A few weeks ago I found a couple cute vintage chairs at a local yard sale. As soon as I spotted them I knew I had to have them (especially at $5 a piece!). They looked a little tired and worn and were very dirty, but. I knew that I could use some paint to bring these adorable vintage chairs back to life!
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While I was prepping to take “before” photos, my 4 year old decided to climb onto one of the chairs. She accidentally put her foot right through the center of the seat and created a huge hole! (Don’t worry, she didn’t get hurt!) Due to that incident, we learned that the chairs are definitely not sturdy enough to be used to sit in. So I changed my plans a bit, and I’ll be using the vintage chairs as decor instead!
Here are the before photos:
Materials Used
- Vintage Chair
- Decor Paint (in the color Simplicity)
- Paintbrush (my favorite is this oval brush!)
- Small Paintbrush (optional – for hard to reach areas)
- Clear Coat
How to paint a vintage chair in 3 easy steps
Painting this vintage chair is so easy with this all-in-one decor paint. After using it you will want to paint all the things!
Step 1
First you will need to clean the chair of any dirt or dust. I used a damp towel to clean my chairs. They were very dirty, so this step took me a few minutes to complete. This is the only prep work that you need to do, because the all-in-one decor paint is clay-based and will stick right to the surface without any sanding needed! Virtually no prep work makes me want to do a little happy dance!
Step 2
Open your decor paint, stir it up well with a stir stick, and apply 1-2 coats with your paintbrush. This is a quick drying paint, so you will want to work in small sections and watch for drips. If you do find drips you should try to brush them away quickly before they dry. If you do accidentally end up with some dried drips (I almost always catch at least one!) you can simply sand them off with sand paper or a sanding block. Then you can paint over those spots with some more paint!
While I was painting around the wicker seat, I had some areas near the back of the chair that were too narrow for my oval paint brush. I grabbed a small artists paintbrush and filled in these small areas with paint. Using the smaller brush helped me get into those small areas easily and with more precision. I ended up applying 2 coats of paint onto my chair, and then had to touch up just a few areas afterwards.
After the paint is dry you can move on to the final step!
Step 3
The last step is to seal your beautiful paint job so that it doesn’t chip or get scratched. I absolutely love this clear coat because it is VOC-free, very low odor, and has the perfect finish! It dries quickly and protects super well. I added 2 coats of the clear coat using a 2 inch paintbrush.
That’s it! Super easy and simple, the best kind of DIY project in my opinion! When using this decor paint, you don’t need to sand or prep the surface at all (besides cleaning). This makes it so fast and easy to use!
I am so excited to display this new chair in my home! It will be a great way to add some vintage charm and character!
If you’re looking for more DIY furniture painting inspiration, follow Country Chic Paint on Instagram! They have some gorgeous project ideas that you’ll love!
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Did you love this DIY project? You’ll also want to check out my pink dresser makeover, my farmhouse coffee table makeover, and my simple DIY cake stand!
