What about this?

If you’ve got the urge to spruce up your place and don’t want to spend a lot of money, go shopping in your own home first. Odds are you already have something in your home or garage that can be upcycled into something fabulous. Two weeks ago the decorating bug bit me and I’ve been busy transforming my oldest son’s former bedroom into a guest room. Gone into storage are his Pez collection and other bric-a-brac that he hasn’t looked at for over a decade. A new bedspread and throw pillows turn a formerly male-feeling room into a much brighter space. By hanging a painting taken from another room and placing one of my chintz teacups on the nightstand, the room instantly becomes inviting and cozy. “A small chair for guests to sit on or to put their luggage on would be a nice addition,” I think to myself. I don’t want to spend a lot of money on it, though. That’s when I remember an old chair in the garage. Buried under a pile of crap and with water-stained legs and a flat sticky seat, I’d almost forgotten about the chair I purchased over 20 years ago for my first furniture refinishing project. Time flies while you’re raising three kids.

I wanted to give the chair a shabby chic feel, so I did a little research on glazing furniture and then went off shopping for supplies. It was a relatively easy process and I’m really pleased with the chair’s transformation. It’s the perfect addition to my updated guest room!

Paint Supplies:
Kilz Primer
Satin or gloss spray paint
Glaze
Test-size flat paint, tinted to desired color
Wood glue, if necessary
Small paint brush
Rags, old ripped up tee-shirts worked great
Plastic container
Measuring cup
Paint stick
Bucket of water

Supplies for reupholstering:
Thick batting for cushion and thin batting to wrap around the seat

Upholstery fabric for seat cover and black fabric for underneath the seat
Large piece of paper, pen, and ruler for seat cover pattern
Staple gun, hammer, and safety goggles

Instructions on Glazing the Chair:
1. Remove seat.
2. If the chair is wobbly, remove braces, gently knock apart the chair frame just enough to apply wood glue into the spaces. Screw back on the braces or use a vise grip to hold the parts together. Let glue set.
3. Minimal sanding is required, because the chair is meant to have an aged look and slight defects and imperfections are desired.
4. Spray one to two coats of primer, letting each coat dry thoroughly.

5. Spray with base paint as many times as necessary to get even coverage, letting each layer dry sufficiently.
6. Watch instructional videos Glazing Furniture 101 at All Things Thrifty.
7. Mix together 1 cup glaze with 1/4 cup paint in plastic container.
8. Brush on some of the tinted glaze and wipe off with a damp rag. Repeat process until all areas of the piece have been glazed. Rinse off rags in water as you go along. Layers of glaze can be reapplied for a darker look.

Instructions on Reupholstering the Seat:
1. Remove tacks or staples from the seat cover underneath the seat.
2. Make the fabric pattern: using the seat as a template, trace around it on a large piece of paper. Determine the thickness of the batting you are using for the seat. Add this amount to the perimeter of the seat tracing. Add another inch or so to allow for stretching and tacking the fabric onto the back.
3. Cut out the seat fabric using the outer line. Cut the thin wrap-around batting using the second line in from the edge. Cut out the black fabric (for underneath the chair) using the third line from the edge. And finally cut the dense batting the size of the seat tracing.
4. On a clean surface with the right side of the seat fabric facing down, place the thin batting over the fabric. Next add the thick foam batting and then the seat itself.
5. Staple through the layers along one side first and then pull the layers taut on the opposite side and staple them down. Repeat with the other two sides. Adjust the corners and staple them down.
6. With seat cushion facing down, place the black fabric on top of the seat. Tuck under the raw edges and staple all the way around the seat.
7. Screw the seat bottom back on the chair and stand back and admire your fabulous creation!

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