DIY Dining Chair Upgrade Under $80

We've needed new dining chairs since forever ago. It has been a harrowing experience trying to find just the right replacements. I've searched high and low but the chairs that were in my budget just did not fit my aesthetic while the ones that did were way too pricey. For the last few years its been an on-again-off-again search and I'm so thankful that the saga of the dining chairs has come to its conclusion!

I knew I wanted two different styles to be featured around the table; two of one kind on either end and four of one kind along the sides. But I needed the different styles to make sense together - which only made my search more difficult, but I think the end result was worth the hassle! I found two vintage farmhouse style chairs on Facebook Marketplace in September. Then a few weeks later a lovely friend from church, who knew I was on the prowl for dining room chairs, informed me about a set of 5 chairs at a local thrift store. I snapped those up at 50% off and called it a good day!

Now it was time to give new life to these diamonds in the rough! 

Supplies Used:

• Palm Sander / Sanding Block (on hand) 
• Rust-oleum "Linen White" Chalk Paint ($6.98 x 8 = $55.84)
  
• Small Paint Brush (on hand)
• Minwax Wipe On Polyurethane (on hand but costs $12.98)
• Rag (on hand)
• 2 yards of choice fabric ($4.44 x 2yds = $8.88)
  
• Staple Gun (on hand)

Total cost of supplies purchased = $64.72 ($77.70 with poly added)

The most strenuous part of this DIY was sanding down the chairs. The more detail on the chair, the more difficult and time consuming it will be! Thankfully I was only sanding to get the top coat off in order to create a better surface for the paint to adhere. Now if I were refinishing the chairs with a new stain then that would be a whole different story! After sanding I made sure to wipe the chairs down with a damp cloth and left them overnight to dry completely.  

The next day was paint day! I used about 8 cans of Rust-oleum spray paint and touched up some hard to reach spots with the a paint brush. If you're using spray paint I would suggest purchasing this nozzle here as it will save you a lot of time and your fingers a lot of pain. I did not have this extra piece of equipment and let me tell you... I could not feel the tip of my pointer finger for DAYS. Please, learn from my mistakes haha. Although chalk paint dries very fast, I wanted to ensure that is was completely dried and so I left the chairs overnight before proceeding to the next step.

I made the mistake of not sealing the paint on our previous dining chairs, and there were a ton of spots where the paint had chipped off. It looked terrible! Not wanting to have a repeat of that, this time I made the effort to seal the chairs with polyurethane. I like using the wipe-on version, especially for ornate chairs, because it's so easy to pour the poly onto a rag and just wipe the chairs down! I only did one coat but I may decide to give it another coat or two depending on how they hold up. 

Last order of business was to reupholster the seats of four of the chairs. This part was the most fun once I got through removing the old staples (that was beyond tedious). I picked a like white fabric with a cute light cream floral pattern as I wanted to keep the chairs extremely neutral and fresh looking. I am in LOVE!

Before & After:

As per usual, my DIY projects are never as simple as I first believe them to be. There is usually a lot more time and effort required than anticipated and partway through I find myself asking, "is all this worth it?!" And as per usual, the answer, once the project has been completed, is a resounding "YES!" 

I'm so happy with how these turned out and hope that I've inspired someone out there to tackle a project they have been pushing aside or to start a new project to refresh the home! Maybe there is a piece of furniture that you love but it's dated. Go ahead and give it new life with a bit of paint and elbow grease. Or maybe you've been searching for the perfect item but can't seem to find exactly what you're looking for or can't afford it. Try seeing the potential in secondhand items that allow you to put your own personal touch! And remember, no matter if the task is easy or daunting, the end result is usually worth it! 

Until next time, happy updating!

xo

Janine