Thift Store Chair Makeover

Happy New Year Friends!

I apologize for my complete lack of posting anything in the past several months. Life got away from me and my creative juices nearly shut down. While I have completed a few small crafty projects, I haven't had the time (or energy) to work on anything big until recently. I was lucky to have two weeks off of work for the holidays and I spent some quality time with pinterest to spark my creativity.

I came across a few posts on fabric painting with chalk paint, which piqued my interest because I have extra chalk paint and I have been fawning over gorgeous wingback chairs for a while now. My library room is the first room you see as you enter my home and it is lacking seating. While visiting my favorite thifty store, the Habitat for Humanity Restore, I found a wingback chair in great condition with one exception - the fabric. The chair price was lowered to $35! Score!

Wingback in need of a face lift

I pulled out the chalk paint from the garage and blew off the dust. It has been too long since I have played with chalk paint. The colors I used are Old Ochre and Old White.

Before painting, make sure to clean the chair of any stains or dirt. I gave my chair a good vacuum and cleaned any dirt spots.

I did a lot of research online before starting this project. I learned that one must add water to the chalk paint in order to thin it out and ensure the paint will soak into the fabric. So I added enough water to make the paint look the consistency of milk. Then I used a spray bottle of water to wet the fabric directly. I used that spray bottle a lot on the first coat to smooth out the paint.

Use a spray bottle to wet the fabric

Starting the first coat.

I left the bottom of the cushion unpainted to show my progress. The first coat was very streaky and took a while to dry because I used a lot of water. I let the chair dry overnight before attempting the second coat.

First coat completed!

I still diluted the paint on the second coat to a milk consistency. However, I did not use the spray bottle as much on the fabric because of the first coat of paint.

Starting the second coat

 The second coat of paint covered a lot better but still had some streaks.

Second coat complete!

 The final coat of paint! I was surprised at how "soft" the chair looked. The coverage was great too!

Final coat of paint

I used the Old White chalk paint to color the trim. So fancy!

Added Old White to the trim

Be sure to apply a thin coat of clear wax, which both seals the paint and softens the fabric. At this point the chair fabric has the suppleness of outdoor fabric. I also applied non-diluted Old White chalk paint to the chair legs/frame.

I may go back and distress the chair legs/frame at some point. However, I am happy with the look for now. I am curious how long the painted fabric will handle the daily use. So far so good!

Take Care!

Bianca the Bench

My buddy Dip and I embarked on re-purposing discarded dining room chairs into a bench. This blog served as our inspiration: http://www.raisingdickandjane.com

Dip found the starting foundation to the bench - two discarded dining room chairs.

Discarded chairs found in the trash pile

Once we got them in the workshop (aka garage), we removed the seat cushion and backing fabric.

First things first - remove all the fabric.

Use pliers to remove fabric staples

Meet my new miter saw!  I named her Melanie miter.  She is my best pal when I need to cut wood.

To avoid putting a screw through the chair frame, we added additional framing to the existing chair seat supports. 

Then we flipped the chairs over on top of the wood boards to use as seats and screwed the boards into the supports from the bottom to avoid visible screw heads. The boards consist of a 1x6x8 piece of pine that we had cut in half at the hardware store, leaving two 48" boards to use as the bench seat.

We used a spacer between the boards

We used wood clue to secure the middle piece as well as the front and back rounded edges. 

Clamps used to hold pieces in place

 After everything dried, it was time for sanding.

Because the chairs had a very glossy black lacquer finish, I spent a while sanding to ensure a dull finish for the primer to sink into.

I primed the chair frames before painting with an exterior paint.

Meet Bianca the Bench! Isn't she a beauty! She is wearing BEHR in the color Spring Stream. She found a new home on our porch and will serve as seating for the dining area section.

Happy DIY'ing!

Vintage Metal Chair Makeover

I've been on the look out for seating options that I could use in our new screened-in-porch.  I mentioned the Habitat for Humanity Restore before.  I may have a small obsession because I peruse through the Restore on a nearly weekly basis at this point.  You never know what you will find and when the price is right, one can find some great deals.

For example, I picked up a pair of vintage metal fold-able chairs for $15.  These late 1950's vintage gold tone metal folding chairs are sturdy and still have plenty of life left in them.

1950's Vintage Chair

One advantage to older constructed chairs is their simplicity.  The vintage chairs are really simple to take apart.  I gave them a good scrub including the vinyl seat material, which are still in decent condition.

Because I planned to use these chairs outdoors, I coated them with UV-Resistant, non-yellowing Rustoleum.

I gave the frames two coats of Rustoleum and also coated that chain linked table you see in the background.  I found that little chain table on sale at Home Goods.

I switched out the seat cushion batting with a polyester batting which is mildew resistant.  I found the polyester outdoor fabric on sale at Joann's online. 

I decided to keep the original vinyl material as an extra layer of water resistance.  I added the outdoor fabric over top.

Here is the final product.  The pair of chairs is a small but good start to my future seating and dining areas on our new porch.

Pair of 1950's Vintage Chairs

Daphne likes the chairs too