We’ve had a playground since my eldest was a toddler… she is now 14! Maybe I’m not looking in the right places, but they only come in the bare wood color, and accessories have limited color selection as well. It’s time for the manufacturers to start branching out with their color schemes! I have a feeling the demand will follow. After meticulous planning, and a vision in my head, I created the playground of my girls' dreams! And I wanted to put together a blueprint in case you wanted to do the same. You can choose different colors, and put your own stamp on it, but hopefully some of the information below will help you during the process. If you are thinking about doing a swing set makeover of your own, YOU GOT THIS... and please tag me in your final product!!
The Idea ~
Back in April of this year, I noticed our 3 year old swing set could already use some sanding. We live in NY and the winters weather the wood pretty quickly. I mentioned I was going to have my brother sand and re-stain the playground and simultaneously my 5 and 3 year olds started jumping up and down chanting “princess castle”! This gave me an idea. Although I knew I was not going to achieve their request of turning the swing set into an actual princess castle (though I’m sure some of you could make this happen in your own backyard!), I immediately went into the planning stages of a pink and white backyard playground pulling out all of the girly touches I could think of.
Sanding & Painting ~
My brother and father started the sanding and painting of the wood. They actually took apart the swing set piece by piece to sand and paint evenly on all sides. It is super important to take photos of this process to ensure you put the components back together where they are all supposed to go! We took photos for reference and still had extra wood pieces … is it really a project if there are no extra pieces?!!
We chose Behr Premium White Base Solid Color Waterproofing Stain & Sealer paint for the wood.
Gray Accent Color ~
I wanted an accent color besides the white and pink, and was going back and forth between gray and black. I landed on gray because I thought it would hold up through the harsh winters better than black. We shall see… I’ll give you an update next summer! We painted the roof and all of the plastic pieces attaching the swings to the wood that were originally green. So far the gray paint has held up nicely on the plastic pieces.
The gray paint we chose was Behr Premium Solid Color Waterproofing Stain & Sealer “Flagstone”.
Painting the Plastic ~
This is the part I was most unsure about, and rightfully so. I had done lots of reading as to whether or not spray paint would adhere to the plastic well. Would it last? My research concluded with mixed reviews. Some had a very detailed approach on how the plastic should be prepped (including a complete wash with rubbing alcohol), but I chose a very basic approach. I decided to replace the two green swings with pink ones I found on Amazon, and only spray paint the see-saw and slide. I wiped down the plastic and sprayed. The first spray paint we tried did not adhere well at all. The slightest ding would scratch the paint right off. That wasn’t going to work. So I found another that did hold up much better. UNFORTUNATELY, it will still scratch if hit hard enough. The pink spray paint on the plastic looks great, for now, but I know it is short lived. This is the only part of the makeover I would NOT recommend. And to add to the issue, the newly sprayed slide does not allow the kids to slide as fast...bummer!
If I were going to do this project over, I would have either kept the slide green, or splurged for a yellow one. And the see-saw would have been replaced with a really cool white hammock chair swing… perfect for me as I swing with my little ones! I still may replace the slide & see-saw, but I’m determined to see how long they last with the pink spray paint. I will update with my findings.
Pink Spray Paint – Gloss Candy Pink General Purpose Spray Paint by Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch
There were several plastic pieces and windows to spray on the set. The pieces that were not going to be touched much were sprayed with 2 coats. I sprayed multiple layers on the slide and see-saw since these will have to hold up through lots of foot traffic… like 3 or 4 layers of spray paint on each piece. I also sprayed the see-saw chains (they were green) and so far they have held up well.
Pink Swings – High Back Full Bucket Swing and Heavy Duty Strap Swing Seat – Pink
These swings are very durable, and the pink rubber covering over the chains are perfect! So soft and they look great. The pink color does not quite match the light pink I sprayed the plastic pieces, but it is close enough.
Yellow Slide – I will most likely eventually use to replace the pink sprayed one
White Hammock Swing – This is a must!
The Playhouse ~
Initially I wanted to build a playhouse attached to the swing set, to the right of the slide. As I tried to plan out the entire project, supplies, cost (can we say 2021 skyrocketing lumber prices!), it started to make much for sense to buy a small playhouse and set it up next to the swing set. So that’s exactly what I did. I found this cute house on Walmart.com. I knew in order to match with the playground color scheme, I would have to paint the playhouse white. This seemed like the easier route as compared to building a house from scratch – so I was up for the task.
I took all of the pieces out of the box, lined them up strategically in labeled, number-order on the floor of my husband’s side of the garage (which meant no parking in the garage for him for a few days – sorry babe!), and went to work painting. I used the same white paint that was used for the wood on the swing set. Skilled painters please skip these next few sentences - beginners like me, read on – Do not paint on cardboard! The paint drips down, dries, and your wooden pieces will stick to the cardboard. Then you will need to sand off the cardboard pieces that have stuck to the wood, which in turn lengthens your project time, and keeps your hubs car in the driveway a bit longer lol! Use a drop cloth :)
I even tested my slight OCD by allowing the girls to paint with me! They did a great job, until one decided to start painting her arm while the other grabbed the paint mixing stick from the paint can and began to run around the garage getting little splashes of paint all over the floor! That’s when I decided to end for the day and head in for dinner!
The blue accent color of the playhouse was painted the same gray I used for the roof on the swing set. And I left the playhouse roof alone; I decided not to paint it. Which was a good choice, because I think the original color blends in just fine. I also opted to not paint the inside of the playhouse. I would be lying if I told you that decision was based on any other reason besides I was just ready to get this project done and let my girls start playing!!
Side note – We put the playhouse together in my garage, and needed 2 people to carefully carry it over to the swing set. It had been super-hot lately, so constructing the thing out in 90 degree heat seemed like a bad choice. The shade of the garage was much appreciated! But, make sure you have wide enough access in any fencing that may surround the spot you are carrying it to. Thankfully, our fence opens up wide enough for the house to pass through. My dad and husband cautiously carried it to the playground where it was joined together with the swing set to make a beautiful backyard oasis fit for my girls!
Finishing Touches ~
Ah, my absolute favorite part! The bones of the playground were complete. Now it was time for me to sprinkle some fairy dust and stamp it with my mark. I had saved a few playground makeovers on Instagram for inspiration, so I had some direction and help with my vision. And I preemptively ordered a few things ahead of time so they were ready to set up upon completion. After a few trips to Michaels and Lowe’s, my creation was ready for the big reveal!!
Daisy Garland – Pearl and Jane (Pearl and Jane Link)
House Numbers – Modern Aspect (Modern Aspect Link)
Metal Bucket – Michael’s (www.michaels.com)
Faux Flowers – Michael’s (www.michaels.com)
Buffalo Plaid Outdoor Rug – Amazon (Buffalo Plaid Rug)
Our Happy Place Outdoor Mat – Etsy – Custom Rugs Gift (Our Happy Place Mat)
Cute Boots – Sweet Honey Clothing (www.sweethoneyclothing.com)
Sweet Tutu Dress - I Love Plum (www.iloveplum.com)
Flowers in Planters - Real Flowers!
