How to Give a Vintage Chair New Life #DiyLikeaBoss

Diva of DIY
by Diva of DIY
Believe it or not this little beauty was a curbside find! It hadn't sold at a garage sale so it was waiting to be taken with the trash. Oh how I wish I could save each and every piece of furniture like this from the dumpster!
There were 2 and they had seen better days but they were still sturdy and had some life left in them. The embroidered seats were both ripped so they couldn't be saved. But they were still strong and would hold up to sitting on.
The finish was chipped and peeling off. Ok, now we have assessed the issues, let's get to work polishing this little gem!
I decided I was going to use Diva of DIY Chalk Mix with SW Intellectual Grey and seal it with Dirty Wax in Coffee Hold the Cream. Now I know that chalk style paints can cover anything but I am a firm believer that any piece worthy of a makeover is worthy of a little scuffing and cleaning. I always scuff any piece up with 220 grit sandpaper and give it a good cleaning with Krud Kutter.
There were a couple places where the wood had started to separate. This really is an easy fix. Using wood glue, apply it in the seams, clamp it down tight, remove any excess glue and let it dry. I allow it to dry overnight. See the full tutorial for instructions on smoothing out any other rough spots.
When everything is dry then it's time to paint. I painted two coats of the chalk style paint on the entire chair. Then I used a wax brush and brushed in the Dirty Wax Coffee Hold the Cream wax and wiped off with cheese cloth until I got the look I wanted.
So our lovely flower went from old and worn out to freshly painted to being waxed to add dimension to the detail. Now it was time to reupholster the seat and we would be finished. See the full tutorial on the blog for full instructions on reupholstering the seat.
Look at it! I love the way it turned out! I'm sure the print is a little much for some of you but it fits perfectly with another piece I am doing so I am very pleased with it. I am using it for an accent chair so I am trying to decide if I should do them both the same or finish them differently and use them in two different rooms. What do you think? Same? Different?


I can't wait to hear what you think of these little curbside beauties. For the full tutorial head on over to the website.
Diva of DIY
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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3 of 7 comments
  • Lori Lori on Mar 16, 2016
    Holy smokes what a difference. I love that chair.
    • Diva of DIY Diva of DIY on Mar 17, 2016
      @Lori Thanks! I'm kinda loving it too. It has a whole new feel to it.
  • Margot Margot on Oct 21, 2018

    Love it! Especially the shade of grey and the animal print !!

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