Ugly Chairs Glammed Up :: Guest Post

Hey Brepurposed readers!

It’s Michelle from over at Dandelion Patina-transformations for the timeless & trendy home. Dandelion Patina is a home and garden blog specializing in DIY projects, upcycling, home decorating, and crafts for kids.

Got an ugly chair? or two?

Craigslist and garage sales are full of those mismatched and unloved dining chairs. It always amazes me how a bit of paint and some creative juice can turn crappy into happy. These chairs were part of a dining set that I paid a whopping $40. What was part of the set you ask? A large dining table with chunky legs (swoon) and six chairs! The entire set was made of solid walnut. The set was well loved and honestly needed a whole lot more love to make it functional again. I sold 4 of the chairs to another party for $40, making all my money back. I kept the two best chairs, which needed minimal gluing of the joints and a few screws tightened. The dining table was separated to create nightstands in our master bedroom.

Here is how to turn that crappy into happy.

1. Remove the seats from the chairs. Use a screwdriver to untighten the screws and the seat should pull off easily. My seats were leather and in rather good shape. The leather was wiped clean and then a coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint was applied and used as a primer. Once dry, DecoArt Metallics in Champagne Gold was used as the top coat. The finish was distressed.

2. Glam up the frames. Wipe the chairs clean. Lightly sand if there is a high gloss finish. In this case, the wood was very worn, so no sanding was needed. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint was used in Provence. Two coats were applied. The finish was lightly distressed. Poly protector was applied.

3. Add the unexpected. These chairs had some great carved detailing from top to bottom. To bring attention to the detailing on the chair backs, I added an embellishment. You can find these in the bead section of your craft store. The chairs will only be used decoratively flanking my buffet. If these were being used daily, a stencil could be added instead of the metal embellishment.

4. Bring it all together. Place your seats back onto the frames. Fasten the seats back down with the screws. Place in your desired location.

How is that for happy?

I hope you enjoyed this post on how simple it is to turn that ugly garage sale find into a glammed up beauty! Please follow Dandelion Patina on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter!

How gorgeous are those chairs?! A huge thanks to Michelle for helping me out while I’m away! Be sure to check her blog out for more awesome inspiration!