I have this GORGEOUS old bench in the front of my house. unfortunately, it is about the same color as the brick of my home, so it gets lost. I've been meaning to paint it for sometime, but finally got around to it!
Step 1: Sand! I only gave it a very light sanding. I wanted the red & worn to show through once I scuffed the final coat of paint. Clean up is a lot easier if you lay down a drop cloth under the piece of furniture you are sanding (My favorite drop cloth is this old black shower curtain)
Step 2: Paint- I actually chose a high gloss black paint for 3 reasons. #1- my sister had a small bucket of it, so I didn't have to spend any money. #2- It will be harder for the weather to wear it down, and #3- I liked the end product of a little bit of gloss, but still scuffed.
This is the 1st coat. I could have left it there and let the red really show through, but decided to do a second coat.
The second coat still shows a little bit of red, and I wasn't too worried about getting a thick covering coat.
I did not paint the underside. Hopefully people won't be laying down under my bench to see if I painted the whole thing.
You know how I mentioned putting down a drop cloth? Make sure you shake the drop cloth out after sanding so when you paint, little flakes don't stick... like this! Oops!!!
Step 3: Sand again! Scuff it up as much or as little as you would like!
And Viola!!!
Add crafts or keep empty for a cute little addition to the front of your home.