Playful Poolside Chairs

We wanted to add some fun to the backyard and spotted this idea on Pinterest. The idea was to take plastic outdoor chairs, cut the legs to make poolside chairs, and then spray paint them in bright, beach colors. The article suggested using chairs purchased from a dollar store. Following our frugal ways, we opted to look through used options online and found these very sturdy ones.


First step: measure from the bottom of the legs of the chair to a consistent height, about an inch below the framework of the base of the chair. We marked the legs with a permanent marker and used a hack saw to hand cut the legs along the marked line. Then we took a file and smooth the rough edges where the legs were cut.

Second step: throughly clean the chairs and leave them sit in the sunshine to dry.

Third step: spray paint the chairs using Rustoleum satin spray paint. Each chair is painted a different color.

It took almost a can of spray paint per chair, about three coats of spray on each chair, in order to provide a secure finish. They lasted through the heat and sunshine of the summer with only a couple chairs having any scratches or paint pealing. The best part is for under $30, we added six brightly colored chairs to our pool that were fun and functional.

UPDATE: Spring of the following year: Using a nylon brush and TCP, we scrubbed the chairs, removing small areas where paint was peeling. After a good rinse with the hose, we allowed the chairs to dry in the sun. We applied a fresh coat of spray paint, using only a half can this year (saving the rest for next spring). A couple of the chairs we changed color slightly but were still able to cover using only a half can.

We live in the desert southwest so the chairs are exposed to strong sunlight and hot temperatures. They are holding up well and add a nice splash of color poolside.