Playhouse Restoration

child playing with playhouse

A playhouse restoration is the perfect way for you to save money on outdoor play equipment for your kids. I found a plastic outdoor playhouse on Facebook Marketplace for less than half what a new one would cost for my grandson. But the color of it was more for a girl than a boy. Since he liked Batman, I decided to make it a Batcave for him. The Batman playhouse restoration was fun and he loved it!

Steps for the Playhouse Restoration:

Cleaning

First for this playhouse restoration, I needed to clean the playhouse to remove the dirt and stains from the playhouse. I used a de-greaser for this, then washed it with Dawn and rinsed it will. Once it was dry, I was ready to start painting.

This playhouse was in good shape. The plastic had not been in the sun too long or become “rough.” If it had been “rough” from exposure to elements, I would have needed to sand those parts before priming them. I have seen videos of people heating the plastic and it repairs itself basically by melting and reforming. I have never done that, I don’t know if it works or not. Sandpaper does…

original untouched part of playhouse

Priming

Next I decided on colors that would match the Batman theme. Since most of the colors were gray, I used a gray primer spray paint for this.  You want to be sure and get paint specifically for plastic and for outdoors. For the size of this product I needed two cans of spray primer. 

portion of playhouse that has been primed

Painting

After the primer, I painted all the sides gray. Using the primer as almost the same color as the base coat made the work a lot easier. I decided to leave the roof blue. Once I applied the base coat, I needed to paint all the other objects. It was easier for me to use spray paint on everything except the Batman symbol. I tried to freehand it. I am not an artist…. I will be the first to admit it. But the 2y/o liked it… And that is all that matters.

painting batman log by hand
finished batman logo
primed and painted portion of playhouse, waiting to have details painted.

Since I was using spray paint to color different parts of the house, I had to tape and use plastic to protect from overspray on other parts. Once the paint was dry, I did not put it together for about a week. I did this to allow the new paint to dry in place without causing scrapes of removing it accidently. Paint acts better if left to dry completely.

portion to be painted edged with paint to prevent overspray
finished painted accent
finished painted panel with detail

Playing

Once it was put back together, it was time to play!

child playing with finished playhouse

Fun Fact

Play is very important for children. Toys are not always necessary. A child’s imagination can be very entertaining.

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