Stool for a Steal

I needed a new stool to sit beside my daughter's glider and remembered reading about an inexpensive garden stool facelift on Southern Exposure (one of my favorite blogs!). After reading about Big Lots selling stools for $20, I decided it was time to check that place out. I had never been in before, and have to say, there are some treasures to be uncovered in there!

I wanted to go with a colorful stool for my daughter's room, and this is what I now have...

...but it didn't always look so pretty 'n' pink - although, that's where the steal of the century comes in! The stools were on clearance for $10 but the catch was they were bright blue and all had minor scratches. No problem! I already knew I'd likely want to customize the color. I lugged my in-need-of-love stool to the cash register and was shocked when it was...

...$5.44! What!?! If you want a garden stool, RUN to Big Lots pronto!

Next I stopped at Home Depot and picked up some Rust-Oleum berry pink glossy spray paint and got to work! (ps. there are so many fun spray paint colors out there - I was really impressed!)

One can of paint covered well, but the stool needed a light sanding with 320 grit sand paper and was definitely NOT glossy enough for my liking...

I ran out and picked up a can of Valspar's Hi-gloss lacquer and after one good coat the stool was looking sleek and shiny, just like I wanted! I totally recommend this product - it covered really well and dried perfectly smooth (and they specifically mention it is safe for all households as it's non-toxic once dry).

This stool was definitely meant to be pink!