew?

I bought the Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane only because that is the brand carried by the local Ace Hardware (Love Ace!). After I roughed up the surface with sandpaper, I used a brush so I could really soak it in the cracks and make the table as protected as possible.

I needed some chairs to go with it…

I had these beautiful old folding chairs stuffed away in my shed pretty much only being used when we needed them. I had bought them years ago at an auction for $10! 

Hmmmm…  I wonder if I could use them for my table?  Why not?

I used the varnish on them and BAM – Instant OUTDOOR fabulousness!

As you can see, it is not necessary to go out and spend all kind of money to make a pretty table.

Case in point, the table settings in my photos are just my everyday, tough-as-nails CORELLE from Target!

I gave them a mini-makeover by adding a placemat (Homegoods for around $5 each) and a plate charger (Hobby Lobby half price for $1). I added my everyday silverware and a few sprig of Winter Creeper from my landscaping.

Pretty. Warm. Inviting.

It should be noted that my wood outdoor dining set is NOT maintenance free but it’s close! I have a cover but I do leave it out in the rain on occasion and I am happy to report it does very well.

However, last winter I left it out all winter…rain, snow, and more rain… and by the spring, it was a hot mess. The varnish had cracked and peeled.  What was I thinking!?

This is what I was thinking: Part of me wanted to test the toughness of the varnish throughout the winter and I really thought it might be okay. It wasn’t.

Luckily, I sanded it, re-varnished it and it was good as new!  I am SO GLAD it survived my neglect and I can tell you I won’t be doing that again!

Would you like to make an INDOOR furniture OUTDOOR FRIENDLY? 

Here are my best practices for finding old or used furniture:

• garage sales

• checking with family or friends for their cast-offs

• make a run around town on garbage day (yes - I’ve done this)

• clearance sales of mismatched furniture

• FaceBook Marketplace

Or like me, maybe you already have a piece waiting in your basement!

Happy Creating!
Amy