vintage chair

DIY: How to refresh an old chair

A chair found on the side of the road gets a new life!

I kid you not that I found this gem on the side of the road- I literally did 2 U-turns in my car after deciding that I had to pick it up. This type of chair is a pretty standard run-of-the-mill mid century modern chair. Most people have seen this chair before, whether at uncle’s house or in the back corner of the garage. BUT, you’ve never seen it look like this before! This is a really easy upholster DIY project. After picking out a cool sturdy fabric (I got mine from Spoonflower in the denim cloth), it takes only a couple hours to finish the work. Heres the breakdown in 5 basic steps:

Tools needed: Sandpaper (150 or higher grit), drop cloth, gloves, rags, stain, clear coat, paintbrush, drill & drill bit, flat head screw driver, needle nose pliers, staple gun

Step 1: Unscrew the cushion from the frame

Step 2: Use sandpaper lightly scuff up the wood frame so to remove the existing shiny finish

Step 3: Wearing gloves, use a rag and dip in the stain then work the stain into the wood. Be sure to wipe off any excess stain or drips. Wait for stain to dry then add clear coat. Also wait for clear coat to dry.

Step 4: To reupholster the cushion, use cushion as a guide for new fabric to wrap around. Use the staple gun to staple fabric all around the cushion. Pull, tuck and staple.

Step 5: Lastly, reattach the cushion to chair frame. Use the drill and drill bit to drill a starter hole for screw to go into. After drilling in starter hole into the frame of the cushion, screw cushion into the chair frame securely.

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Do you have an old chair that could use some love? Check out my step by step video tutorial on how I refinished this chair.

https://youtu.be/o2TAMkn7Zdc

and remember - PULL, TUCK & STAPLE