Tuesday, August 10, 2010

~SHABBY COTTAGE CHIC CHAIR TUTORIAL .........PART TWO~

~My Favorite Primer Paint~
(left click pics to enlarge and copy)

Today I'm going to take you through the next several steps of turning a regular chair into something shabby cottage chic wonderful!  If you missed the beginning of the Chair Makeover Tutorial you can click HERE and it will take you to my previous post!

Are you ready?  I'm picking up where I left off yesterday....

5.  After you have wiped down your chair with Tack Cloth you are ready to begin priming your piece.  I love Zinsser Primer!  I apply it with a wide (2"-3") sponge brush because when they get yucky (and they do!) I can easily toss them away (no clean-up either!).  Light coats following the wood grain is best...I generally do at least two and sometimes three if the wood is really dark.
6.  After your chair has been primed allow it to dry overnight or at least 10 hours.  This will help the paint bond with the surface of your chair.
7.  Once your chair is completely dry you will want to LIGHTLY sand it with #220 grit sandpaper!  This will remove any nubbies or tiny blobs of paint left from over brushing, drips, dust, etc.
8.  Wipe down your chair again using Tack Cloth.  You are now ready to begin your first of two or three light coats of paint!
9.  Using another 2"-3" sponge brush (from Lowe's...the ones from Home Depot break too easily) and your favorite Satin Finish Paint begin painting.  I use Valspar from Lowe's because Behr Paint from Home Depot is too thick for furniture in my opinion.  I do have my paint tinted using Behr's Cottage White color though...(oh~Valspar is less expensive, too!).  Following the grain of wood I think it is best to start with the underside first!
 10.  Continue painting until one good (but light) coat is given to your chair.  Do not over-brush as this can cause your paint to gum-up.  Also...avoid painting in direct sun as this will cause your paint to dry too quickly and will end up causing the same thing!

11.  I always allow my paint to dry for at least two hours or more in between coats.  I'm the most impatient of people so this is hard for me.  But...if you don't the under layers of paint will not fully dry and bond to the primer.  So...even if it KILLS YOU...WAIT TWO HOURS! :)
12.  Once you've give your chair all the coats of paint necessary for good coverage and it is fully cured (another wait time of 24 hours here!) you are ready for the final two steps.

13.  Go back and grab once again the #220 grit sand paper and with a SOFT HAND lightly sand off/out any small imperfections.  Again this will be the nubbies from your sponge brush, over-brush marks, etc.  Lightly dust particles away with a soft brush (or you can use your Tack Cloth here as well).
14.  I love LIGHTLY distressed furniture...if it's too chippy it isn't for me.  Still...I love sanding around some of the hard edges as this brings out some of the character of the piece.  If you don't like this look (eek!  don't tell me!) you can skip this part!  I use P100 grit sandpaper for distressing.  I love it...not too coarse and not too soft!

15.  With a gentle but firm hand begin to sand lightly in the direction of the grain around corners, edges, feet, etc.  If your paint begins to ball up instead of lightly sanding off then you have NOT waited long enough for your paint to dry!
16.  Your chair should look something like this!

Now...tomorrow I will show you an easy finishing glaze for your chair as well as how to cover the seat cushion and WHAT to use if you need to replace the foam!  On Thursday I will show you how I created the linen chair skirt/flounce for the chairs...

Thank you for visiting me again today!  Hope you are enjoying the Tutorial so far!

Have a great day!

Love to you~

31 comments:

Marguerite (Tina) Smith Hart said...

Thanks for this tutorial Rebecca it is timely for me as I friend just gave me 2 chairs that are old 1930-1940's I suspect by the style and I couldn't not take them so I am going to do something nice with them to sell maybe! I have painted all my life and I have refinished furniture but I want these to be special. So I will be watching for the rest of your tutorial! Thanks a bunch sweet and very helpful lady!
Tina xo

Lisa said...

Rebecca,
You are so generous and gracious to share with us how you do what you do! The chair is looking wonderful and I know the finished product is beyond gorgeous.Thanks again for the how-to.:)

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for the tips, I have written down the primer and paint color. Thanks.

hugs
Sissie

stefanie said...

great tips...love the pictures too!!! I need to do a chair for my daughters desk, this is really helping!

Ms Bingles Vintage Christmas said...

Oh my goodness!
I just came across you blog and love it!
Thank you for sharing!
Leticia

Rita said...

Looking forward to the next one now. Thanks for the turorial!

Bellesanbeaus said...

YOu have given a wonderful informative tutorial here. Thank you so much...you have almost talked me into painting an old chair that belong to my dear mother! Thank you again for doing this for us novices that have never refinished a chair! Big hugs, Beth

Daphne Nicole & Lynda Cade said...

