January 17, 2023

Another Trash to Treasure Rescue

Summary

Most people have at least one chair that needs some love. This blog will take you through the steps to transform a lack-luster piece into a real stunner.

Let me tell you a funny story. One of my oldest and dearest friends, Katie, was with me visiting my sister. All three of us love garage sales. So, as we were leaving to check out what Grand Rapids, Michigan had to offer that fine summer Saturday morning, her husband said, “Don’t spend more than a dollar.” Well, the joke was on him. She came home with a chair!

Now most people have a least one odd chair in their homes, at a desk, in the corner, the piano, you get the idea. But as you can glean from my story, you can pick them up very cheaply as well. Refreshing one of these little beauties is great design bang for the buck, breathing new life into your space. I finally got around to re-doing a chair I found at Goodwill for around $5.

 

 

It was a cute design and very sturdy making it a perfect candidate. If you want to tackle one of these yourself, here are the steps. For more details, check out my video on YouTube.

 

 

THE PROCESS

  • Remove seat and old upholstery
  • Clean and sand chair frame
  • Prime and paint chair frame
  • Distress using sandpaper

 

 

  • Cut new board for seat from ½ “ plywood
  • Cut new pad for seat using high-density foam
  • Attach foam to seat board with spray adhesive
  • Wrap foam with batting
  • Cover seat with upholstery using a staple gun. Work on all four sides at once, starting from the middle of each side.
  • Be sure to remove all excess material from corners so the seat sits on the chair frame properly.
  • Hammer in all staples until they are flat.

  

 

  • Screw the seat to the frame and voilà!

Because I started with a basically good chair, it was a relatively quick project. It is so fresh and fun! Check out the desk I made to go with it!

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

If you ever want help with your project, set up a Chics With Tools Private Event. Choose from the options listed or work with me to design a workshop that suits your needs.