The results!

It's midday Sunday and we've already deemed the project successful, which is some sort of achievement in itself.  Josh and I are now the proud owners of a black metal patio set.  This is how it all unfolded.

On Saturday morning, we walked around the neighborhood and ended up at the local hardware store, where we bought a wire brush, sandpaper, and two cans of black spray paint, plus a mint plant for me.  I have been coaxing a pot of basil from seed, and the plant just started to pop out of the soil.  I've become very protective of this little plant, ever since a squirrel or some other animal gobbled up my pot full of marigold seeds.  Buying the mint plant for a mere $2.49 seems a lot more productive but also feels a little bit like cheating.  I mean, in this picture, the basil (left) is on day, like, 12, and this is day 1 (to me) for the mint:

Anyway, we scraped and sanded and sanded some more, until the chips of silver paint had fallen away.  Has anyone in the world ever found that a home-related project took less time than previously anticipated?  I think the inevitable answer is no.  I learned that it takes longer to sand down six chairs and a table than you might guess, and it also takes a lot more spray paint than you might guess.  My hands are so thoroughly exfoliated from the sandpaper that I'm not sure if I'll never want a manicure again or am in desperate need of one.



Note that after all of my references to
nurturing my poor, frail basil plant,
it was used as a doorstop!!

Two more trips to replenish the paint supply later, we were making real progress.  Josh tackled painting the table while I finished sanding the chairs, and we split the chairs.  As previously mentioned, this was the first home project we've taken on together, and honestly,we had fun with it.  There was just one minor communication breakdown, when the good intentions behind "Honey, are you sure you won't spraypaint the nearby cars accidentally?" went unrecognized.  As soon as the table's finished product started to emerge, I started to get really excited:



                                  

And by lunchtime, it was done.  We got some tomato-red cushions at Target on clearance last week that I'll put on as soon as the paint is all dry.  I'm so excited to spend breakfasts and dinners outside through the summer and as long into the fall as I can stand. Friends and family, consider this your al fresco invitation for dinner. 

The before and after view, recreated to show contrast:

Happy days!