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lady_alicia

Are these chairs ugly?

I bought these today and my husband hates them. He joked when he came in the door and asked me if I need him to carry them down tot he trash cans for garbage day. Real funny. :( I asked him if he wanted to know how much I paid for them and he said if I paid anything for them it was too much. I thought they would be really nice once I sand them down and repaint them and replace the seats. Or at least see what's under the contact paper and vinyl layers!! Maybe it will be fine. They were $4 for both. Did I got wrong on this purchase?? I might sit them in my garden or I might find an iron table and have a little bistro set on my patio.

Give me your honest opinions of my junk purchase! I'm seeing something really pretty, while all he sees is garbage.

Alicia

{{gwi:130627}}

Comments (48)

  • amesly
    17 years ago

    I think they're great! You could also put a pot on (in?) the seat with a little vine in it and it would grow up the chair back. :) But if you do use them for seating, make sure once they're done and GORGEOUS that you husband isn't allowed to sit on them. ;)

    Amy

  • goldenpond
    17 years ago

    They are so sweet.I bought a set of four chairs and table at a garage sale for $20.painted them black and covered the seats with Mary Englebreit fabric and clear plastic on top of that. I use them everyday on my back porch.
    There is one problem I have and that is the inner heart catches on the back of your shirt when you stand up. But I still love them!!!!

  • craftylady-2006
    17 years ago

    Only $4 for both, WOW - excellent purchase, they are very pretty - you got them as a great buy and that's my "honest opinion."

    Sal

  • katladie
    17 years ago

    I think you went wrong and you should just send them to me. LOL
    No really, they are great and I would have bought them.

  • lady_alicia Zone 5/6 PA
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Thank you! Thank you! I was so excited and couldn't wait to show him and he just laughs at me. Ugh. He's obviously not the kind of man that can appreciate these things. Good thing for Garden Junk friends!

    Amy - you made me laugh! And I told him he's not allowed to sit on them when they're done. Good one! I like the idea of putting a pot in one of them....or both even.

    Goldenpod - I guess I could cover them like you did. Once I figure out what I'm going to do with them, then I'll figure that part out, I guess. Glad to hear someone else has chairs like these. At least I know I'm not crazy!

    Sal - I know. What a find, huh? I thought $4 was great too!! I couldn't pass it up.

    Thanks, again, for your honest opinions and ideas. :)
    Alicia

  • lady_alicia Zone 5/6 PA
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Hi katladie! We've got some funny people here tonight! Thanks for all the laughs. I needed it after I was kinda feeling down. I feel much better now.

    Once they're finished, I'll post them. :)

    Alicia

  • little_dani
    17 years ago

    Actually, you could be nice and share with me. I only need one to complete my set. I have 3 and have been looking for another.

    Then you could set a pot of petunias in the one that you have and we would both be sooooo happy.

    I would even pay you the $4.00. LOL

    Janie

  • haziemoon
    17 years ago

    I love those! they are just like the "Old Soda Shop" chairs
    A place in town just re-did! I told hubby, "I want all of these!" he said for what??????? I told him maybe for one of the weddings I do,( I coordinate a few a year!) or for family get togethers, I Love them!!

    Hazie

  • Bright199
    17 years ago

    Ditto!! Their wonderful. They will look pretty all fixed up.

  • tiffy_z5_6_can
    17 years ago

    You didn't do wrong at all. You have a gift in imagining and visualizing their potential which your DH obviously doesn't have. :) It's a great gift! Show him what you got!

  • cait1
    17 years ago

    I think they're wonderful and that you only paid $4 for them.... some hubby's just don't understand. You got a great buy and great items. I say use them for chairs. They're too pretty not to sit on. I would have snapped them up, too!
    Cait

  • gardener64
    17 years ago

    Great find, I would paint them if not black something bright and cheery with a cheery outdoor fabric for seat
    and put them on my patio witha small bistro table and I agree I wouldn't let hubby sit on them
    Pics when done!!!

  • Adella Bedella
    17 years ago

    I can see the vision. They will look nice whatever you choose.

    My dh has the same problem yours does. He can't look beyond what's there. His family didn't buy 'used' things when he was growing up. I've helped him overcome some of that. Were working on the rest.

  • cindee11461
    17 years ago

    I love them. If you don't want them you can give them to me(-:

  • lady_alicia Zone 5/6 PA
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Wow, great responses! I do seem to look at things and say "this is beautiful," while others stand there and look at me like I'm crazy. But I guess it's because I'm seeing what it will look like when it's all done. :) I see the potential in "trash" sometimes!

