I’m always on the hunt for upcycling ideas! I love the thought of completely transforming something that’s looking a little bit jaded and giving it a new lease of life.
So when my parents mentioned that they had a rather tired looking chair sitting lonely and unloved in their garage, I was more than happy to re-home it. I bought it home and then I have to confess it has sat in my own garage lonely and unloved for several months.
Finally the chair has had a little makeover and what a transformation it is! Have a sneak peak:
So here’s how I did it…
Upcycling ideas: chalk paint chair makeover
You will need:
- Old chair (mine was free but I saw a similar one in a charity shop for just £8)
- Chalk paint (I used Rust-oleum chalk paint in Anthracite* and Coral*)
- Painters tape or masking tape (I used frog tape*)
- Gold paint (I used DecoArt Dazzling Metallics in Glorious Gold*)
- Paint brushes (one medium thickness and one for finer details)
Directions
1# Clean the chair, I used sugar soap spray as I has some left over from decorating, but water and a cloth will work just as well.
Apply chalk paint all over the chair and allow to dry. I love the fact that there is virtually zero prep required for chalk paint (no sanding required). If required paint a second coat. As the chair I painted had a very lacquered finish I was worried about whether the chalk paint would cover it. I needn’t have – after just two coats, the coverage was perfect.
2# Once the chair has dried completely, it’s time to start on the detail work. Depending on how steady your hand is you could free hand the painting. Alternatively, you could use frog tap to ensure you get a straight line. I actually found it easier without.
Get creative with the pattern! I think the chair would look fantastic with the centre spokes painted too. I was sorely tempted to do this, but I didn’t want to go overboard. My advice is to keep stepping back, as you add detail and be critical.
3# Now for the legs. Ah those dip dyed legs, how I love them! Turn the chair upside down and measure an equal distance on all the legs, apply the painters tape around. You may need to stretch the tape a little around the curve of the legs and ensure that there are no gaps.
Paint the legs with the metallic paint, it took two coats using the paint mentioned above. Wait for the paint to dry and carefully remove the painters tape.
Before
After
I’m super pleased with how it turned out. The colour combination of grey, blush and gold is just so pretty! I really love traditional design with a modern twist, so unsurprisingly this chair makes me very happy indeed.
I definitely recommend giving the rust-oleum chalk paint a try. I’ve used it on multiple projects now and it’s so lovely to paint with and gives a great finish. This isn’t a sponsored post by the way, I just really like the stuff! I’m already looking around for what to paint next, nothing is safe!
Looking for more upcyling ideas? How about these painted jars or perhaps a toybox makeover?
Go on take a look, you know you want to!
Don’t forget to leave me a comment below – let me know what you think of my painted chair and your upcycling ideas too!
The links marked with a * are affiliate links. Meaning that I provide links to products which I genuinely recommend. If you happen to make a purchase, I may gain a small commission (at no extra cost to you). You get a handy link to the product you’re after – I get a few pennies towards running this awesome blog. Win-win!
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Lauretta @ Home and Horizon
June 16, 2017 at 11:29 amThis is wonderful Caroline – it looks superb! You should think about upcycling for a living…I’d definitely buy from you 🙂 x
Caroline
June 16, 2017 at 11:32 amAwww thanks Lauretta! I would love to – I really enjoyed this project. xx
Natalie
May 29, 2020 at 5:34 pmI love this chair so much! I’ve just purchased all the colours you’ve used, which was hard as everywhere I looked it was out of stock! Please could you tell me where you got the cushion from?
Thanks xXx
Anne Marie
June 16, 2017 at 2:32 pmOh, this is pretty, I especially like the gold on the legs. Very creative! Although I really shouldn’t be looking or reading this as I’ve got this weakness when it comes to chairs. I just keep buying them whenever I see them in charity shops or at car boot sales. There are always about five spare chairs in my loft 🙂
Caroline
June 16, 2017 at 4:10 pmHa ha – yes I definitely have a chair collection too! ! I really want a wicker peacock chair for our bedroom, they’re amazing!
Vicki
June 16, 2017 at 10:04 pmLooks great, lovely colour scheme !
Caroline
June 19, 2017 at 6:09 pmThanks Vicki. I love grey and gold together. I’m thinking this would be a great colour palette for our downstairs bathroom.
Alex
August 31, 2017 at 12:57 amThis is so cute! And I want that pillow! Where did you get it?
Caroline
August 31, 2017 at 6:10 amThanks Alex! The pillow is a couple of years old now I’m afraid, it was from Primark.
Donna
May 10, 2018 at 10:31 pmDo you have to put a glaze or some type of finish on a chair when using chalk paint? I am wanting to paint by bar stools and am afraid of how the chalk paint will wear. BTW – I love your chair!
Caroline
May 12, 2018 at 6:15 pmThanks Donna 😊 You can use wax to finish the chair, there’s lots of different types depending on the type of finish you want.
Emma
August 26, 2019 at 11:05 pmI love this design. I am about to do the same with my dressing room chair. How has the chalk paint stood up to use as I’m just wary of it wearing on the chair I am doing as it’s used very often.
Love your upcycles!
Emma
Caroline
August 26, 2019 at 11:42 pmThanks so much Emma. 😊 The chair is still pretty much perfect, I’m really happy with how the paint lasted. You could finish it with furniture wax, which should help to protect the paint against wear and tear – I skipped this step as it wasn’t quite the look I wanted.
Jeanie Keena
September 16, 2019 at 9:23 pmLove this chair and the colours are beautiful. I was so pleased to see it was Restoleum chalk paint. Because this afternoon I started to paint my dining room chairs with this paint. I’m using the colour Bramwell which is a really gorgeous colour of green from Restoleum. Will post pictures when the project is finished.
Caroline
September 16, 2019 at 9:28 pmThanks Jeanie 😊 I really love this chalk paint, I’ve used it in several projects and it’s such a pleasure to paint with. Good luck with painting your chairs, I’m looking forward to seeing them!