Today we are giving these chairs I got second hand at Goodwill a complete makeover. I bought these chairs because of the price but also because of the cane backing, which has been very popular recently.
They are fairly ornate, which I love, with turned spindles on both on the sides of the chair as well as at the top. They are in sturdy, good condition, but the wood color and the fabric are making them look really dated.
I had a few ideas about what I wanted to do with these chairs and decided on a white and burlap look. So let's get started!
Disassembly
I'm going to start with some disassembly. So in this case, taking off the seats of the chairs. Dining chairs like this are actually a very easy upholstery project because all of the edges are hidden underneath the seat. The seats come off normally with four or five screws on the bottom. I'm just gonna set those aside and we'll get to the upholstery part later.
Cleaning
Once I've got that apart, it's time to get to cleaning. I actually tried something different this time and that was to use my pressure washer, which I had out for a different purpose. I used it with a soap attachment that sucked from a bucket of hot water with a bit of powdered tide mixed in. I used a really low pressure nozzle and came back around afterwards with a rinse of water to get all the soap off.
I know wood and water obviously aren't very compatible, but these chairs were already quite well sealed and protected against water. So this actually worked pretty well for me. I also pressure washed the seats and left those to dry in the sun.
Painting
I am going to use the last little bit of Gesso White chalk paint by Jolie. I'm going to use chalk paint here because it does adhere very well and I'm also going to go for a textured look.
So I'm going to apply this in every which direction with my brush to build up some texture and brush strokes. Chalk paint is quite thick so I'm making sure around all of these hollows and grooves to collect anything that's dripping or gathering. I don't want any kind of clumps or pools happening.
I found it easiest to paint the chairs in two stages. So doing all the bottom together with the chair flipped over and then standing it upright to finish the top.
I also debated for a while what I was going to do with the cane backing. I kind of wanted to leave it the way it was and get that natural kind of wood tones coming through. But I ended up painting it, which I think turned out well in the end.
Painting it was a bit tricky though, a lot of the paint squished through to the other side, it pooled in different places, so I just had to go back and forth with the brush from the front to the back and make sure I got a nice, even coating everywhere, setting up a good base for now.
Stain Block
After I let this paint dry, I was noticing a lot of bleed through from the wood, And that shows up as some yellowing and orange colors tinting through. I should've known this would happen, it's pretty clear from the aged way of the wood and the color that there would be some bleed through. But that's okay, this is an easy fix.
I am going to take these chairs outside and use Bin Shellac Primer in a spray can to give my chairs a complete coat. This is one of the best primers you can buy, and it is great at blocking both odors and stains. The drawback is that it is an oil based primer, which means it's really hard to clean up if you're using a brush, for example. But that's the benefit of using this aerosol spray can form.
I'm just going to do my best to protect the ground and make sure to wear my respirator as I'm spraying. And then there's no cleanup, which is awesome. This also worked really well for me because I am using a white paint. paint, so though it is a slightly different color of white, I'm almost getting a free second coat out of this primer.
This could have been done in the opposite order, so doing the primer first, and then a couple coats of paint on top, but I think because I'm using chalk paint, I did all my pre work to do the adherence correctly, there's no real issue doing it in this order too.
Learning how to spray correctly is something that takes a while, and I am certainly no expert yet. I do have this really cool snap on hand button. If you've used spray cans a lot, or you're using it for quite a long duration, your finger does start to hurt after a while, so I really enjoyed the control that I got out of a little thing like this.
The number one tip I can give you with spraying is to just go light. You do not want to apply too much and have it pooling or dripping.
Painting (Again)
Once that dried, it was time to go back to the chalk paint for the third coat. And for this coat, I'm going to go much smoother than my first layer, which if you remember was highly textured. So again, taking my time around all the nooks and crannies and grooves to make sure I'm not collecting too much paint, and brushing back and forth over all those wide open areas to get a nice smooth finish.
Chalk paint is lots of fun and so easy to use. It does apply quite thick, which is its own look and can benefit in certain situations. But if you're looking for something a bit thinner, you can add water to both your paint and onto your brush to help spread the paint around more. An alternative to chalk paint is milk paint, which I personally love just as much.
