One of the first projects I did for
was tackle the dining room chairs. They are the very common and simple Windsor-style chairs and I debated even keeping them since two of them had broken and we threw them away. But right now I didn’t have the time to search for new cool chairs so I decided to paint these. And I love them! The different shades of green and blue add a calming effect in my dining room. I can’t wait to show you the final dining room reveal.
The colors I used: turquoise–Martha Stewart Yucca Plant, aqua–Martha Stewart Sea Glass, lime green-Glidden Granny Smith, sage-Glidden Spanish Olive. I bought all of them at Home Depot. AND I painted each chair with only a sample size of paint which costs about $3 each. At first I was going to paint them all the Yucca Plant color but then I changed my mind and got a little crazy with paint colors! And if you can’t tell by my recent blog and logo redesign–I LOVE LOVE LOVE green and aqua together.
Click to read about how I painted them!
Here’s my process:
Here’s my original chair. Pretty exciting, no? Also in terrible shape. They’d taken a beating from moving three times and surviving kids. So this is what I normally do to paint solid wood furniture:
Preparation:
First I saturate a cloth with Liquid Deglosser and wipe down the chair really well. This is also the step where I wipe off any residual gunk. This works kind of like sandpaper in liquid form: it takes the sheen off the paint.
However I don’t feel confident painting with only this step, so I took my trusty Mouse palm sander and went over the surface with an 80 grit paper.
I didn’t sand off all the stain and paint, just to create a dull surface for the paint to adhere to. After this, I used a microfiber cloth with mineral spirits to wipe off all the dust. Or you can use tackcloth.
Painting:
Furniture restorers will probably squirm when I say this, but I used those cheap-0 dollar brushes to paint nearly everything! I have a bad habit of washing out my brushes right away so if I let one harden, no biggie–I can throw it away. I painted even strokes in the same direction.
For one of the chairs I actually let my little boys help me paint–and that one has a lot more gobs than I would have liked. But they are just for me so I don’t really care and it’s fun to know they helped with it.
I would paint one coat and let it dry before painting another coat. I didn’t really sand in between coats though, although I normally would. I’ve learned along the way.
For the distressing, I used a 220 grit pad on my Mouse sander and just went to town on my chairs. I really wanted the distressing to show through so I just had fun with it. Distressing is hands down my favorite part…I love how it really brings out the character in the piece. I tried to make it look natural for the most part–distressing where it would naturally rub away over time.
To seal them, I painted Minwax polyurethane over the top. I did two coats and sanded in between.
Easy as that. Just time consuming. But over all it was fun and I love the finished result!
Linking up to:
Thrifty Decor Chick
I really liked this! I have a question for you. I have a kitchen set from my parents that I want to paint. It’s two benches and a table, all kind of country-ish in design. I am thinking of painting it lime or chartreuse to make it a little more modern. My question is, the table top is made of individual planks so dirt and grime can get stuck down in there. I would like to “even” out the surface a little more before I paint it. Any suggestions? I’m not sure I want to completely fill in all the crevices, but at least make it harder for food crumbs to get down in there. I can send you a photo if you need to see it. Thanks!
I think you could fill in the crevices with wood putty/filler stuff and still keep the appearance of the planks. Good luck!
wowza Heidi – it looks amazing!!
Thanks Mandy! The colors are so fun.
They look awesome! I love the colors you chose!
Thanks! I hope you are doing okay!
Heidi these are awesome!! I love the colors you chose – they are beautiful!!
Thanks Bev! xoxo
Love these, Heidi!! The colors are soft and pretty… you did a beautiful job with them.
Thanks Shannon!
Love your chairs!!
So pretty!!
LOVE these! Can’t wait to see the rest of your reveal!
Wow these chairs look incredible. You have given me some serious inspiration.
I also have an old set of windsor chairs that I would love to paint this way. Great idea! Question – what does the table look like? Do you have a picture of the table and chairs all together?
I did a dining room reveal a few posts later–it’s still recent on my blog.
I have the exact same dining set! I’ve been looking for over a year for a way to change it up, you have inspired me! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!
Thanks for stopping by! I think this dining set is common so it’s been fun to find a way to make it very unique and all mine!
I have chairs like this and have been wanting to paint them. I have been too scared to tackle this project, but seeing your adorable results makes me want to go get started. Pinning this
Great! You can do it–it’s not that hard!
These are great! Thanks for posting the color names. Did you use flat or semi-gloss paint?
Oh wow Heidi!!! I just love your gorgeous chairs! May I feature this on my Facebook fan page today (linking to you of course!!!). Let me know, Heather
Yes of course! Thank you!
Thank you – your home is truly gorgeous, you’ve done a beautiful job!!
I really love the colors you chose, so fresh, bright and appealing. I really like the ‘weathered’ look and I hope I can create something like that for my homw.