Rocking Chair Makeover - a DIY Together Project!

Marj MRC Creations
by Marj MRC Creations
3 Materials
$5
1 Hour
Easy
I've been painting furniture and repurposing, upcycling and re-imagining items for a few years now, and one of my friends has always been wanting to give it a try, but afraid to. We decided on having a paint demo day together and it was so much fun! Monica had an old rocking chair that she loved to sit in, but wanted to change its look. Here is what we did and how we transformed her old rocker into something painted, fun and a loved "new" item for her home.
We removed the torn vinyl-covered seat and cleaned the rocking chair well.
We only gave it a light scuffing with some sandpaper before applying a coat of latex primer.
Here is Monica applying Zinsser BIN 123 latex primer. It's a great way to cover up any coloured wood, saving an application of a pricier paint such as chalk or Fusion mineral paint.
Once it's painted all in white, it gives us a blank slate to work with and allows us to imagine another look for the chair. My friend absolutely loved how she could now see that a change was the best thing for an old, but beloved piece of furniture.
We painted one coat of Fusion Mineral paint in Homestead Blue, one of my favourites of theirs. Monica absolutely loves this colour and was very excited about the huge transformation already!
Because we wanted an aged look to the chair, we applied some white chalk paint, almost drying the brush and applying lightly here and there. Once we were happy with that, we stopped and used a light sandpaper on some edges to give it a more used look.
This is the original seat for the chair, but Monica will be buying fabric to cover it.
She will be waxing it with beeswax, though Fusion paint doesn't always need to have a top coat put on it. Because she will use this chair all the time, and she loved seeing my finished projects that had that wax finish on them, she will do the same. The wax will bring out some of the aged highlights as well.
I had some different fabrics to see what style and colours she might like as a final result, so we played around with some of them.
Here is a closer look at some of the aging we did on one of the armrests.
A floral fabric could look good, but my friend is aiming to find a Parisian-themed material with some texture and graphic images on it.


Sadly, I don't have a photo of the finished chair, with the seat covered and in her home just yet, but she will be sending some to me shortly. In the meantime, we hope this inspires you to share the joy of DIY projects with someone else. We had a great time and man, is it ever quick when there are two hands doing the sanding, painting and waxing! I loved that!
Suggested materials:
  • Fusion mineral paint   (Antique shop)
  • White chalk paint   (Antique shop)
  • Latex primer, Zinsser BIN 123   (Home Depot)
Frequently asked questions
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  • Maggie Maggie on Sep 23, 2017

    For a breakfast room chair that will be used frequently but will not be antiqued, would I need to use the wax on it? And is Antique Store the name of a company such as Home Depot? Chair looks great.

  • Stephanie Rountree Stephanie Rountree on Sep 23, 2017

    How did you secure the seat to the chair?

  • Barbara Barbara on Sep 23, 2017

    The arm of my rocker came out from the back of the chair. I've tried gluing but it does not hold. What can I do?

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