Refinishing an Old Barbeque: From Drab to Fab
With summer just around the corner, my husband and I have been slowly creating our backyard oasis. I have always dreamed of the perfect backyard where we could entertain friends, play with our children, and relax while soaking in the sun. There have been a few major projects on our list for the backyard and thanks to The Home Depot, we were able to cross a major one off.
A couple months ago we picked up a very used barbecue from some friends. The barbecue was everything we wanted in a grill. It had the main grill and an offset smoker. The only downfall was the rust that filled the entire exterior and the wood panels were old and falling off. However, for a free barbecue we couldn’t complain. We figured when the time was right we could restore it and get exactly what we wanted for a lot cheaper.
So the time came this past weekend when I headed to our local Home Depot and picked up the supplies needed to get this project up and running. The Home Depot had everything I needed and I was able to get all the materials for under $100!
For our restoration, these materials were needed:
- Emery Cloth Sandpaper
- Redwood Wood
- Stain for wood in Redwood
- Black High Heat Spray Paint (4 regular, 1 Ultra)
- Heat Resistant Sealant
- Wire Cup Brush
- Metal Cut-Off Wheel
- 7 Hex bolts
- 10 Carriage Bolts
- 4 Stainless Steal Screws
- Nuts
- Flat Washers
To get started we removed the old wood from the exterior and separated the smoker from the grill. Removing those old bolts from the smoker was not easy, so my husband used the metal cut-off wheel and it cut the rusted bolts right off.
Once everything was detached it was time to sand off that nasty rust with the wire cup brush. This made removing rust so easy and quick. It was such an easy task that even my kids wanted to partake in the fun!
Once the rust was removed, I went over the metal parts with the Emery Cloth to smooth everything out.
Before the painting began, my husband took the sealant and sealed some of the joints between the fire box and grill to make sure the heat won’t leak out when we start using the barbecue again.
We sprayed the entire exterior of the barbecue and smoker with our high heat spray paint. It is very important when you paint a barbecue to use a high heat paint. We had to use several cans of black as the metal seemed to soak up the paint, but once we got the coat we needed, we did one final spray with the Ultra to give it a nice gloss finish.
While the paint was drying, we measured out our wood, cut and stained the pieces.
The next morning we bolted the smoker to the grill, then added the wood planks and screwed in the handles. We couldn’t believe how incredible the barbecue looks. What a difference!
Now that I have this beautiful restored barbecue, I can’t wait to start making the rest of our backyard into that oasis I have wanted for the best spring and summer it has ever had!
