Overhauling the Chair
I pulled off all the old fabric and realised the stuffing was still a little smelly, so I had to rebuild the seat from scratch. I am no expert when it comes to this so I looked up some tutorials on YouTube. Depending on the chair you choose, the method will be slightly different but there are all sorts of tutorials available on Pinterest and YouTube. Check out my Upcycled Chairs board on Pinterest for some links.
Pay attention as you pull it apart, perhaps taking pictures as you go, and then rebuild it with new materials.
I used cushion stuffing, some leftover polyester wadding from a quilt I made, andwebbing which I made out of some hessian sacks. These were materials I had lying around and thus did not cost a cent, but you can find all these items at your local Spotlight or Lincraft.
Investing in a cordless staplegun is a time saver and well worth the $60 - $99 if you can afford it. If you can't, you can pick up a 'manual' staplegun for under $20 at your local hardware store.
I then sanded the chair ( a rough sand is ok, just to make sure there is something for the paint to stick to), gave it one coat of Zissner Bulls Eye 123 Plus Primer/ and 2 coats of British Paints High Alert. You can skip the primer for darker colours but I tend to prime first as then I can do less coats of coloured paint. This product also works as a stain and odour blocker.
Once the paint is completely dry, apply a clear furniture wax. This protects the chair and gives the finish a silky sheen.
To finish I slotted the seat and backing into place and....as you can see. Total transformation.
Not including the time I had to wait for the paint to dry between coats I would say this was a 5 hour project? if I didnt have to rebuild the seat and was able to simply staple the new fabric on, probably 3 hours.
Next time. A chair does not a cosy corner make....