~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~