A Budget-Friendly Makeover for 4 Curbside Cast-off Chairs
I found four bentwood cafe chairs that had seen better days on the curb recently--they were a pretty hideous shade of mustard (the pictures don't quite capture HOW hideous) which was badly chipped on all four and the seats were covered with some kind of worn out plastic woven-fabric which was beyond yucky, but I knew these could look great with just a little tlc. I don't have the patience to strip something like these down to the natural wood and I doubt these would have held up to that much work since they'd clearly been painted several times over the years, so I opted for some glossy black paint, added a bit of new batting to the seats and staple gunned them with some fun printed (inexpensive) burlap that I'd found on sale, tightened up all the screws and for approximately $25 all four are now looking lovely! They still need a few paint touch ups so I haven't attached the seats permanently yet but when I do, I'll post a pic of the whole set together.
Before--chipped mustard paint, fugly covers
A better idea of the Mc-Hideous shade.
AFTER: Black+Burlap+Numbers=MUCH BETTER!
AFTER: Just a few paint touch-ups left to do and they'll have a home in my dining room soon!
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Cool!
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Thanks everyone--I am relatively new to the whole DIY thing (my shrinking budget and an obsession with home makeover shows and magazines is probably what got me started) and I usually jump into a project without any idea of what I'm actually doing or what tools I'll need so my projects are often a case of trial and error with varying results...like the wingback recliner I picked up for free on UsedVictoria (a local free classified listings site) and decided to try reupholstering--apart from simple kitchen seat covers I have no reupholstery or sewing experience--talk about biting off more than I could chew! But in my typical impulsive fashion I dove right in without a clue of what I was doing and am learning the hard way that when people say it's hard work, they're not lying. It's finally starting to look like I will be finished soon but it's taken me MONTHS, mostly because I get so tired of removing staples or re-doing sections that don't look quite right that I'll throw a blanket over it and ignore it for weeks until I feel the urge to get back to it. This chair project was a nice straightforward one--I wish my after pictures showed the chairs a bit better. My kids and I are in the process of looking for a new place and are living in a temporary space at the moment so the chairs are currently separated and housed in different locations for the time being but once we finally find a long-term place, I'll do my best to take some pictures of them in the new space. Hopefully the $%! @*!#!! wingback will also be finished by then too--it might take a miracle but I haven't given up on the project quite yet =)
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