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you may even find that you can get a twine which can be thread through the eye of the needle.

When the furniture is repaired and dry, you can choose the color of paint you wish to use. From experience, those paints with a mat or satin finish don't last as well as paints which are gloss finish, although the look they give is nicer. Since the procedure is so simple, it's not such a bad thing that the chairs may need re-spraying every five years or so, as this gives you a chance to update your choice of colors.

For the painting, place the piece of furniture onto a newspaper, and preferably perform the spraying job outdoors to avoid damage from the paint on other surfaces and to help you avoid intoxication from paint spray. The whole item needs rubbing down. This is to prepare the surface for the new paint, and a quick rub down with medium grained sandpaper will be sufficient for your needs.

Undercoating is needed, as this will kill the original color and make the surface of the item accept the final color in one spraying. Color the undercoat to a similar color to the top coat by the addition of colors available in do it yourself shops, or buy undercoat which is already colored.

After the undercoating has dried, shake the can for the topcoat, and be sure that you are spraying in an area where nothing will be painted other than the item in question. It may be advisable to wear a small mask, and if you have one available do use it, since this stops you breathing in the odor from the paint. Holding the can away from the furniture, try on the bottom of the furniture until you are comfortable with the distance at which to hold the can. Spray the underneath of the furniture, and then turn it over. Spray the last coat. Always make sure that you spray in a dry atmosphere, and if spraying outdoors, that you do this during a period of good weather, so that the item can dry easily without being hampered by dampness in the atmosphere.

The next part of the process is the fun one. You can lightly distress the surface if you like the modern distressed look simply by rubbing fine sandpaper randomly over the finished surface, exposing the undercoat in places. Then choose a material and make padded cushions for chairs that suit the style of the area in which you are going to house the chairs. For tables, add little bits of weave in different contrasting color at this stage if you wish to, and to make wicker tables more substantial for indoor use, you can always add a nice glass top, with polished edges, and glass suppliers will be able to supply this to measure. Be sure to explain your needs to them and they can quote you for finished glass which poses no threat to users of the table and has a great finish at the edges.

Even the old wicker chair which you first saw in an antique shop or bought in a garage sale can have a new lease of life with a little care and thought, and will perhaps not only become useful but is likely to become your favorite piece of furniture.

Learn more about this author, Rachelle de Bretagne.
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