We found these old wrought iron porch rockers a couple of weeks ago at a farm sale out in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma, for $20! As you can see, they were in pretty rough shape! The seats were very rotted out, and we actually fell through one while trying it out. But, the iron was still very solid and sturdy, and I knew there was plenty of life left!
Helping my husband, we cut new seats out of 3/4” plywood, using the old seats for a pattern. I bought new duck cloth at Joann fabric. If you wait until this time of year (fall), it’s pretty cheap (60 percent off). We also purchased a new roll of 2” thick project foam for the seats. The rolls are much cheaper than the precut seat cushions. We used a staple gun to fasten the cloth to the bottom of the seats. It’s really a two person job, so you need someone to help stretch the fabric uniformly. When cutting the foam, we used a table saw to make the cuts. We tried scissors, but found the table saw made much more even, uniform cuts.
I considered spray painting the metal, but decided to keep it the rusty blue. I love it!! My recovering, upholstery technique is not the best, but I’m pretty pleased with the outcome. I think they add a lot of character to my back porch!
I found the old wooden box holding the mums at a barn sale. It was full of old telephone insulators, which I plan to sell in my antique booth. I really like using old wooden boxes to hold plants and flowers. Just be cautious when watering! The big metal pumpkin was found at a tag sale. He does light up, and I really like him. Our son-in-law made the BIG wooden box out of an old refrigerator. It can hold drinks for a really large gathering. Right now we’re using it for storage on our porch.
Don’t be afraid to try your hand at updating, upgrading, repurposing items to make new rustic treasures! Everything doesn’t have to look or be perfect. It’s just fun to try something new!
Jackie
Big Red Barn Blog 