It goes on a way thinner so it doesn't have any of this chunky texture, which I find is beneficial in other situations. But it does have some adherence finicky-ness to it. You have to do a bit more in terms of preparation to make sure the paint stays on well.
Distressing
Once all our paint is dry, it is time to do some distressing. Which of course is optional, but I think with a piece like this, it just brings out all of that detail and carving in the wood.
I'm gonna take my sandpaper and go along every edge or raised groove on this entire frame. Distressing is often just wear& tear, so you can focus on places that that might naturally occur, like the edges and around the feet. But I really love using the distressing to define the structure of this chair.
I also did a very light bit of sanding on top of the cane, and this almost looked the way milk paint does when it's flaky. There were little pieces here and there where you could see that wood tone poking through. And I loved that.
The last thing I'm going to do is grab either a damp cloth. or my air compressor and wipe away any dust that's left over. And now we are all ready to do some sealing on this painted wood.
Sealing
And I'm gonna use my sealer of choice, which is furniture wax. This one is Clear by Jolie.
Furniture wax is made of natural waxes like beeswax and it applies really nicely with either a natural bristle brush or you could use a lint free cloth to kind of buff it in as well.
Furniture wax gives a really great natural finish. It's not going to have any special water protection or sealant properties that you would want for a tabletop or something like that. But it's a great way to protect any low touch surfaces like this.
Upholstery
All right, we are all done with the frames of the chairs and it is time to move on to the seats. And you guys are gonna laugh at this because I got a little scrappy. You'll see how in just a second.
These chair seats came nicely finished with that extra panel of fabric on the bottom And I wanted to do that as well. So I just pulled them off and set them aside.
I got this really nice burlap look fabric from my local Joann's. It is a performance fabric so it'll be great for any spills or things like that. I cut the fabric into four equal sections for the four seats that I wanted, and wrapped it directly over top of the existing fabric.
That's right, as long as there's no mold or any other nastiness going on underneath, this is the best and easiest way to do it. It also adds an extra layer of padding, which is awesome.
Then I'm going to take my time to very neatly fold in these corners and edges, line it up just right so the cross grid of my fabric is in line with the sides and edges of the seat. Then I'm going to start to place some staples going from one side, working my way across and pulling nice and taut to get this fabric secured.
Here's where my scrappiness came in...I actually used a household stapler. I know looking back I'm a little disappointed in myself, but I was so excited to do this. The store was closed and I just really wanted to get it done.
This is not the best tool for the job because upholstery staples are a lot longer, a lot stronger, and often have little hooks on the end almost that'll keep it embedded in the wood. These paper staples are not great, they're not as long or as strong, but they do actually work quite well in a pinch.
These chairs have a dense plywood inside of them and I'm able to staple directly into that wood to the point where a lot of these staples do not budge. There are a few that are kind of coming loose so I would always go back around, take those out, and keep going readjusting the fabric until I can get really down deep into that wood with the staple.
So again, I'm making sure that each and every one of these staples I'm putting in is as secure as possible, and a lot of them are not budging at all, which is perfect. I'm also reassured by the way that this attaches to the frame of the chair. There are supports on all four sides, and the fabric ends up getting clamped down onto the chair almost, so that's good.
There's an extra bit of assurance there that the fabric won't be coming off. These chairs are also for me, so you know what? I can do whatever I want with them. Anyways, like I said before, I am taking my time to ensure everything is smoothed down, pulled taut, all those corners are turned very nicely, presented well from the top and from the sides.
And then I'm going back with that piece of fabric on the bottom to finish these up nicely. Alright, everything is ready. We have our newly painted frames, our freshly upholstered seats, and it's time to put them all together. And then it's time to show them off!
The Reveal
What do you think? I love these chairs and I hope you do too.
One of the best parts of this project for me was the change of styles. I know these chairs in their frame and their original form didn't really scream any country or farmhouse or white or anything like that, but I think in the end it all came together, which is awesome.
If you saw anything you think I could do better, please let me know. I'm always open to learning and improvement. I'll see you next time!