Rose Chair Redo

This old chair has been with me for so many years it's amazing it's still in one piece. It definitely predates my children. It was another $5 find at a local thrift store, and I bought it simply because I fell in love with the rose carved into the back of it.

Last summer I decided the old girl needed a makeover. As you can see, the upholstery was threadbare and the finish scored with scratches.

I started by removing the seat and prying the old fabric from it. I found that it had been recovered before!

Talk about peeling back the years. I wish I knew what year the chair dated from. There was no date stamped anywhere on the chair.

The original layer of fabric was tacked down with these tiny little nails, which resemble the type of nails that we're used to tack our current upstiars carpet down. And we're guessing the carpet dates from the 1930's or 40's.

I bought duck cloth from Wal-Mart to recover the seat and stapled it in place with my handy dandy staple gun.

And then I tackled the frame by sanding and staining. I managed to get one coat of polyeurythane on the chair before we moved. In the craziness that followed, the frame ended up in one place and the seat cushion in another. It wasn't until November that I applied the second coat of poly (with an appropriate face mask) and reattached the seat. I'm so happy with the way it turned out! You can actually see the wood grain in the frame again. It's fun giving tired furniture new life.

Sewing Chair Redo

I bought this chair from a local thrift store almost five years ago for $5.00. It was an attempt to solve a seating crisis for our growing family, as we had only four dining chairs at the time, with a fifth family member on his way.

As time passed we inherited a larger dining set from family and a couple Cosco stools. My not-so-pretty thrift store chair migrated to the craft desk where it became the perfect sewing seat. Set at an angle to my machine, it offered an easy dismount from either side when I was needed by little boys. The wide, cushioned seat made long sewing sessions easier to bear.

Back in June I decided the old girl needed a face lift. Yes, this post is a bit delayed....

I unscrewed the upholstered seat and replaced the dusty hunter green fabric with cream and aqua chevron duck cloth (purchased at Hobby Lobby) to match the sewing machine cover I made. I laid the seat over the fabric, pulled it up over the bottom of the seat, and stapled it in place. I then trimmed the excess fabric off.

I took the frame of the chair out to the garage and sanded it down so that every surface was rough. After wiping the sanding dust off, I gave it about three coats of Krylon satin finish spray paint in cream. I hit all the sharp edges and likely places of wear with the sander again to distress it. It feels counterproductive at times, but distressed furniture gives me peace of soul. Its inevitable that my boys will have a hand at distressing it anyway...and I'd have a heart attack seeing perfectly smooth, unblemished furniture get nicked and scratched beyond recognition.

Yes, I've questioned my choice of light finishes...especially as the chair has already been attacked by BBQ sauce, dill relish, spaghetti (pizza?) sauce, and chocolate fingerprints. Thankfully the worst has wiped off so far. It'll probably be due for another makeover in a few years!