A Chair With Flair : Paint a Folding Chair

Do you have a piece of furniture that’s functional but ugly? This folding chair was one such item. I'll show you how I did a quick yet dramatic and inexpensive makeover that turned this icky item into something gorgeous! blank630x20Do you have items in your home that fall under the category of “functional but ugly”?  My craft room chair was one such item.  I liked it because my craft room is small and this fit in well and it had a soft seat. When I made over my craft room this of course either had to go or get a makeover. I chose the latter! I did a super quick version… no sanding, no priming.  I’ll show you my steps on how to paint a folding chair and even recover it if needed!. blank630x20

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Supplies Used

  • Folding chair (can have padding on the seat or back)
  • Spray paint of choice. Rustoleum is an excellent brand for metal. (1 can gave me 3 light coats)
  • Material to match. Measure how much you will need. My chair seat took 1/2 yard.
  • Leg caps if needed
  • Staple gun (for attaching material to seat)

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Preparation to Paint a Folding Chair

Remove the seat and/or back if it’s padded. Remove the leg caps. Clean your chair with soap and water well, using a toothbrush to get into the nooks and crannies.  Spray paint two to three thin coats, letting each one dry very well before adding the next. This might require doing it in sections as you have to turn the chair upside down to reach all the areas.   You are welcome to sand any rust areas and then use primer paint first if desired, though I chose to not do that.

Do you have a piece of furniture that’s functional but ugly? This folding chair was one such item. I'll show you how I did a quick yet dramatic and inexpensive makeover that turned this icky item into something gorgeous!blank630x20

Covering Padded Areas

Pick some nice material for the padded areas. Heavier fabric will last longer. You may need to purchase foam and cut to fit depending on whether the padding is in good shape. I was able to cover right over the vinyl on mine.  Lay your seat face down on the material and while wrapping it around staple the edges snugly. I kept mine unfinished underneath as I didn’t care what that part looked like.

Do you have a piece of furniture that’s functional but ugly? This folding chair was one such item. I'll show you how I did a quick yet dramatic and inexpensive makeover that turned this icky item into something gorgeous! blank630x20

Leg Caps

The leg caps on my chair were in pretty bad shape and one was missing. So I decided to replace them. The one’s I found were a tiny bit large and would not stay on the legs. To remedy that I took a thin strip of duct tape and wrapped it around the bottom of each leg a couple of times. The caps then fit on snugly. Do you have a piece of furniture that’s functional but ugly? This folding chair was one such item. I'll show you how I did a quick yet dramatic and inexpensive makeover that turned this icky item into something gorgeous!blank630x20 Do you have a piece of furniture that’s functional but ugly? This folding chair was one such item. I'll show you how I did a quick yet dramatic and inexpensive makeover that turned this icky item into something gorgeous!blank630x20Do you have a piece of furniture that’s functional but ugly? This folding chair was one such item. I'll show you how I did a quick yet dramatic and inexpensive makeover that turned this icky item into something gorgeous!blank630x20

Do you have a piece of furniture that’s functional but ugly? This folding chair was one such item. I'll show you how I did a quick yet dramatic and inexpensive makeover that turned this icky item into something gorgeous!blank630x20 Do you have a piece of furniture that’s functional but ugly? This folding chair was one such item. I'll show you how I did a quick yet dramatic and inexpensive makeover that turned this icky item into something gorgeous!blank630x20

 

28 Comments

  9. Emily
    · Edit

    What a great idea! We picked up a bunch of folding chairs at Walmart last year and they are in desperate need of a makeover. I LOVE the yellow, such an awesome pop of colour!

    Reply
  11. Sandy
    · Edit

    I have 6 of those folding chairs. Two are 50 years old and the other four are a bit newer. They are scraped and battered and needing a lot of TLC. Now, thanks to your instructions, I know that they can be made beautiful. They won’t need to live in the garage anymore! Thanks!

    Reply
  13. Julie
    · Edit

    Oh I think I need a little yellow in my life somehow – I love how cheerful this is.
    I am sitting on a “functional but ugly” item right now, time to do something about that I think.

    Reply
  15. Nina Lewis
    · Edit

    I’m dropping by from Feathered Nest Friday. Boy howdy! I need this idea really bad! I’ve got a whole flock of chairs that need some flair! Now I know what I’m going to do this weekend!

    I have a link party that I’m trying to grow. I invite you to share this idea (and a couple of others) at my Grandma Ideas Sharing Time link party at http://grandmaideas.com. My readers would LOVE this idea, too! The party goes from Wednesday through Friday at midnight Mountain Daylight Time so it will end soon. I hope to see you there.

    I also have a giveaway for 3 free DVDs (Woman in Gold, Big Eyes, and The King’s Speech) plus a $25 gift card. I invite you to enter that giveaway, too. It ends at midnight Mountain Daylight Time on July 14.

    All the best,
    Nina

    Reply

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