Friday, January 14, 2011

Victorian chair recovered


So when I moved to my new house over a year ago my MIL gave me 3 antique chairs because she knew I liked to refinish things - and do projects. So - 18 months later - I finally got around to them!


Here is what it looked like first:


I had to pull up all the nails - there were a lot of old nails - and a lot of blisters on my hand!




So then I sanded the chair down a little, sprayed it with $1 can of spray paint from Home Depot. I put about 3 coats on. Sprayed it with a sealer so the paint wouldn't chip. Everything was matte finish.
When that was done - I went shopping for some fabric and padding. Yeah......I am so cheap! Well - this stuff was expensive. I had some foam in my hand - checked out and the total was over $60!!! I was like...ummm...how much was that? That one thick piece of foam was almost $35!!! Yeah - I said - no thank you!!! I bought two yards of that fabric - because I want to add chair cushions to 4 other chairs I sprayed black to match. I bought trim and a thin piece of cushion for the top of the chair - that totaled around $25 with a handful of other stuff. I only used about $5 worth of fabric on this chair though.
I cut (OK - I had my husband cut) the bottom part -he used the jig saw - and cut a piece of 3/4 in MDF to fit on the bottom. I nailed it down first. then I took an old pillow from an old couch cushion, and put that on top. I then took the fabric - cut a piece that came down to where I wanted to staple. I pulled everything taught - and stapled everything down around the edge.
Then I had these pieces of about 1/4 in MDF cut to make little cubes - I had some left over - so they were the perfect size - no cutting needed. I took the thin foam I had - cut a piece to fit the square - and stapled the fabric on. Then I did the same for the other piece.
Went out to the garage - and put 4 pin nails in each corner - one on the top front - and one on the top back. So that they held in place. It worked perfect!!!!


Then I took my trim and went around the outside of the seat. Took the hot glue gun and went around about 3-4 inches at a time, so the glue didn't cool. It isn't perfect - but it looks great!







Not bad for taking me a year to get motivated to do it. It probably was about $12 in product cost. I still have two more that match that need to get done. I do know where I want two of them to go - can't wait till that is done so I can show you!!! Let me know what you think, or if you have any other questions.






Parties: (Check out these link parties there is some great stuff - leave comments - everyone loves comments!)

23 comments:

  1. Thanks for linking to Take-A-Look Tuesday over at Sugar Bee Craft Edition - I featured you today! - Mandy, www.craftedition.blogspot.com

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  2. it turned out beautifully! i love the glossy black paint and fabric you used.

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  3. Wow! I know how much effort you put into this project and it paid off. Your chair looks lovely :)

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  4. Fantastic job on that chair. Love the thick cushions you added. Thanks for linking this week.

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  5. that looks fabulous! and i am sure it was a whole lot of work- i am super impressed!

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  6. Love this chair so much!

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  7. Don't you just love pulling all of those little tacks out....Definitely worth the hard work. The color combo you chose is beautiful.

    Take care,
    Lisa

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  8. I love it!! I'm so looking for chairs like that and am encouraged / inspired by your endeavors - Thanks for sharing, it is beautiful!

    xoxo,
    Ellen

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  9. Wow! This turned out so great !I love it!!!

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  10. Hi there- this chair came out great- I love the fabric you chose and the chair itself is such a treasure! Thank you for sharing at Feathered Nest Friday! :)

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  11. Wow! That was an amazing transformation and I love the fabric choice! Thanks so much for linking this up to Inspiration Friday this week!
    Vanessa

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  12. Fabulous! I love the contrast of the antique chair - painted black - with the trendy new fabric design.

    Thanks for linking to the party. Come by the cottage tonight to see your blog spotlighted.

    By the way, I just joined you as a follower.

    Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage
    http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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  13. I love how it turned out.

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  14. Beautiful! What a nice face lift for an old chair :)

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  15. Great job! I love that fabric and used it on a chair at my house, too.

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  16. Wow! What a great transformation! I love damask! I have plans like this for a few chairs as well!

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  17. Love the chair! What a difference, you did a Great job!!

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  18. I know it’s late, but congrats on your masterpiece! It’s definitely worth the wait! I’ve seen a lot of seat restoration, but this one impressed me the most! Imagine, from an aged-looking chair, you turned it into a magnificent seat! You make a good furniture doctor!

    Darryl Margulies

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