A reader has asked me a DIY question. I wanted to share my answer and if anyone has some ideas, Please share!
I bought a couple of rocking chairs (1 adult + 1 child) from a tag sale recently and would like to paint/refinish them. I'm just not sure where to start having never done this before. Would you be able to give me some advice about furniture paint or polish?
My plan was:
1. To remove the trim that hides the staples from the existing upholstered fabric
2. Sand the frame
3. Paint the chair frame a dark espresso/black (type of paint unknown at this point)
4. Cut new fabric and staple over the existing upholstery (right now, only the one with the tree print is heavy weight fabric. The other two are thinner.
5. Try to glue on some other trim to hide the staples
Of course, the other option is to apply some stain over the frame to cover the scratches (which are not too many). Not sure how clean this will turn out. I claim ignorance here but I'm not sure what kind of wood this is!
Of note is the fact that this will be my first venture into doing a furniture project like this! So I can assure you that I will be lapping up any recommendations you have for me! This includes, the type on paint, tips on sanding, painting, anything you can offer!
Thanks so much. I really appreciate you taking your time to look at this. If this is a success, I can convince my husband a little more about hitting some tag sales this summer!
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Sue
Sue,
Start with the child's chair first. It is smaller, there is no fabric to mess with and this will be a good start on a project like this. Those spindles will be tough though. You will have to hand sand those.
If you don't already own an electric sander, get one. It will save you LOADS of time and energy. They make mini ones like Black and Decker's "Mouse".
Painting will be easier because you wont have to sand as much but staining will probably give it more of a classic feel. It depends on where you are going to use it and what look you're going for.
The big chair will be a toughie, I would go with the heavier fabric because you'll be sitting on it, however a darker fabric will show less wear. That white fabric will show dirt very quickly.
If you go to a fabric store they should have trim you can use to hide the staples. You will have tons of options there.
The basic steps for sanding and painting are: Sand, Dust with a damp rag, Primer, Light Sand, Damp rag, Paint. There are a ton of tutorials on the web for more details. Use a light hand with primer and paint. It's better to do a ton of light coats than to do a heavy coat and have drip marks.
Staining is easy once you get the hang of it. Sand Sand Sand until ALL paint is gone. Damp Rag then stain until you get the desired shade. Never use a wet brush with stain (like rinsing your brush out the previous night and using it damp) it will leave white streaks. I learned this the hard way.
Some people use steel wool or a very light sandpaper in between stain coats to prevent the finish from being bumpy. I don't do this. Once it came out great and two times it came out bumpy so it's your call.
After staining use a poly to seal the wood and make it smooth or just use a primer with a poly.
Good Luck!
Anyone else have some ideas?
If you have question of your own I'd love to hear them. Shoot me an email!
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