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Project Difficulty:
Moderate
Estimated
Project Time: 1 day
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Wooden side chair
Latex satin paint in off-white
Acrylic craft paint in light green and medium green
Artist's pigments in light red oxide
Green floral fabric
Batting
Staple gun
Sheets of imitation gold leaf
Gold leaf adhesive
Antiquing wax or brown shoe polish
Soft natural-bristle brush
Talcum powder
Sandpaper
Steel wool
Heavy-duty primer
Flat foam paintbrushes
Soft, lint-free cloths
Mixing containers
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Chalk pencil
Ruler or straightedge
Scissors
Sealer
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A modest side chair, such as this one (Fig. 1), easily becomes the center of attention once it's transformed with paint, simple gilded accents, and a seat upholstered in coordinating fabric.
You may not find an exact replica of this chair, but use these techniques to embellish whatever style chair you discover--preferably one that has a center back panel and a padded seat.
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1.
Prepare the Chair
Remove the padded seat from the chair.
Sand the wood to create a smooth surface.
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2.
Prime It
Apply two coats of primer.
While it dries, mix the light and medium green paints to create a shade that matches the background of the floral fabric.
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3.
Paint Its Center Panel
Paint the center back strut or panel with two coats of the mixed green.
Cover the center of the back run with red oxide paint.
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4.
Apply Gold Leaf
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Make sure you're working in a dust-free area away from open doors or windows. The sheets of gold leaf are delicate and will fly away in even a slight breeze. The red oxide paint will show through the fissures you will create in the gold leaf during the antiquing process later.
Smooth the surface of any imperfections, such as paint drips, brush streaks, or hairs, with fine sandpaper or steel wool. The gold leaf is thin and will emphasize these imperfections rather than hide them. Work one small section at a time.
Using the natural-bristle brush, apply the gold leaf adhesive.
When the surface feels tacky, cover it by hand with a sheet of the gold leaf (dip your fingers in talcum powder so that they don't stick to the gold leaf). If you need more than one sheet, you can overlap them.
Press the gold leaf into all of the crevices with the natural-bristle brush. You can smooth out the wrinkles and remove any excess by going over the surface with a soft, lint-free cloth. Small cracks in the finish are desirable, however, and will allow the red oxide to show through.
Finally, rub antiquing wax or brown shoe polish over the gilded surface with steel wool to tone it down and enrich the aging effect (Fig. 2).
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5.
Paint the Rest of the Chair
Cover the remainder of the chair with two coats of off-white latex satin paint (or the paint you selected).
When the paint is dry, gently buff it with steel wool to smooth it.
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6.
Seal It
Apply two coats of sealer to the whole chair, and let it dry.
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7.
Cover the Cushion
Using the old chair seat as a pattern, cut several pieces of batting and one piece of fabric to the same dimensions plus 3 inches all around.
If you like, make official pattern lines before you cut your materials:
1) Pin the old chair seat fabric on top of the batting.
2) Extend a ruler out three inches from the old chair seat fabric.
3) Hold a chalk pencil at its end to mark the batting, and drag the ruler around the fabric--still keeping it three inches beyond the fabric's edge.
4) Once the batting's been marked, pin the old chair fabric on the new chair fabric to repeat the process, making sure both fabrics are facing either right side up or right side down.
5) Place the batting on top of the seat, and fold the excess underneath. Staple it in place and trim away the bulk.
6) Cover the batting with the new fabric, folding and stapling excess to the underside.
7) Attach the refurbished cushion to the chair (Fig. 3).
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