Cedar Adirondack Chair from a box

Would not normally post on the weekend, but have fallen behind with all that's going on lately. Bethany says I have to post regularly so "readers will keep coming back" for new ideas.

So here is something "fresh" for all of you readers out there!

A number of years ago, 3 or 4, I bought some cedar Adirondack chairs at the Brandywine Ace Hardware store during their spring sale that cost $29 each! The example at the store looked really nice - good design and solid construction. The problem was they had to be put together and after the first two, I ran out of time and summer vacation.

The last one has been high on a shelf in our garage - until this year when I made a commitment to finish all of my past projects before moving on to anything new. Well - that promise didn't hold true. I've had plenty of new projects, but I AM slowly finishing the old stuff too.

Here's how I tackled the final - and if I might say so - the best looking Cedar Adirondack chair from a box.

Once I got all of the pieces out, I realized why I had put off the assembly for so long...there are a lot of pieces and the directions are not easy to follow.

Since reading about the ease of spray painting furniture, and trying it myself on the previous sewing chest project, I thought it would be a good route to take. All Things Thrifty has a great spray painting tutorial, see it here.

Krylon makes spray stain in many colors. I chose Red Wood to coordinate with our current outdoor furniture. This project took 3 cans of spray stain at a cost of about $24.

I laid out all of the pieces in the garage on a painters drop cloth to protect the floor (you can use anything - plastic, cardboard, etc.), just be sure to remove your cars and any other items that may be in the area. I opened all of the garage doors for ventilation and read and followed the directions on the can.

Spray staining was great, so easy. Applying three light coats prevented runs and drips and I could run out in the garage - spray on a coat - and then run on to the next errand. Since the humidity was very high (88%) with temps in the 90's, it took about three days to completely dry. I then flipped the pieces over and did the same. So...even though it took me mere minutes to apply the paint, the project dragged out due to drying time.

Then, Bethany had to get ready to head off to college, so I stacked up the pieces and laid them aside for two weeks. Yesterday, I pulled them out and began the assembly. I was worried the pieces might stick together because I had to stack them up so soon after staining. Worrying was futile, they were not even tacky. The finish was smooth and really nice.

As I wrote earlier, the directions were not very clear, so having assembled what seems like a million items in the past, I had to improvise and once, take the pieces apart and reassemble correctly. Here are some photos of the process.

Assemble on a FLAT surface!

I used a drill to sink the screws.

The pre-drilled holes did not line up right, so the back is a little off - still comfy though!

And - voila! The completed (and very comfortable) Cedar Adirondack Chair from a box.

***It was SO EASY, don't be afraid to take on a project like this! You can pick up some nice items at great prices. Just be prepared to spend some time - even if its in small doses - before you get the finished product. In the end, it's well worth your time and effort!***

The cost for this project was around $50, total time about 4 hours in small doses over 3 weeks, 2 hours to lay out and spray paint, and 2 hours assembly. (The least expensive Cedar, unfinished, unassembled chair of this quality I could find on the internet cost $170 - woo hoo, we got a deal!)