DIY Dining Chair Makeover
A while back I really started getting into the DIY home decor and Farmhouse style in my home. In fact, little by little I have made my way around the house updating and painting or changing our style.
One of the first projects I did was give my dining chairs an update.
When we first bought our home, we purchased a conference table from someone’s garage sale just before our first Christmas dinner in the house. The table was ugly and not a dining table at all, but it was the right size and could fit our large family. I decorated it with tablecloths and coverings and nobody really knew it was a garage sale junker…. except for when I told them.
Shortly after that first dinner, I was ready for our first real dining room suite. So of course, naturally as newer married couples do, I took hubs off with me to do some shopping.
We picked out a gorgeous brown and brown and did I say brown stained table and chairs with golden-toned fabric cushions. The chairs had high rolled cushion backs.
Here is a picture of this set straight from the catalog.
Pretty right??? Well, in 2010 it was, and it was also just before that farmhouse style really became at thing. Hello, fixer-upper didn’t even premiere until 2013. So, in 2010, I thought this would be our basic (boring) style for ever!
WRONG… I was so wrong. I bought brown for everything because I thought it went with everything, because our wood floors were brown?!?!?!!! Honestly, I didn’t know what I wanted back then or what style I liked.
So, now a few years into our marital bliss and with a handful of kids, my style, my taste and flavor have totally changed.
Enter Chalk Paint
I purchased this chalk paint from the local hardware store. Came home and got to work on updating what we had. I basically unscrewed the seat part of each chair and then removed that ever so gorgeous (what was I thinking) fabric from the seats.
I kept the batting and cushion parts. And, I used the old fabric as my pattern for cutting the new fabric. I pretty brushed gray.
Then, I enlisted hubby to help me remove and pull away all of the back chair cushions. This was little hard than I thought. I later learned that there is probably some upholstery tools you can use for this part, but since I had done similar type of projects in the past, I didn’t think that it would be an issue. However, I am sure it would have made the job easier.
Related Post: DIY Ottoman Makeover
When we purchased the set, I really wanted to have 10 chairs. For someone reason, I just had to have 10 chairs. We are now a family of five, so technically we could all invite a friend to dinner. But, in reality that does not happen. And we don’t use 10 chairs.
I will give it up to my husband who tried to warn me about this, in the end he was right. There, I said it. Just this one time honey.
In the old picture above, you will notice the extra chairs in the corners, just taking up space and not being used at all.
So, lucky for a friend, she had the exact same dining suite and she needed two more chairs to be added to her set of 4, plus she had two that were broken or rickety. I ended up giving her 4 of my chairs, and kept 6 to make a perfect set for my table.
Putting the new fabric on the Chairs
Once the pattern pieces were cut to the new gray fabric, I had my sweet husband remove the staples from the old seats and re staple the new fabric cushions.
During this time, I took the chalk paint and got to work on painting the wooden bases of the chair. I ended up applying two coats because the first coat the paint did not seem as forgiving and I could still see the brown through it.
I also did not paint the sections where the cushions would go because I felt it wouldn’t be seen anyways, and no need to waste paint.
Which brush you should use with chalk paint.
Honestly, with chalk paint I do not believe it matters which brush you use. Chalk paint in itself creates that rustic almost matte finish and every time. When I have used it, there are some brush strokes. If that completely bothers you, then avoid chalk paint, stick with a regular satin or semi gloss.
However, if you want to try the chalk paint, then go for it. There’s no primer needed and its simple and quick. You can even use this brush for a more chalk paint professional finish.
Once the chair frames were dry, we screwed the seats back into place. Then, using a nail and air compressor to put the back cushions back on we assembled the back cushions into place with new piping.
We also applied some glue epoxy to help hold them in place because the manufacturer had also done this. We could see the old glue when we removed the cushions.
Bringing them inside
I let the paint dry over night. There was no odor, but I did want it to have a good amount of time to dry before bringing the finished chairs back into our home. We also did them in parts. Meaning, we did 3 chairs at a time. And we only used those 3 for months before finally completing the second set of 3 chairs. I kids still sit in kids chairs so we didn’t need all six completed right away.
Related post: Farmhouse Sign with Chalk Paint
We have used them for almost a year now, and they have held up quite well. It really is a good paint and has held up especially for being white chairs with 3 kids in the house. I originally was skeptical about the paint and its ability to hold up to regular daily use and living. The white finish has held up better than some ikea furniture I also have in white. Which to me, says a lot!
So here it is again…. the before
And the after…
We use these chairs daily and they are now in our breakfast nook with a different table as opposed to the dining room.
However, you don’t prefer to DIY, and if you are looking for some Mid-Century modern furniture check out Emfurn.
Hope you found this tutorial useful. Comment below your favorite chalk paint makeover or farmhouse style.
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