Butterfly Chair Makeover

Modfrugal Butterfly Chair Rehab

I have been picking up BFK/Hardoy, aka butterfly chairs for years, and they are showing some wear, plus the last pair I acquired were peeling and rough. While I would still like to get them sandblasted and powder coated, that will cost hundreds of dollars, and I wanted a down and dirty rehab before our last movie night that wouldn’t cost much more than time.

Sanding with 100, then 200 grit sandpaper and spray painting them a flat black did the trick, but my biggest concern was the feet. I finally re-stained our decking, and I didn’t want the metal chairs to leave rust stains on the fresh new finish as they had previously.

Modfrugal Butterfly Rehab

This is what I had all over the deck before I gave it a top coat….

 

Modfrugal Butterfly Rehab

Annoying, right? The CC thinks I have unrealistic expectations of the deck, when I point out these things, he laughs and says – “It’s a deck, not the hardwood floors!”

No, it’s not, but it doesn’t mean I want our barely 4 year old deck to look trashy already..K?

Modfrugal Deck Rehab

So I did my thing. I had to pressure wash it a second time since our summer was so wet, all the gunk I had washed off this Spring was back, and it took quite a bit of the stain with it.

For those wondering why we stained the deck rather than let it age naturally – we salvaged wood from our previous deck when this one was built, so we had sections of different age etc.. The boards would never look uniform as a whole area, so we stained it for both a cohesive aesthetic, and a way to reflect sunlight in the hot Tennessee summers.

Back to the chairs!

So, my dilemma was that I needed some kind of foot, or moisture barrier for these chairs. I have seen feet where you have to drill into the base of the chair – um, NO, and I don’t actually want to SEE any feet, because I’m picky like that.

So we thought we were pretty darn clever, and decided the best solution was to put black silicone on the bottom of the chairs.

Modfrugal Butterfly Rehab

Modfrugal Butterfly Rehab

Modfrugal Butterfly Rehab

Awesome!!! After sitting in them for a day, we peeked underneath and this is how it had settled in! Problem solved. Now we can start working on something else, like FINISHING THE PANTRY.

Modfrugal Butterfly Rehab

WRONG. After a few more days and a little dragging around, this is what the feet looked like….

Modfrugal Butterfly Rehab

Back to the start. Then I had another bright idea -  for real, this one might work, maybe.

Modfrugal Butterfly Rehab

So we scraped the remaining shreds of silicone off and had a dipping party – twice. Two coats for good luck.

Modfrugal Butterfly Rehab

Modfrugal Butterfly Rehab

Modfrugal Butterfly Rehab

I’m in love. How has it taken me this long to discover the joy that is Plasti-Dip? I want to dip ALL THE THINGS. They have a spray version and I am seriously considering using it on…something, anything, I don’t know, but I’ll find something.

Anyway, it is doing just the job I wanted. It is sturdy enough to handle some light dragging and both deck and chair stay protected. The BEST part is that you really have to look hard to see it, and for resale value etc.. Plasti-dip is completely removable. YES, you read that right. How is it holding up? Why, let me show you….

 

Modfrugal Butterfly Chair Rehab

Yup. Aaaaand is it noticeable when you look at the chairs?

Modfrugal Butterfly Chair Rehab

You tell me? I’m giddy, GIDDY I tell you.

This will come in handy for all hairpin legged furniture. Protecting hardwood floors, anything – you get the idea.

I should also mention that I ordered new covers from D & J Patio – white “space weave” designed for outdoors. About $20 less than the ones at Circa 50 BUT, they only come in one size. They fit the largest frames the best and we might take in the seam a smidge on our lower set frame covers. I just couldn’t face spending $60+ shipping per chair when I needed 6 new covers.

Another tidbit to know is that they are SLOOOOOOOOW to ship, so establish their stock availability before you order for a particular event. (ours came a full MONTH after ordering). With all that in mind, I am pleased with the quality of the covers and think they are going to work out just fine.

 

Modfrugal Butterfly Chair Rehab

Modfrugal Butterfly Chair Rehab

Modfrugal Butterfly Chair Rehab

Holiday Progress

It doesn’t look like much, but we did actually accomplish more than stuffing our faces with carnitas over the July 4th holiday.  We have finally had a break from the Nashville Monsoon so I could finish that pesky spot of deck floor staining.

The old railings were really getting in the way of completing the stain job, so, even though we don’t have the hog panel yet, buh bye.

We’ve kept up the support posts since we will reuse them, but now we are thinking of rebuilding and widening the stairs.  We didn’t change them when they added onto the deck since they were attached to the old section and were perfectly fine.  We’ve got some planning and potential reconfiguring to do….of course…UGH!

So while deck progress is now at a potential screeching halt, the CC tackled a little work on the compost pile…

We are now using it although far from done…he has finished one gate, but could only find the ugliest hinges ever.  He has promised to paint/camouflage them since we grudgingly conceded that mail order stainless hinges were not required for a compost pile….although it would look SO much better.

AND, groan…we started to deal with the fallen tree.  One solid day of heat and sawdust.  I dragged branches to the road and stacked future firewood while the CC got all manly with the chainsaw.  There’s more to do, but what’s left is hidden from public view in the jungle so we can take our time finishing up.

We were so exhausted after that day…we packed up Thing One and Thing Two and headed to the pool.  I cracked out an old find from the depths…I think these were my dad’s.  Love ’em…even though the Things thought they looked “funny”.  I was too whipped to care if I looked “funny” in them or not.

Revenge of the Sweaty Solstice

Today is the summer solstice…and it’s hot.  We had 2 dry days, then rain, then another 2 dry days…I am ready to pounce.  I stained the area outside the kitchen, let it dry for 2 days, then dragged all the furniture over so I could tackle the next sections.

Things are moving along and the end is in sight….I thought it would take me 2 days to get the floor finished, but I am on track to finish by dinner.  It has been a long afternoon….95 degrees in the shade.

What?!  I’m going to run out of stain?  Nah…I can make it…it will be tight, but I can do it….I HAVE to.

Nope…I’m all set to paint myself into the living room, but noooooooooo…. I run out of stain dammit.  Just in case you think I didn’t try….

Ugh.  Back to the paint store tomorrow…it will probably rain… just to rub it in.