Vintage Dining Chairs Makeover with Chalk Paint and Drop Cloth Plus a Thrifted Side Table

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Today I'm sharing a post of some vintage chairs I restyled a few months back and just haven't been able to find a good space to photograph them. While I was moving our furniture around a few days ago, I found a lovely spot under our front windows. 😊

Before our stricter lockdown rules, I picked up these two vintage chairs on Gumtree on for $20. 

I'm always running short of chairs at Christmas. We usually bring in the outdoor bench but it really isn't that comfortable. So I've had my eye out for a few chairs.  They weren't much to look at, but I could see their hidden potential. 

I knew straight away they were going to get a white chalk paint makeover and drop cloth reupholstery.  So I set about removing the backs which were just glued in and came out with a few taps of the hammer. 

 

I used my staple remover tool to take out the million and one staples. 😛

 

You just slide the bottom bit under the staple, press down with the top bit to grasp the staple and lever it up and out. 

 

It really is a great tool and makes quick work of removing staples. 

 

So I removed both sides of the chair back fabric which revealed padding that was in reasonable condition and worth keeping.  

 

Then I grabbed my drop cloth and measured up both side.

 

Then using my Dewalt nail/staple gun, I secured the new fabric.

 

The next person is going to have fun removing those! 😂

 

The the back side of the chair back sits into a frame so you won't see those staples. 

 

In between reupholstering the backs and the seats of both chairs, I started painting the frames.

 

I mixed up some DIY chalk paint using fine grout and flat white ceiling paint. I love this mixture. I have tried the plaster mixture and it just isn't as thick and doesn't stick as well in my experience.

 

After applying 3 coats and sanding back to add some distressed edges, I coated the chairs in clear varnish. 

 

For the backs of the chairs I used my hot glue gun to reglue them in place. 

 

And you can't see any of the staples. Phew! 

 

The thing I like most about these chairs are the arms. I don't have dining chairs with arms. Mainly cause I like to push my chairs in under the table and you can't with these ones.  But armrests are so comfortable.

 

And while I'm sharing my restyled chairs, I'm also excited to be sharing this little round side table. I have had my eye out for a few to replace our current living room side tables, just for a change. And when this one popped up on Marketplace locally for $5, I had to grab it, or rather I had to send hubby to grab it. 😂

 

 

 

I've styled it with one of my recently washed vintage doilies and some of my left over vintage keys. 

 

I'm really happy with how the chairs turned out. I'm using one with my office desk.  The side table and other chair are still looking for spots to live. 😀

 

I really love our new "spare" chairs. I haven't done any upholstering in a long time so that was pretty fun too.  

Hope you are all having a lovely week.

Take care and stay safe!