    I think I will make a bistro set out of it and paint it black. (Sorry Janie, I'd love to share one, but.....) I just need to find a table now! And I love the idea of putting flowers in one and sitting it in my garden, so now I need to find another one. :)) It will give me something else to shop for!

    I didn't realize they made outdoor fabric. I have a feeling the seats are fine underneath, so that would be great to just recover them. I plan on ripping off the layers today to reveal what's underneath. :)

    I wish I had someone fun to shop with. No one seems to share my love for junk around here. LOL

    Alicia

  • foxygrandma9
    17 years ago

    They sure are not ugly. I would have bought them, sure would look good on my back porch.

  • little_dani
    17 years ago

    I don't have that problem with DH. DH can fix anything, make something good out of the grungiest things. He KNOWS potential when he sees it!

    As a result, we have a lot of "Potentially Wonderful" things around here.

    LOL

    Janie

  • gardener64
    17 years ago

    lady alicia where are you, I'll go shopping ( curb) or otherwise with you
    My mom is a curb shopper, yard sale aholic, I must get it from her

  • nonacook
    17 years ago

    Good looking chairs. My DH has always said 'What do you want that for?', but supported me in most things. I miss him not being able to help for the past year. I had to wake him up today to find out how to unlock the chop saw. It is not a saw that we used when we did craft shows, and I wanted to cut a 2x4, and not cut it on the bandsaw.
    They roll thier eyes, and complain, and then brag on the finished item! LOL

  • shrty411
    17 years ago

    I would have snapped them up in a hot second!! Luckily my DH doesn't complain!

    Maria

  • lady_alicia Zone 5/6 PA
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    gardner64 - I'm in PA. Cold, brrrrrr PA!!!! I don't know where I get my curb shopping from! I guess I love to save money and have unique things. I don't like to have what everyone else has. :) I'm not a mall person, but get me in a used furniture store or flea market (or driving around on garbage day) and look out! I'm dangerous.

    nonacook - my DH laughs when I come home with "garbage," but then when it's done and people come over and say how beautiful everything is, he just looks at me and smiles. He just can't see the beauty in things when they look worn and tattered. He's good to help me, though, when I need a piece of wood cut or something. He just rolls his eyes a lot beforehand!

    Janie - your Dh needs to talk to my DH and get him more involved. :) That's so nice that yours can see the potential in things. I have a lot of potentially wonderful things here too! LOL I just need to get on the ball and make them "wonderful" before someone throws them out! :)

    Alicia

  • bianchi2
    17 years ago

    Oh, they are sooo cute, they would look great with a mosaiced bistro table.
    Bianchi

  • gardener64
    17 years ago

    Hey lady_alicia, I am in Southern New Hampshire -1 this AM
    yep winter has arrived
    I went to google-images and found this bistro set
    just for an idea for a table
    love the art work on wall that matches table

    http://www.backyardstuff.com/Outdoor%20Furniture/bistro_table.htm

    good luck with it and we'll need pics after

  • coloredthumb
    17 years ago

    lady alicia
    You ignore the ignorant DH. Those chairs are incredible! @$4.00 for the both of them by the time you invest a bit of work time a few bucks in paint and material you will have a stunning set of chairs for PENNIES on the dollar. I would have jumped quick to that bargain.
    Now to get his goat. Tell him how much wou really want a nice set and since he doesn't like what you have tell him he should get one for you. Those chairs are running anywhere from $20.00 to $45.00 EACH and the bistro tables from $35.00 to $70.00. Your set even if you have to buy a table is going to cost a lot less and be exactly what you want. So work on your chairs and find or make a table. If he buys you a set you can return it for a refund and use the difference to get more working stuff or save for a rainy day and a little gift for the DH to take away the sting of besting him in Home decor, thrift shopping, DIY T2Ter and saving money in a harsh economic time.
    If a hubby's Mama wasn't a T2Ter then most DHs have to be trained a few years in the T2T experience to appreciate it. Some get it quicker and become devout in the role of avid T2T maker.
    Gotta love them avid or not!

    CT

  • Calamity_J
    17 years ago

    They are awesome and ya gotta post wip pics!!!

  • ellens_joy
    17 years ago

    Lady Alicia,
    You do have an eye for great stuff. I would have bought them up for more than you paid!!! Your DH will be proud of your purchase when you get them done. Sometimes thats half of the fun.... to see the suprise on their faces when they see the finished project!!! Ellen
    P.S. Just a suggestion... Shower Curtain fabric, not the liners, do will in the rain. They are treated to hold up under moisture. Can usually find them at GW's or GS or TS's. You could make some matching pillows with what you have left. Maybe even a table cloth or runner! With the shape of the chairs they could be covered up with large trash bags when really bad weather was forcasted:) Ok I'm thru with my day dreaming...

