My friend had this old chair stored in her shed. She used it to stand on to paint in the past, and eventually it was banished to a permanent place in the shed outside. It was the perfect height and size I wanted for the desk in the den, and even though I could afford to buy a new chair, I was getting this one for free and knew I could do something good with it. This article will show you how you too can transform an old chair into something beautiful for your home.
COST: £0.00 (If you already have a stock of sandpaper, left over paint, and a staple gun, this project will cost you nothing.)
TIME: 2 and a half hours – not counting paint-drying time. Wood paint usually needs 24 hours before you can apply a second coat. This project needs 2 coats of paint.
Transforming the chair
What you need:
Left over material
Some gloss paint (for wood)
Sandpaper
Staple gun and staples
First: sand all the wooden parts of the chair completely
Note: Tighten loose screws
Glue loose wooden bits together
Remove the soft seat part of the chair
Then turned your attention to the paint work. Give the entire chair, including the back and legs, a good sanding with coarse sandpaper. Now it was structurally perfect and ready for the paint!
When you’ve done all of the above, paint the chair in gloss or satin paint made for wood. Follow all the manufacturer’s recommendations and leave to dry. You may need 2 coats of paint for this job.
Second: take off seat and recover with fabric
At the time of taking these pictures, I’d put the new seat cover over the old one. I later ripped them both off and used only the new material on the bare sponge. This was because the finished product was too thick to sit properly in the wooden structure. If (like me) you’re using a thick material to cover the seat, you may need to remove the original one before you start work. This green material I’m using came from my mother-in-law. She had given us a couch covered in this same cloth. She had some left over, and as this chair was going to be put in the same room as the couch, it made perfect sense to use this material.
Method
1. Take off old cover.
2. Place it on new fabric and cut around.
3. Fold fabric around the side of the seat and staple to the underside.
4. Replace seat when paint is completely dry.
Finished, transformed old chair
Now the chair looks like it came with the couch. You too can have a brand new chair for free! Please share your experiences in how you’ve transformed old chairs in your own home. Don’t forget to check out the other articles on other stuff you can make for your home for more beautiful interiors. Please share this article on your social networking sites if you’ve enjoyed it. Thank you.
