The Painted Chair

 

 

 

 

Today I am sharing with you the once Mustard Yellow chair that my mom had in her garage. 

 

When I decided to make the Sawhorse desk I had no idea what chair I would be pairing with it.  I didn't want an "office" chair.  I wanted something that would look like it went with the desk.  Like they were a package deal. 

 

Whenever I get stuck, or am unsure of what direction to go with something, I always talk it out with my Mom!  (I get my creativity from her.)  When I told her I was looking for a chair, she said she had one that would work.  Sure enough, in her garage, she had this beautiful Mustard Yellow chair.  (She did warn me that it wasn't the most beautiful thing, but it had the potential to be something great.)  As you can see from the "before" that was truly the case.  Lucky for me I can see past the layers of paint and see what it could be.

 

Now I had a decision to make..... to paint or not to paint?  After thinking it over for a while I decided I didn't want to paint over all the great detail of this chair.  All it would do is cover it up and the character of the chair would be lost.  So I decided to strip the it down to the bare wood.  I had never done this before, so it was a new adventure for me.  But I am always up for an adventure.

 

So off I went.  I picked up some paint stripper and a few other tools at the hardware store.  I decided to go with a gel instead of a liquid.  I needed it to stay put and not just run down the chair.

 

 

(Make sure you read and follow the directions.)

 

After applying the stripper and waiting, and waiting and more waiting.  I got to work.  It was exciting to see the layers of paint scraping off and the detail of the chair emerging.  Wow!  To think someone covered this up.

 

 

It took two applications of the stripper in some areas and I still couldn't get all the paint off.  I don't think it had anything to do with the stripper I used, I think it was due to the of the shape and hard to reach areas.

 

Then came the sanding.  This was a little difficult on the spindles and the hard to reach places.  It became somewhat frustrating.  After airing my frustration to my mom, she suggested using the Dremel.  Why didn't I think of that?  It was Amazing!!!  So easy and so much faster.  (From here on out I will be putting that little tool to work.)

 

After all the paint was removed and the sanding completed, it was time for the stain.  I used the same Minwax Dark Walnut as I used on the desk and VOILA!! 

 

 

I love it!!  She is a beauty!

 

 

 

Cost of this project:  about $5.00 (the cost of the stripper, with a bunch left over for future projects)

 

 

What do you use when stripping paint off furniture?  Share your story!