  • lady_alicia Zone 5/6 PA
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Thanks to everyone for your support. Now DH is feeling dumb. LOL I will post before and after pics when I'm done with them. :)

    Alicia

  • kudzukween
    17 years ago

    Love those chairs,and they're exactly the thing I'd be hauling home for myself-in fact, I HAVE hauled home 2 patio sets and repainted them,and both are in use. A friend gave me an iron umbrella stand for one set,and I bought another iron stand for the other set at a yard sale.

  • madhabitz
    17 years ago

    Alicia, tell your DH to not feel dumb. Tell him it's just part of the education for DH's married to junkers. Once he learns to go with the flow, everyone can let go of the anxiety. Before you know it, his newly educated eyeball will be finding brand new treasures to bring home to you. Much better than flowers or candy, that's for sure!

    Nancy

  • groundhog66
    16 years ago

    Howdy - New here. Love the chairs. I also have many potentially wonderful things in my yard. I have a solution to the question of to finish the chair seats or not. Refinish one seat for yourself and put the potted plant in the hubby's. He's forbidden to sit in it, so you might as well put it to good use. You know the plant would "appreciate" it. Best of luck and please follow-up with pics. Love to see that some people actually finish projects. It's an inspiration.

  • luna_llena_feliz
    16 years ago

    Alicia, tell your DH that you could spiff those up and sell them to someone who likes cottage style or shabby chic decor for at least $50. Maybe he won't think they are such a dumb idea. lol!

    I agree with everyone that they are very pretty, delicate looking chairs. Please be sure to post pics of your completed masterpiece!

  • mzclassic
    16 years ago

    You got a good deal on those! I don't think they are ugly at all and see lots of possibilities.
    Donna

  • mrsmcgreggor
    16 years ago

    Love em.
    but don't try an sand them.
    remove the seat and set asside to cover.
    use a good paint stripper and chemical resistant gloves. and steel wool.
    after stripping make sure they are COMPLEATLY clean of stripper. by washing
    with TSP... or solix trisodium phoshate (how ever you spell it) then get a big like refrigerator box and use like a spray booth and LIGHTLY spray let tack up and re spray not to much or it WILL RUN. with an epoxy spray. or you use use some of the really neat stone finishes ( fleck it ) sprays or antique brass kind of kits. ( Rust-oleum american accents ) there are several on the market.
    let dry all the way!!!!
    now I use badding and super spray 77. and lay several layers over existing cover. its nice if you can dome it. thats like stacking them smallest to largest and the last is used as your wrap. just LIGHT!! spray glue to keep it from shifting as you strech and wrap to stapel on the BACK side . remember staple one side then the other like top bottem right left then back again working your way around this keeps cover nice and even. trim excess from back side. then I covered a thin scrap of cut panneling that I traced from the seat and light spray glue and place fabric on that and wrap it over the edges making little clips so its not wrinkles and glue on back side. .
    so its all covered just set the cover side of the board down the seat cover side up and re screw it on the chair.
    now the chair looks compleatly finished even when you pick it up to move it.
    IF YOU SAND YOU WILL SCRATCH THE METAL AND THIS WILL SHOW ON YOUR FINISHED PROJECT.
    and here is a little helpful hint. lets say you find the perfect finish but its interior and you want to use it outside.
    just get a small amount of exterior clear finish like flecto diamond finish this comes in oil or latex.
    and recoat with that exterior clear. again there are several on the market.

  • lady_alicia Zone 5/6 PA
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Wow, thanks for all of the helpful hints. I still am working on the chairs. (I have four kids and one on the way and work part-time, so a bit busy) I haven't found a table yet, but I saw where you can take an iron plant stand and put a piece of wood on top and I thought I could mosaic it. I'd love to have a little bistro set. That was my intetion when I bought these chairs. Those sets are too expensive new, not to mention it's more fun doing T2T with things and seeing the results afterwards!! I plan on getting it done by this spring, so I'll definitely post pics when completed.

    Alicia

  • meadel
    16 years ago

    Those chairs are great!
    .. And if you get tired of sitting on them, take out the seats, bend some chicken wire around that seat portion fashioning a basket add coconut fiber and make planters out of them!
    I can see some nice vines growing up the backs!! I can imagine them in MY yard too!!!
    Good deal !!!
    Lori

  • sweetkountry
    16 years ago

    Nothing is ever ugly. It is either whimsical or has character.

