Another Chair Rescue

Last week I completed another chair rescue.

For a while I have wanted to update an old chair with a bright bold fabric and I finally did it! Take a look at the before…..

I think this was the dirtiest project I have ever undertaken. I ran across this beauty at an antique booth for $15 and decided to give it a shot.

I used a hammer, a flat screwdriver, and a pair of needle-nose pliers to pull back the upholstery.

 

The fabric was absolutely rotten as well as filthy dirty.

I’ve never seen purple batting before and I am suspicious that the chair got wet and the fabric faded on it. I found a remnant of this bold red and white fabric, 5 yards for $25 and got to work.

Before I started, I painted a very thin coat of black paint on the legs to cover up some scratches.

I won’t go over the step by step details of the upholstery but I will give a few pointers that I have learned. A staple gun that uses an air compressor is absolutely essential.  The little blue compressor in the corner of the photo below is what I used. It was pretty inexpensive (less than $50 I think) and has been used for many projects. It was well worth the investment. I have tried other heavy duty staplers and an electric one but none are sufficient for good upholstery. Also, taking time to match any pattern on the fabric gives a very professional finish to the project. Also, cording, or piping, adds an additional professional touch.

 

If you look closely, you can see that I used a row of double cording to go around the arms and a row of single cording around the piece of trim at the bottom.

 

This chair is for my son’s room at our summer cottage. Because the room is small, it’s hard to photo in there. The idea is that he will put the pillows from the bed on the chair at night instead of throwing them in the floor. Hey, a girl can dream can’t she?

There is room to squeeze by at the end of the bed.

Another project checked off my list! I hope that you are having a fun and productive summer.

I’ll be linking to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style,  to Home Work at Worthing Court, to Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Through Life and to Be Inspired Friday at Common Ground. Click over for lots of inspiration.