Finding a daybed for my sunroom proved to be an all-out obsession. I searched far and wide for the perfect piece. I found two that fit the image in my head.. but they were $725 and $1500. Others I saw were cheaper (by not much) and weren’t worth the spend for the compromise in comfy aesthetic. Then it hit me – I remembered seeing an old wicker daybed on the back porch of Pick-It Fences in Leipers Fork the previous summer. I jumped in the car and was happily stunned that it was still there. I borrowed my neighbor’s pick up truck and made it mine.
Thing is, it is really hard to find real wicker these days. (Enter my fruitless endeavor to find a wicker sofa for my front porch.. maybe one day.) Old wicker usually has broken pieces, it needs to be cleaned up and re-painted. And with this daybed, I was in for it.
Supplies: Tarp, scrub brush, hose, dish soap, too many cans of Rustoleum than I has assumed I’d need.
First I hosed the daybed down and scrubbed away dirt and layers of chipping paint. I did not use a wire brush, so as not to damage the delicate weave of the wood. I gave the rusty springs a thorough scrub down as well. I left it in the sun to dry. Then I painted. I used white semi-gloss Rustoleum spray paint with a plastic bag over my trigger finger in lieu of gloves. I think I bought 2 cans to start with – ROOKIE MISTAKE. I went back to the local True Value for 2 more. FOOL ME TWICE. Tail between my legs, went back in for a final, 5th can.
Wood is porous. Add to that the weave and texture of wicker. And there was a random, yet constant breeze outside. It took a lot of paint. But it turned out beautifully.
For the seat, I was in luck. Though the frame had been outside for ages, there was a new, simple plywood and foam mattress that the shop had made just for it. All I had to do was finish it.
Supplies: Cotton batting, upholstery fabric, brass thumbtacks, fabric shears, hammer.
I layered cotton batting over the foam for comfort. Then I took pretty fabric and wrapped it around the frame, cut to size, stretched it tight, smoothed the edges and hammered it to the wood mattress frame with tacks. Ta da!
FAWN + HEARTH 