Wooden Captain's Chair Makeover

Earlier this year, I made a list. I believe it was spring when I sat down in front of the computer to lament over how once you start renovating one room, the rest of them look old.

My words took you on a virtual walk through my home as I chronicled everything I wanted to do to make the entire house look as fresh as the new bathroom.

I called it Tiny Redecorating.

And then promptly forgot all about it.

Yup. That Tiny Redecorating list of prospective to do's, joined an equally ambitious list from last October's piece when I updated my old Project Pile. A girl with a lot of big plans, huh?

Well, I guess it would seem that way, but in reality, the lists are filled with just a few things that I never seem to get done. Anyone else out there who can relate?

Surprisingly, this spring and summer bathroom project seemed to be just the kick in the pants I needed to take a big bite out of those big plans.

Including, working on that infamous wooden, living room chair. It's the chair I pulled from the trash over a decade ago. The one, many of you commented about, saying my rescue tale sounded like a Doris Day movie scene.


If only.

My goodness, after all those compliments, I was even more determined to keep it. I mean Doris Day for goodness sake.

While the plan had always been to reupholster it, once I finished lightening up the bathroom vanity with paint, the wheels starting turning. And before my husband could utter a word, I dragged it outside and started painting.

Now for all you wood lovers out there, I get it. I love wood, too and I kept the chair with its wood finish intact for a really, really long time.

But the truth is, it was bad. Very bad. Don't let that picture fool you. Everything looks better far away, in the dark or by a Christmas tree.

In reality, this chair was a mess. The old stain was thick, gloppy, had visible drip marks and always felt a teeny bit gummy. Did you read that? Gummy...Ew. It truly wasn't worth leaving in its current state.

And I, being the extremely lazy DIYer that I am, was not going to strip, sand and re-stain. Besides the fact that I didn't want to, my lungs could never handle that kind of torture, and more importantly, my husband hated this chair.

He's always thought I should've left it in the trash. So getting him to tackle a major redo on this sucker was never going to fly.

However. Once I started painting it, his DIY instincts kicked right in and he couldn't help himself. He was right there with his "helpful tips" and eventually he took over and finished it off. Fabulous.

But let's start at the beginning, shall we?

So as I said, the chair was old and brown and finished badly. It had a bit of shine to it and a real painter would've primed or sanded it, especially since I wasn't using chalk paint, but I didn't.


I just wiped down the dusty parts and removed the tacks that were holding the bottom fabric piece in place. That was not fun. It required tools and brute force in some places. And my brute was off working on his own DIY, but I managed.


Next, I grabbed my paint brush and got to work. Again, this was not fun. My paint by numbers kit was way more enjoyable.


This was small spaces and spindles. Lots of them. After two coats, I started asking about spray paint. Thank goodness my husband was game.

Spray paint was definitely the way to go. The chair was mostly covered, but the spray paint finished the job evenly, without brush marks or backbreaking, tedious strokes in the hot sun.


He sprayed the chair and the ottoman. Oh yeah, did I mention there was an ottoman? Admittedly, that was easier to paint by hand, but the spray paint worked wonders, too.


First he gave them each a light coat of Heritage white which we had leftover from spraying the hardware on the vanity and then he hit them with a clear polyurethane spray. It was leftover from sealing the wooden countertop.

I love it when we have the supplies we need on hand. And for free.

We did have to leave the pieces outside on the covered porch for two days or so until the smell dissipated. The latex paint from Benjamin Moore we used didn't smell at all. I swear these low/ no VOC paints are so good today...but spray paint and varnish? Nope. I just can't breathe around those scents.

Once it came inside, I got to work on the fabric. I was certain that the chair needed a total overhaul, so I grabbed a white pillow sham to test the waters...and I hated it.

It was so boring. There was just no spark. Suddenly, the old cushions looked fabulous. The fabric was in perfect condition, so I decided to leave the chair alone.

No, I didn't. I gave it a makeover after all. 😉


The white paint is slightly distressed, so it fits my bungalow living room well. The white is super bright and the fabric adds that cottage charm I adore so much. Maybe someday in the future I'll change it up, but for now, I'm good.


It's a nice contrast again all the other white cushions and dark wood in the room.


Even the ottoman looks fresh, tucked against the piano with my stenciled pillow resting on top.

Close up, in the light of day and nowhere near a Christmas tree.

Wow.

Mission accomplished.

How do you feel about painting wood?