Here's another before/after. I only get to work on it in 20 minute chunks, then my 2 year old threatens to take over painting it, so I have to stop. Comments are welcomed, especially if they are nice ones. : )
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Wednesday, December 5, 2007
One Happy Chair Makeover
Here's another before/after. I only get to work on it in 20 minute chunks, then my 2 year old threatens to take over painting it, so I have to stop. Comments are welcomed, especially if they are nice ones. : )
6 comments:
Hi!That chair looks really great, congratulations.I'm thinking of painting an old wood cabinet of mine, what kind of materials do you suggest I use?Thanks
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pat from Portugal
(magnoliachin@hotmail.com)
Hello, Pat!
ReplyDelete
Thanks so much for the great comments! I appreciate it!
I'd be happy to tell you how I did the painted part: I could have used a stencil (probably actually easier for most), but was too impatient to cut one, and I'm always concerned about the paint seeping underneath and then the need for tedious touch-ups. I simply scanned a portion of the cloth, printed it, rubbed transfer chalk onto the back of the printout, then traced the pattern onto the chair (after securing in place, of course). So it's kind of old-school carbon copy method, but it works, and is easily removable/washable, if you mess up your lines). Luckily, I have a pretty steady hand, so it worked well enough without a stencil.
The detail design is white crafter's paint and the base color blue lightened with white. (The color is "Building Block Blue" from Dutch Boy Clarity.) I reupholstered using new eco-batting (organic and made from bamboo, but actually really soft and cushy), and an eager staple gun. : )
I used just a very fine-haired artist's brush (coarser hairs leave texture/indent lines). the white detail is just a crafters paint, but I did have to do a couple layers of it to make it opaque and smooth.
And I just tried an experiment. Instead of taping regular paper down, you could try this: I had some contact shelf paper that I cut a sample shape out of, then painted over it (just like you would a stencil). The shelf paper is thinner, adhesive (but easily removable, and depending on the 3D shape, should be relatively easy to place around curves and corners. You would still have to be careful of paint seeping under the paper's edges;however, you should be able to take an X-acto knife and scrape the tiny bit of seepage away. Tedious, but I can't think of anything more precise (that I already know how to do, that is). If you have any contact paper, go ahead and make a couple sample stencils and practice to see if you can get the results you want. (That's what I just did before I sat down to write this). : )
Wonderful project! You inspire me! I have some old chairs. Oh, now for the right materials and some time! Thanks for a great post!
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AnonymousJuly 27, 2008 at 9:33 AMThis chair is such an inspiration for me! I recently found a thrift store chair in bad shape that I want to redo for my daughter's room. Now I know that I want to try painting a graphic pattern like this one. If you ever do a makeover project with eco-friendly materials (vintage or organic fabrics, paint, etc.), I would LOVE to have you share it with my readers at http://www.greenyourdecor.com
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Check out my blog and let me know! I'd be happy to have you.Hi, Pat (again)--
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I just realized that I posted the wrong information about the Red Dahlia chair; the long post above actually applies to the other chair (under post title "The Blues").
On this Dahlia chair, I actually "freehand" drew the flower pattern in a light colored pencil, then painted it in a red crafter's acrylic paint. I have been thinking about how I could make it reproducible (like a stencil), but haven't really come up with a simple solution (as of yet). I'll keep thinking, though!
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Hi, L.
ReplyDeleteLooks great!
Who is the gee-tar player?
D.
Hi!That chair looks really great, congratulations.I'm thinking of painting an old wood cabinet of mine, what kind of materials do you suggest I use?Thanks
ReplyDeletepat from Portugal
(magnoliachin@hotmail.com)
Hello, Pat!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the great comments! I appreciate it!
I'd be happy to tell you how I did the painted part: I could have used a stencil (probably actually easier for most), but was too impatient to cut one, and I'm always concerned about the paint seeping underneath and then the need for tedious touch-ups. I simply scanned a portion of the cloth, printed it, rubbed transfer chalk onto the back of the printout, then traced the pattern onto the chair (after securing in place, of course). So it's kind of old-school carbon copy method, but it works, and is easily removable/washable, if you mess up your lines). Luckily, I have a pretty steady hand, so it worked well enough without a stencil.
The detail design is white crafter's paint and the base color blue lightened with white. (The color is "Building Block Blue" from Dutch Boy Clarity.) I reupholstered using new eco-batting (organic and made from bamboo, but actually really soft and cushy), and an eager staple gun. : )
I used just a very fine-haired artist's brush (coarser hairs leave texture/indent lines). the white detail is just a crafters paint, but I did have to do a couple layers of it to make it opaque and smooth.
And I just tried an experiment. Instead of taping regular paper down, you could try this: I had some contact shelf paper that I cut a sample shape out of, then painted over it (just like you would a stencil). The shelf paper is thinner, adhesive (but easily removable, and depending on the 3D shape, should be relatively easy to place around curves and corners. You would still have to be careful of paint seeping under the paper's edges;however, you should be able to take an X-acto knife and scrape the tiny bit of seepage away. Tedious, but I can't think of anything more precise (that I already know how to do, that is). If you have any contact paper, go ahead and make a couple sample stencils and practice to see if you can get the results you want. (That's what I just did before I sat down to write this). : )
Wonderful project! You inspire me! I have some old chairs. Oh, now for the right materials and some time! Thanks for a great post!
ReplyDeleteThis chair is such an inspiration for me! I recently found a thrift store chair in bad shape that I want to redo for my daughter's room. Now I know that I want to try painting a graphic pattern like this one. If you ever do a makeover project with eco-friendly materials (vintage or organic fabrics, paint, etc.), I would LOVE to have you share it with my readers at http://www.greenyourdecor.com
ReplyDeleteCheck out my blog and let me know! I'd be happy to have you.
Hi, Pat (again)--
ReplyDeleteI just realized that I posted the wrong information about the Red Dahlia chair; the long post above actually applies to the other chair (under post title "The Blues").
On this Dahlia chair, I actually "freehand" drew the flower pattern in a light colored pencil, then painted it in a red crafter's acrylic paint. I have been thinking about how I could make it reproducible (like a stencil), but haven't really come up with a simple solution (as of yet). I'll keep thinking, though!