Garage Sales, Estate Sales, Second Hand Shops, as well as Antique Shops often hold that diamond in the rough.
This metal patio set was a rust heap when found. No table top either. With some loving labor and a few quarts of paint the rusty metal was transformed. No quick project. 3 coats of brushed on paint. 10 hours of labor went into this transformation.
Over a period of months we kept searching Craigslist and Garage Sales for an appropriate sized round piece of tempered glass. We finally scored and the project was complete.