    But these chairs I think are cute and have so much potential.

  • mjowest
    16 years ago

    I need to dig out my shower curtain I just threw away!

    One of the kids (Not Me) got a stain on it- but the rest of it is fine.
    Out into the snow I go!

    Thanks for saving it from the landfill!

  • kathi_mdgd
    16 years ago

    Had some that looked like that,

    {{gwi:130631}}

    And turned them into this:

    {{gwi:2419}}

    Then gave the whole set to my GD for use in her kitchen where she had had nothing.I got mine for free from a friend who was going to thow it out.This set has a glass top.

    Kathi

  • luvstocraft
    16 years ago

    Kathi, your set turned out beautiful, what a lucky GD.

    Alica, you can't go wrong at $4.00 for the pair--that's a fantastic price. Now start hunting for that table to go with them. And don't worry, when DH sees how nice it all turns out, he will be so proud of his thrifty shopper--YOU!

    Luvs

  • Calamity_J
    16 years ago

    Kathi! That set makes me drool!!!

  • kathi_mdgd
    16 years ago

    Isn't it nice??? And to think they were going to throw it away.Glad we rescued it.It's amazing what a little elbow grease and a few cans of paint will do.

    As soon as our weather clears,i plan to refurbish my cedar chest from the early 60's and then put it in my dining room for extra seating under the bay window.Come on nice weather!!!
    Kathi

  • lady_alicia Zone 5/6 PA
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Kathi - love the set!!! Beautiful job. I hope mine turns out just as nice as yours.

    I also love the idea of placing flowers in the seat of a chair. I have an oak Hoosier chair that I could sit on my front porch where it's covered somewhat and place flowers in the seat of it since it's missing!

    And thanks for the tip of using a shower curtain as good material for outdoors. Love it!

    Alicia

    Click on the pictures to read my descriptions for each T2T.

    Here is a link that might be useful: T2T

  • Dottie B.
    16 years ago

    Those chairs are adorable and what a great price. I see them beside a cute little bistro table and on the table are little "sundae cups" with sedums and hens and chicks coming out of the cups. If you can find the metal cups or glasses, then it's easy to drill a hole in the bottom for drainage. I'd probably paint them a bright color so the set really stands out in the garden.

    I used to think it would be fun to have garden junk buddies to shop with, but then I figured we'd just fight over what we found....LOL. At least we can all share online, that way our stuff is safe....;)

    Can't wait to see what you do with them.

  • lady_alicia Zone 5/6 PA
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks, Adina. I sometimes wish I had a garden junk buddy to shop with also, but we'd definitely have to have different tastes or we might not be buddies for too long!! LOL With all this talk about shopping, I think I'm getting the urge to go to our local "junk" store this week. Haven't been there in a long time!!

    Alicia

  • sherril_2008
    16 years ago

    Ugly?? - They are great!

    My DH used to be a bit 'judgemental' when it came to my yard art collection, but he has learned that the things I drag home usually do end up as works of art. He also takes great pleasure in showing everyone our gardens, and he makes sure to point out all those things we have collected over the years.

    He also now keeps an eye out for those great finds himself. Now that he knows what works, he has brought me home some really good treasures over the years! Like the rusted out enamelware chamber pot that he paid a quarter for at a yard sale. It has just the right amount of holes in it for great drainage, and is beautiful when planted full of petunias in the summer!

    I do have to say we have been married for 42 years, and it did take me quite a while to train his eye...

    Hang in there and enjoy those beatiful chairs! Whatever you do with them, they were more than worth the $4 you paid for them!

  • mjowest
    16 years ago

    Have you done anything with them yet? I just got a garden book today, and they wrapped the chair with strips of fabric.

    It wouldn't last well in exposed area, but I thought it looked really nice.
    How do you post photos from a book? Is it allowed?
    I've got two fantastic books with lots and lots of wonderful ideas.

  • njtomboy
    16 years ago

    no - they are cute & very whimsical!

    I also love what kathi has done to her set.... what a great gift to give!

  • lady_alicia Zone 5/6 PA
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hi mjowest. What books are they? I love the T2T books. I buy them all the time. That's where I get some of my ideas from!!! I don't know if you're allowed to post pics from a book on here or not. You're not making a profit off of it. If anything, I would think it's great advertising for the company! But I don't know the rules for GWeb and posting pics of that sort. Maybe someone else will know.
    Maybe send me the pics privately, if nothing else, at AFinalWord@aol.com. I'd love to see them!

    Alicia

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