Miy-Teen-decor-cargo-chairs, miycreations, diy teen decor, MIY

Miycreations article and photographs
by Madeleine M Langlois, MaddyLane Designs

MIY Teen Decor ~ camouflage Cargo Chairs: Have a seat...if you
can find it!
A great super summer projects to keep teens creative, and perfect to
decorate their space with their style!
Looking for a fun and unique way to revive old, weathered plastic patio chairs
and furniture? Transform them into creative works of art for your outdoor
retreat or teen décor for their space. Camouflage plain chairs to blend into
nature’s tapestry of colours. By now, everyone must be familiar with the new
types of paints for plastic that are formulated specially to revitalize old plastic
patio furniture that is stained or bleached-out by the sun. Recycle by
rejuvenating these or other plastic pieces that otherwise would be tossed in
the trash.

Hands-on time: Week-end project. Each chair takes approximately 3 hours
to do. It is easily completed in steps of one hour per colour.
Total time: Plus drying time, paint dries in 20 minutes, let dry for 24 hours
before exposing outdoors.
Skill: Moderate….yet easy enough that creative teens can easily do this on
their own.
Project cost: Less than $10.00 for the supplies excluding the chairs.

Materials & Tools:

• PVC or plastic patio chairs that need to be revived
• Drop cloth or old sheets
• Damp cloth and mild detergent
• Pencil or chalk
• Acrylic outdoor paint for plastic ( in cargo colours, White sands for the base,
and Forest green, Cocoa brown, and Graphite for the camouflage pattern)
*ask at your local hardware or arts and craft store, there are various paints for
plastics on the market (some are spray-on, but I don’t recommend these types
for this projects, also because they are toxic to use)
• Sponge paintbrush for the base coat to add extra texture
• Paintbrushes in various widths
• Paint tray, recycle and use an old plastic container or large lids
• Paper towels
• Water container to clean paintbrushes

(Materials for this project are available at arts, craft stores and hardware
stores.)

Most plastic chairs are simply repainted using just one colour, how boring is
that! Why not give them a creative finish that’s a little more fun and edgy. I
painted the chairs in a classic camouflage pattern inspired by my lids cargo
clothing. This is sure to add a dose of humour to outdoor entertaining. These
very cool chairs are now my official summer boot camp chairs. The kids love
them. Ideal for teen summer décor projects, perfect to decorate their space
with style. Teen girls can even paint these in camouflage shades of pinks,
blues or purples.

Specialty paints for plastic are available from various companies. Most require
“no-sanding, no-priming” fast drying (20 minutes) and bonds securely to PVC,
vinyl and resin plastics. Acrylic paints for plastics can also be applied to a
range of other surfaces including, ceramic, glass, wood, metal, wicker and
other hard-to-bond-to surfaces. Fusion paints resists chipping and fading and
won’t peel off. Choose from a palette of various colours.

To start, clean and wash the surface of the chairs using a mild detergent and
let them dry. No other priming or sanding is required. Find a workspace that is
safe for spraying paint. When spray painting, work in a well-ventilated space
and protect surrounding areas and nearby objects with drop cloths or old
sheets.

With a sponge brush to add extra texture, apply two even coats of white sands
for acrylic paint for plastic to the entire surface of the chairs, allowing them dry
between each coat. The two light coats is sure to cover up all scratched
surfaces very well. Allow the chairs to dry for at least a few hours prior to
starting the next step.

Using a pencil or a chalk, draw the camouflage pattern outlines lightly all
around the surfaces of the chairs or items to be painted. You can also just
freehand the pattern as you paint. Place forest green paint into the tray. Apply
one colour at a time, using a 1.0 to 1.5 cm paintbrush to fill in the camouflage
pattern leaving some of the white exposed. Repeat the same steps for each
additional colour (2 or 3) to complete the camouflage pattern.

Allow the chairs to dry for 24 hours before exposing the chair to the elements.
The plastic paint achieves maximum adhesion in one week. Wipe off the
exposed pencil or white chalk lines (if any) with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. No
top coat is needed.

Variations: The painted camouflage application can be applied to assorted
plastic patio furniture and accessories such as plastic tables, planters, side
tables, flower boxes, benches, lawn furniture, mailboxes and shutters. Getting
creative with plastic paints is a great way to refresh and renew children's toys,
such as wagons, slides, swings, playhouses.
Some plastic paints such as the FolkArt Plastic Paints are available in brush-
on formats.

Other inspirations ~ Get artistic with borders and patterns. Use
interesting stencils or tape to add decorative borders or patterns on flat
plastic surfaces such as tabletops or chair backs. You can even apply a
monogram.
Make your camouflage original by using fun colours and combinations, such
as oranges, pinks, turquoise, lime.

MIY Teen Decor Camouflage Cargo Chairs
C r e a t i o n s & I n s p i r a t i o n s
"f o r t h e p u r e j o y o f m a k i n g t h i n g s"