Lockdown DIY: How to transform an old pine dining chair into the statement piece of your dreams
The prospect of refurbishing this chair has been looming over me for so long. When furlough came along via lockdown, I promised myself that I’d use the time to finally tackle it and start ordering the paint and fabric samples that I’ve been threatening to do for years.
Here’s the write up:
The objective:
To modernise a chair that my mum gave to me years ago with a big dose of bold!
Before: Already beautiful, just waiting for an injection of colour and life.
What I used, how much it cost and links to all products:
Valspar Wood Primer & Undercoat (white) - £13 for 750ml - 3 coats. I’ve still got just under half a tin left.
Mylands FTT 018 Ultra Blue Interior Paint Emulsion - sample pot - £11.46 including delivery for 250ml - 3 coats. I’ve still got just under half a tin left.
Ronseal Interior Varnish Clear Gloss finish - £11 for 250ml - 2 coats. I only used about a 10th of the tin as you really don’t need as much varnish as you think.
The floral velvet is Dutch Flowers Velvet Black Multi T113 from Textile Express. I bought 1 meter for £24.50 + £3 shipping. I have enough fabric left to make a 50 x 50 cm cushion cover, plus a bit extra.
I ordered this staple gun from eBay which was £9.95 with free delivery.
1 inch brush that I already had, and a thinner brush to paint the trickier parts like inside the sections of the wood that are cut out on the back rest.
The materials I needed cost £69.91 in total, which might sound like a lot but I have so much paint left, I have the staple gun forever and enough fabric to make a cushion. I think that for the overall finish and quality of the chair, it’s well worth this amount and most importantly nobody else has this chair! Its completely unique to me and my ideas for the project.
How long did each section take?
(Bearing in mind it was the hottest week of the year to date so all the layers dried super fast!)
Valspar wood primer and undercoat - I left approximately 1 hour in between each coat. It advises 3-4 hours on the tin, but it was a very hot day so I went with the flow!
I left the chair to dry completely overnight before applying any colour.
Mylands Ultra Blue paint- approximately 40 minutes between each coat.
Ronseal clear varnish - approximately 1 hour in between each coat.
The painting element therefore took me 2 days in total to complete.
Upholstering the seat took approximately 1 hour. Its only a small seat but this was my first ever attempt at upholstery, so I was watching a YouTube video in the background whilst stapling.
Tidying the underside of the seat and screwing it back onto the frame took 20 minutes.
So all in all this chair revamp took just over two days to complete.
Images below L-R: coats 1, 2 and 3. I probably could have got away with 2 coats but I wanted the blue paint to be as bright as it could possibly be.
Then the real fun began…
Images below L-R: coats 1, 2 and 3. Just look at that blue!
Blue with the cream seat is a transformation in itself, but let’s see that velvet!
Because the repeat pattern on the fabric is so large, I tried a few different ways and directions on the seat before I cut the fabric. I wanted to include as many flowers and as much of the bright colour as possible.
Strike a pose and show us your angles! Just look how the cut out detail on the back rest stands out compared to when it was pine. The colour really accentuates the beautiful shape.
What I would have done differently?
Bought a better brush that didn’t shed as many bristles. I used one that I already had at home to save money.
I may try a varnish with a matte finish next time but I was dubious as I’d never used a matte on wood before. Also my dining table is varnished with clear gloss so I wanted there to be a uniform finish.
What did I find the hardest part?
Using the upholstery gun. This was the first time I’ve upholstered anything and my grip isn’t great so the staple gun was quite hard to squeeze. Saying that it was £10 from eBay so it wasn’t bad.
Tips:
Cover your floor with dust sheets or similar. I used bin bags that I cut open as that’s what I had in. Newspaper would be fine too.
I used another chair to move around the one I was painting to avoid touching the wet paint and getting finger marks on it.
Turn the chair upside down to make sure you cover every part to make it as professional as possible.
Remove any stray brush hairs while the paint it wet. Doing this when dry will expose the colour that’s underneath and will affect the overall finish when you have to then touch it up.
I used a finer brush to paint inside the cutout wood parts to make sure it was completely covered.
Apply the varnish really thinly. You really don’t need a lot of varnish on your brush. You want to avoid any build up of varnish, so whenever you see a cloudy residue, you need to spread the varnish to ensure there’s no build up at all, otherwise when it dries you’ll get that dried glue gun look.
Always order samples of both the paint and the fabric, they often look so different in real life and you need to see them working next to each other to make an informed decision. Don’t trust your computer screen for a representative likeness.
Was it all worth it?
Absolutely! Eight coats of paint inevitably meant that I had blisters afterwards but but the process was so enjoyable and I now I have I chair to my specifications that I absolutely love! Buying quality materials and paints from trusted brands means that the finish is a very high standard, smooth, and with such an intense colour. I ordered SO many fabric samples that my house was littered with them, but it was so worth it as what I thought I originally wanted ended up changing once I saw the samples in real life. A lot of them weren’t bright enough, luxe enough or the velvet wasn’t thick enough. This Dutch Flowers Velvet from Textile Express is absolutely beautiful.
The Mylands Ultra Blue paint blew me away. This is the first time I’ve used this paint brand and wow it’s incredible. The company has been going for over 135 years and each pot contains more pigment than any other UK paint manufacturer. All the paints are handmade with low VOC content, they are quick drying, gorgeously thick to apply and deep with saturated colour. The marble matte emulsion (the one that I used which is what the sample comes in) is made with finely crushed Carrara marble making it highly durable, intense, chalky and flat. Carrara marble?! I know! I’ll take some of that please!
In fact, Homes & Gardens magazine are offering 25% off all Mylands paint until 31st July… I’m going to treat myself to a few more samples whilst the offer is on. Use code HOMES&GARDENS25 - you’re welcome!
And here it is, looking glorious next to the table I painted years ago. You can read about the dining table transformation here.
Thoughts:
Filling your space with items that represent your style and individualism doesn’t have to come at a high cost. Personally I think that £69.91 to repurpose this chair is such a bargain. I’ve learnt a new skill (upholstering a dining chair seat) achieved a piece that’s entirely personal to me, and given new life to the original orange and cream chair that my mum gave to me that without a bit of vision, may have ended up in a charity shop at some point.
It’s completely transformed the chair from something that was structurally beautiful but visually underwhelming into a real statement piece that I love looking at and using. Another lesson here is, if you can’t find what you want in the shops, look at your own items with fresh eyes and spend some time imagining what you could do, DIY wise to give it some love.
Ultimately repurposing is much more sustainable way to furnish you home and very fulfilling. It’s not only kinder to the planet but if you apply some creative thinking towards what you already have, you can add so much diversity and individualism to your home. It really is amazing what a lick of paint can do.
