Furniture Facelifts

There's nothing like a sunny yellow Adirondack chair to add a pop of color to your backyard. Since this cedar seat was unfinished, we brushed on an exterior primer followed by two coats of paint. Alkyd formulas, such as Benjamin Moore's Impervo, provide a more weather-resistant finish, but you can also use exterior latex (Impervex) or acrylic (MoorGlo) if you prefer a product with fewer VOCs. To rehab a peeling paint job, sand the piece with 120-grit sandpaper; vacuum and run a tack cloth over it to remove dust. Skip the primer and apply two coats of paint with an angled brush, using consistent strokes along the wood grain to avoid brush marks.