Tuesday, September 3, 2013

A Rocking Redo

I'm back! This time I have something really spunky and fun to show you...

So I took it upon myself to repaint a rocking chair that has belonged to my family for a far longer time than I've been alive (don't worry it's not an antique!).

First, I took the whole thing apart, screws and all.


I did this in order to give better attention to the sanding and eventually to the painting. The whole taking apart step really isn't a must, but I felt that the chair wouldn't look as good if I didn't.

The next step was sanding. Which was tough. I don't own a mechanical hand sander, so my own hands went to use... And man, did they hurt afterwards.


After rubbing the sanded pieces with a dry towel in order to remove any leftover sawdust, I began my painting. I invested in the new Behr Marquee paint, because I want my project to last quite some time, and because it was $4.00 for two quarts... What a steal for such good, hi-tech paint!

 

I did a few coats... Just be careful with this paint and the amount you use. Also, it is important to note that outdoor paint has to be maintained at a specific temperature range while you are painting with it (it should give the range on the product itself). It's not a huge deal if you do it in a temperature higher (and I would assume with lower too), but with the higher temperatures, the paint doesn't set as well. So if you have the opportunity to do it in your garage, or if you're brave enough to do it inside, then I would recommend doing so. 

When selecting my paint, I attempted to match the colors of the pattern from my post How to Recover Round Ugly, Old Chairs , and while the colors do not perfectly match, I think that the rocking chair ended up being a spark that our deck needed. Overall, the project took me about a day and a half with the drying time... But keep in mind that every paint is different and won't act the same as this project did. 

Here's the finished product!


The picture doesn't really do it justice... It looks a bit odd here. It doesn't look as crazy with the rest of the mellow furniture on the deck. I also took some extra fabric from my last post and made a pillow to tie the chair in to the rest of the deck. 

And, of course, I couldn't escape unscathed...


Well, that's all for now folks! Please let me know if you have any questions! <3 p="">


Sunday, July 7, 2013

How to Recover Round Ugly, Old Chairs

Welcome to summer! It's about time I got started updating you with my crafty life!

First, let's talk about this outdoor table set my parents have. One of the ugliest things out of the nineties I've ever seen... And as a child of the nineties, trust me!

Here's just a sample of what I was working with.

Definitely not pretty, and definitely not in good shape. So, I set off to improve them. I found myself some fabric at my local Joann craft store (on sale and the last of the bolt!=X2 discount) and I went to work.

I started my task my taking the cushion off the chair frame. Everything went smoothly until this happened...

Not to worry, though. You can choose to get them out, or take the easy route (which I did). Since they're what I call "spinner screws"-which means they still spin, they just won't come out of the whole-they still function correctly. When I was finished I just placed the cushion on top, applied pressure while twisting the screw with a Phillip's head, and eventually the cushion was reattached.

After taking off the cushion, I proceeded to remove the old material with a flat head screw driver, pliers, scissors, and a staple remover. Please remember safety while doing projects like these... Gloves, glasses, and long sleeves are a must!


Be careful with the staples, as if you're not careful, they may fly off. You may want to do this outside or just somewhere not in your house.

Once finished with removing the old fabric, it's time to put the new one on! I choose to make my own seat covers, but I'm sure you could buy some as long as you have the measurements for the seat if your not a sewing person. With fabric in hand, grab your staple gun. Remember your safety gear, glasses and gloves are important when using a staple gun.


Next step is pretty important... I messed it up a few times! Make sure that the seam of the cushion is alined with the back of the chair. In my case it meant that the seam was alined with where the back screw was placed. Next, pull the fabric over the cushion. With the chairs I was using, I didn't have to replace the cushion, but be warned that if they're in bad shape you might have to!

Once the fabric is in place, grab your staple gun. Start with one side, pull it tight, and staple away. Mind your fingers, and don't forget the glasses and gloves. Once your finished stapling, grab your fabric scissors and trim the edges.


Once it's nice and pretty, go ahead and start to reattach the seat. If you didn't line up the seam as suggested, you can pilot a new hole in the bottom of the seat. Though, it is fairly easy to just skip the piloting part and just screw into the seat direct, but not highly recommended. It's always better to pilot first.

Repeat three more times, and voila!


You have beautiful new chairs!

Hope you enjoy, email me with any and all questions!