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Bistro Set Make-Over

Jig Saw, Table Top

Outdoor furniture pieces are some of the easiest items to transform with a little bit of elbow grease and paint. Cosmetically, this bistro set started out in pretty bad shape. There were no structural problems. After removing the tiles, this set was ready for a simple restyle.

Things You Will Need:

Iron bistro set
Tools needed for preparing the surface
Sandpaper
Soap and water
White, outdoor house paint
Paintbrush
Electric palm sander
Rag
Wrapping paper
Pencil
Scissors
Measuring tape
Weathered fence boards
Jig saw
Permanent marker
Clear polyurethane
Liquid Nails
Heavy books

Step 1
Note: Depending on your bistro set, you may be able to skip this step.

Remove any tiles from the table surface and the chairs. I don’t know of an easy way to do this. For my particular set, I tried about every chemical you can think of to dissolve the adhesive, but found none that worked. I ended up removing the tile from the table top with a chisel and lots of muscle. This did result in damage to my table top, but because it would be covered up, I wasn’t too concerned. For the tile on the seat backs, I cut out the tile insets. Once the set was finished, you couldn’t tell they had ever been there.

Step 2
Lightly sand your bistro set to give the surface a tooth to better accept the paint and adhesives. Clean the set with soap and water.

Step 3
Paint the table and chair using a white, outdoor house paint. Allow the paint to dry. Repeat with additional coats until complete coverage is achieved. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly.

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Tip:
I pick up a lot of paint at yard sales. These are paints left over from the owner’s home improvement projects. Often these paints are available for pennies or free. If you do a lot of furniture transformations, this is a very economical way to fill your paint closet.

Step 4
Using an electric palm sander, sand the edges of the table and chairs, as well as the legs and scroll work. This will distress the paint to give your bistro set a shabby chic look. Wipe away the sanding dust using a dry rag.

Step 5
Lay a sheet of wrapping paper on the ground with the back side facing up. Turn the table over and center it on the paper. Trace around the table top. Set the table right side up. If you table has a lip, measure the thickness of the lip. Using this measurement, trace inside the existing traced line on the paper. Cut out the paper on this line.

Step 6
Measure the diameter of the table top. Lay several lengths of weathered fence boards on the ground and positioned side-by-side. The boards all need to be the same thickness, but their width can be varied. The length and the amount of boards laying side-by-side need to add up to the table diameter, or slightly larger. Center the paper pattern on top of the boards and trace around it.

Step 7
Using a jig saw, cut along the traced line on each board. After each board is cut, replace it beside the others so as not to mix up the order. When all pieces have been cut, use a magic marker to number their order on the back of the boards.

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Step 8
Apply a total of three coats of clear polyurethane sealer to all sides of the boards. Allow the sealer to dry.

Step 9
Apply a generous amount of Liquid Nails to the back of each board. Following the numbered order, place each board on the top of the table. Place heavy books on the boards to hold them in place while the adhesive is drying.

If your boards do not naturally lay flat, over time they will pull away from the top of the table. Drill pilot holes through the bottom of the table for screws. Attach wood screws, slightly shorter than the thickness of your boards, through the pilot holes and into the wood. This precaution will prevent your boards from lifting.

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