Hello!!
And hello ugly chair fabric!!!! What in the world was I thinking????
It was BEYOND time for an update in my breakfast room!!!
Many of you have joined us as we slowly change our house from the Tuscan golds and browns to the cooler tones of grays! I openly admit that I never saw myself going this design direction....and I also openly admit that I LOVE IT!!!
Our table and chairs are now a soft and fresh white with a gray glaze....and what a HUGE change!!!
We had six of these chairs, 2 with arms and 4 without arms to update.
First, we primed these very dark wood chairs using Stix Primer. (Read my blog post about tannins and bleed throughs here to see why we did this!!!).
Then, my husband Matt painted them with Dixie Belle Paint in Fluff. Since we primed, it only took about 1.5 coats of paint. This paint is amazing!!
I really wanted a gray wash over the chairs to accentuate the details and carvings. Best Dang Wax in Grunge is very easy to apply....just brush on...and wipe back with a damp cloth. I painted with a regular old brush, and torn up wet white t-shirts. (Not kidding!)
Make sure you get a lot of gel on your brush. A little goes a long way but you want to get enough on your brush to get in all the crevices.
It looks like a lot. Many people who have never glazed or used gel wax before get a little freaked out at this stage making it "ugly".
Then you just wipe with the flat, damp shirt. It's water soluble so it's possible to wipe it all off, and then go back and add more. This gel wax (unlike older glazes) is very forgiving. It has a long "open time" giving you plenty of time to work with this gel. Just keep using the same rag, using fresh spots.
You don't have to seal this! It's about 30 days "cure" time and it will be solid hard.
Can you see the difference on a non-glazed vs glazed chair??
Upholstered Cushions
Now for our fun fabric!
We could this black and white strip at Joann's. But you can find it at almost any fabric store these days. We chose to use outdoor fabric so it would wipe clean after kids and grandkids.. We managed to get two seat cushions out of 1 yard of fabric.
First, make sure you measure the fabric in from the widest part of the cushion and cut your fabric big enough.
Use a staple gun to fold the fabric over. The longer the staple, the better to be able to grab deep into the seat (without being able to feel it! Ouch!) If the staples don't go in all the way, hammer those puppies in!
If you're dealing with stripes or pattern, make sure you're placing it right. Start in the center and work your way out. Make sure your fabric is tight so there is no "slack in your seat."
Once two sides are done, and your stripe is straight, and pull the sides at the same angle that the seat wood is cut. Matt folds in all of the corners the same so it looks professional. The screws have to go back through the fabric so don't fold the fabric up too much. Keep it flat!
The energy in this space was completely transformed! Its light and bright.....and FRESH!
And little Harlow is quite happy with the results!!!
Shop
Take a look and more of the Tuscan gold to Black and White makeovers we've been doing around our Texas Ranch-style home...
More of my Home Projects
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XOXO,
Tracey
Please please please share my B&W Glazed Chair pin on Pinterest! And follow my B&W Furniture board for some fun inspiration!
