A Cheap DIY Chair Make-Over

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Two-and-a-half years ago I stumbled across this chair in an antique store in Lake Lure, North Carolina. It didn’t have a price tag on it and when I inquired about it the owner seemed surprised that someone actually wanted the thing. As you can see it was a little pathetic looking, but I like retro modern stuff and that’s what it reminded me of so when he asked for $5 I politely took the deal.

I’ve been meaning to fix it up for over two years now. The screws were loose and made it a little shaky. The chipped wood on it kept getting snagged on my clothes. But nevertheless, I’ve been using it as my desk chair. It’s where I do all of my writing. In case you were wondering, I prefer not to be too comfortable. It keeps my mind fresh.

Last weekend I decided to begin the make-over. My inspiration was this awesome blog I visit regularly. They’re having a DIY contest and I’m a sucker for a good contest. I bought a $3.99 can of black spray paint and touched up the legs. Then I found a “fleur-de-lis” pattern off the Internet and carefully cut it out to create a stencil. Then I used some leftover stain we had from doing our backyard fence and made it a chocolatey brown color. But I didn’t stain the “fleur-de-lis” so it created a subtle pattern on the wood. Finally, I shined it up with a $2.99 can of spray lacquer.

Oh- I almost forgot to mention that while using some super glue to fix some peeling wood I glued the tube to my thumb. While Tim offered to get it off using a box cutter (I’m not joking!!) I declined and used fingernail polish remover instead since that’s what the tube said to do. After some painful pulling it came off. And this is the finished product. I think it turned out pretty good. It’s not perfect, but that’s ok. I like a little character. Thankfully, even though it’s a lot prettier, it’s not any more comfortable so I can keep writing these incredibly entertaining blogs. If you think of it, head to this site starting March 5 and vote for my lovely chair. If I win I think I’ll get some money so I can give more of my furniture make-overs.

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