We have sold our house this weekend, and are getting ready to move soon. This got me thinking to all of the fun little projects I haven’t got round to yet and these old chairs are a long term project we wanted to tackle together. Old furniture is often good quality and well made, however it does not always fit in with our decor or ideas of how we want to live in our homes. So this is a nice and simple way to upcycle that old but reliable furniture.
You Will Need;
Old furniture you wish to upcycle, there are plenty of charity shops which will also sell ‘new’ furniture to you which is in need of a bit of TLC
Sand Paper, coarse and fine 3M 20080 P80"Paint Stripping" Coarse Grit Sandblaster Sandpaper Abrasive Sheet - Gold (Pack of 3)Harris Extra Fine Finishing Sandpaper Sheet 4 Pack
Gloss paint for wood the two colours we chose are Dulux Quick Dry Gloss Paint, 750 ml - Luscious Lime
paint brushes Coral 31416 Zero-Loss Paint Brushes with No Loss of Bristle Paintbrush Heads 3 Piece Pack Set
Step by step guide to painting old furniture
STEP ONE pop the seat out of the chair and take it outside to sand down
STEP TWO Get to all of the fiddly bits with a special tool or use the edges of the sandpaper – you are taking off the old gloss to allow your new paint to grip better. So if you are going for a very ‘rustic’ look don’t worry too much about how neat you are at this stage.
STEP THREE use a damp cloth to wipe down the dust from the furniture, you are now ready to move indoors to avoid contamination during the painting.
STEP FOUR Follow all the instructions on the tin, stir thoroughly and then start to paint the furniture. Do not try to cover it too thickly to start with, it will be better in layers.
STEP FIVE Use the fine sandpaper to now rub down in between the first coat and the second coat.
Shabby or chic upcycling?
STEP SIX You are now ready to decide how ‘shabby’ you would like the furniture to be. I have chosen to sand down again to reveal the wood below. It is an effect which has worked differently on the lime green chairs to the dark purple chairs so it is worth experimenting for yourself to find your perfect unique fit for your home. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you are inspired to try this for yourself one weekend or evening.
We then went on to Reupholster the Dining Chairs which has really made all the difference