Hi Rebecca, thanks for the tutorial! Your chair looks beautiful, can't wait to see the finihed product! Thanks for visiting this morning, and for your sweet comments! I always love reading them. hugs~~~ Daphne

Laura's Rose Garden said...

Hello Rebecca,
This is a wonderful tutorial. I have done many chairs myself and made many mistakes, too! Oh well....live and learn!! I'm sure this tutorial will help many people!!
In previous posts you have praised Zinsser's products. I picked up a quart last week to use on an end table and bedside table. I used the Bulls Eye 1-2-3 and it worked fabulously at sealing!! I used a melamine finish paint though. It is oil based and gives a very hard and durable finish. I am very pleased witht he results. I will be posting pics soon.
Hugs, Laura

Kathy @ Sweet Up-North Mornings... said...

Great job sweetie!
You are very patient!
Look at the results!!!!
xoxo~Kathy @
Sweet Up-North Mornings...

Mari said...

HELLO SWEETIE,
YOUR CHAIRS ARE TURNING OUT BEAUTIFULLY :) CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEM ALL DRESSED UP :)

XOX~MARI

GwendolynKay said...

A great tutorial... I just don't have that kind of ambition anymore... I am getting a bit lazy I suppose.
Have a blessed day!
Gwen

Cottage Rose said...

OH Rebecca your chairs are really looking so lovely..... can't wait to see them all done.....

Hugs;
Alaura

myletterstoemily said...

thank you for the excellent and illustrated
tutorial! it will be filed away for a rainy
day!

i love how beautiful you make everything!

Mosaic Magpie said...

Lots of great info here. I have always heard people rave about the Behr paint. I use the Valspar and like it. I didn't know the Behr was thicker. I will try it the next time I paint a wall.
Debbie

Oklahoma Granny said...

Patience is truly a virtue. The chair is just beautiful. I can't wait to see it completed. Thanks for all the great tips.

Elizabeth and Gary said...

Hi Rebecca,
I love your tutorial! its wonderful. The chair is so sweet and I can't wait to see it all dressed up.
Have the sweetest of days. Big hugs~Elizabeth

animal lover, quilt lover said...

Hi Rebecca,
I do love your name!!
Thank you for teaching us the how tos. If I was a goung woman and just a housewife, I would love to learn b/c I would do!! The first time I was married we went to the dump to furnish our first house. I made slip-covers when I didn't know how to do that!!! I made curtains. We painted and built some things for the house too!!
My famaily was goung and everything was new!!!
Thanks for your visit!
XXOO, Fern

Victorian1885 said...

Your chairs are going to be gorgeous! Tahnks for sharing your how-to's with us!

Hugs,
Wanda

The Polka Dot Closet said...

This is fabulous, lord you do everything so right, I just have no patients. It is nice to know the steps though. I have switched to Zissner primer also, I think Kilz is to thick. I can't wait for the rest!

Carol

Unknown said...

Ahhhh...brings back memories of when I redid ALL my kitchen cabinets, kitchen table and chairs, AND the tv. cabinet. And I wonder why I can't get the gumption up to do my dining room table and chairs??? Of course, I can't figure out what color to do it, either!!
xoxo
lynn

Crystal Rose Cottage said...

YES! Thank you for doing this! I am anxious to see how you will make this chair one of a kind!~Hugs, Patti

Unknown said...

Thanks Rebecca for this great tutorial!!! I love to paint too!

Martha's Favorites said...

Hi Rebecca: I am going to try this. I have wanted to for a long time and now I have the step by step directions. Thanks for being so wonderful. Blessings, Martha

PS. I would like to be a part of your give away.

Home and Heart said...

Looking forward to the finished piece!!

Anonymous said...

thanks so much for taking the extra time to teach us......i saw a table i would love to do this to...so i do not want to miss one episode.......will be back tomorrow for the next steps....
again thanks
gayle

Jilly said...

Thankyou so much for this tutorial Rebecca, I love your furniture so much my precious Hubby and I went out and bought an old secondhand wall-robe just so we could do it up! So needless to say I am following your blog very carefully!!
You are such an inspiration thankyou!!
{hugs&blessings} *~*Jilly*~*

Theresa said...

Oh thank you Rebecca! I can't wait to try this technique on some estate sale chairs! Sometimes the structure looks good but I have no idea how to make them gorgeous like you did:)

I'll be back to see the chair pad covering! Have a blessed day my friend! HUGS!

Lore♥ said...

Woouu !!!! que trabajo eh!
gracias seguiré viendo hasta el final para ver el resultado
gracias por el paso a paso

Elizabeth Dianne said...

These are awesome tutorials--makes me want to get rid of all my dark furniture and do the cottage/shabby chic look. Beautiful, Rebecca. Thank you.

Unknown said...

Rebecca, what a cool project. I'm certain the final finished product will be lovely. Thanks so much for sharing these tutorials over the years. God bless and keep you always in His loving arms. Pam

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