Restoring Beauty: Chair Transformation-Revealed!

When I first saw this chair, I really saw the potential.  Although it was stuck in the corner, with odd red fabric, mis-matched styles of wood carving, and scuffs all over the chair, there was something that spoke to me about this chair  (maybe the $6 price tag spoke louder than the other, more traditional chairs I saw).

With so many inspirational choices, I originally went with this Baker chair as inspiration for my thrift store find.

 Thomas Pheasant for Baker

But after painting the chair black, it looked too stark...

So I changed my mind and combined the gold touches for the back of the chair with the white chairs from Belle Maison below:

Belle Maison chairs

Here’s how I transformed this chair...

I removed the chair pad.

I sanded the chair.

Painted the chair with a primer paint.

I used the Zinsser Primer Paint I had left
over from a previous project...that $10 can
goes a long way!!!

Filled the wood with Lepage wood filler. (yes, I should have done this before the sanding, but last minute decided to fill in the decorative “carving” on the front of the seat, as it seemed too “country” for what I was going to do.) So I re-sanded and primed again.

Painted the chair white, and the “8” of the chair back the “Champagne Nouveau” colour I used for the mail sorter (I thought, if it didn’t work, I can always re-paint over it in white).

Using this fabric I found during the Value Village 50% sale (it cost a whopping $3 for 2 yards---I only used one!), I replaced the chair pad,  and stapled the fabric.

Here’s the after.

Here's the cost breakdown for this chair if you did this yourself:
Chair: $6
Primer: Used left over can, but would cost about $12 for the can
Wood filler:  $6  
Black spray paint: Used left over from my table project, but would cost $5 per can.  
Gold spray paint:  Used left over from mail sorter project, but would cost $5 per can.
Chair pad filler:  
Fabric:  $3.


Total:  approx. $45


Simply a great find!


{This post is featured on The Motherboards and linked to My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia , Coastal Charm and House of Hepworths}

Simply Good(will) Table-Reveal !

This has been quite a fun DIY project, mostly because this is my test...if I can paint this table, I can attempt at a larger table for our kitchen.

Here's what I did with my $5 table.

Using sandpaper, lightly sanded all paintable surfaces.

A medium grit sandpaper worked.

Then, using a damp cloth, I wiped the table clean from debris.

I was temped to use TSP, but plain water worked fine.

I primed the table with this great oil based primer  
I only used about 1/20th of the can.

Zinsser Cover Stain is amazing, found at Lowes for about $12.
It works well on all kinds of wood, including damaged, varnished or veneered.

Spray (yes spray) painted the table using satin black paint.  

Almost suffocated myself with the fumes...
don't forget to wear a mask!  This Krylon spray in Satin
Black can be found at Michaels or Canadian Tire for about $7

I waited for about 24 hours before doing another coat, 

and paint odd places I missed (like underneath).

If you get drips or streaks,
use a small foam brush (from Michaels for $1),
and lightly brush the drips, then continue spraying.

Remember my inspiration?

Crate and Barrel Esme Bruno Pedestal Table

Here's how my version looks in our sitting room. 

The sofa is supposed to be in our living room...
this is just a temporary spot.  It will be replaced with two sitting
chairs, with this table in between.

Similar to the Crate and Barrel table in style, but definitely not $600 (or even half that).  Total cost...about $20!!! (with primer and paint to spare for another project!)

Beautiful savings.

{This post is linked to Coastal Charm, Miss Mustard Seed, My Repurposed Life, House of Grace, The Shabby Nest}