Is your home filled with dated wood furniture? Not the cool vintage stuff, but the dated 80’s yellow oak or knotty pine? Does your dining room set look anything like mine? Can’t afford to replace it but want something more updated?
I love the lines of my set, the carved details, the turn of the legs, and I have always been partial to ladder back chairs. They are sturdy, solid wood, comfortable chairs and I have absolutely no justification for getting rid of them. The only thing bothering me about them is the color.
Are you in a similar conundrum? Are you tired of your wood set and wishing you could replace it but budget won’t allow it? Is your husband aghast at the thought of painting your wood furniture like mine is?
Well I’m taking the leap and forging ahead. I can see past the dated yellow finish to the beautiful lines of the set so I’m going for it! Come along for the ride, I will show you step by step how to do it and how they turned out. Maybe I will give you the inspiration and the courage to paint your dated wood furniture and give it new life for a fraction of what it would cost to purchase a new dining room set.
I decided to change them up and update them in a more contemporary color to bring it into the 21st century. I chose Rustoleum spray paint in Anodized Bronze (it took almost 2 cans to paint each head chair). Yes, I chose to spray paint them for a couple of reasons; it’s so much easier than applying paint with a brush (all those nooks and crannies would take forever to paint) and with spray paint you get a nice smooth finish with no brush marks. The only cautionary note is to be sure to apply thin coats so you don’t end up with any drips.
When dry, the color leans more towards the grey but definitely has some beige in it, it’s a nice warm toned greige. The can says it’s a Semi-gloss, but the finish is more of a stain finish, not too shiny and not a flat finish.
Before paint and new fabric for the seat cushions . 
Nice but dated looking.
I decided to start with the two head chairs, because they have arms I knew they would require more sanding and I wanted to get it over with. My least favorite part of the entire project was the sanding.
First order of business is to remove the cushions. Just turn the chair over and remove the screws holding the cushions in place. These chairs have four long screws, one at each corner. Once you remove the screws it will be easy to remove the chair cushion.
For this project, I will be doing both, recovering the seat cushions and painting the frames. I think it will totally transform the pieces.
Once you have removed the cushions, the not so fun part starts, the sanding…ugh….It took me about 45 minutes to sand each chair. You want to get in here and lightly sand the piece. It is not necessary to sand down to bare wood, you just want to scuff up the surface so the paint can grab onto something.
I used a medium, 120 grit sandpaper to rough up the surface.
Once the sanding is done be sure to use a wet rag to wipe down your pieces and remove all the dust so when you spray the pieces you will get a nice smooth finish.
Spray your pieces with several thin coats of spray paint. Allow each coat dry until it is no longer tacky. It’s a good idea to allow your pieces to cure for at least a couple of days.
While the paint is drying it’s time to address the cushions. Lay out your cushions on the fabric and cut out the material so that it is large enough to cover the seat completely.
Using a staple gun to secure the fabric to each cushion. Pull fabric nice and taught so you have a smooth surface, no bumps or wrinkled fabric. If you are using a striped or plaid fabric be careful to align the fabric so that it is straight.
Reattach cushions to your chair and enjoy all your hard work!
Night & day difference! 
Bye, bye dated yellow oak! 
Still have more work to do; four more chairs and the table.
I am so pleased with how my chairs turned out! I think they will work so much better with the lake house vibe and works well with the dark wrought iron pieces that are synonymous with the mission style. I am always amazed how a coat of paint can transform almost anything. Now I’m off to tackle the 4 remaining chairs and the table…
Are you on the fence about painting a piece of furniture? Give it a try! A few hours of elbow grease and you can easily transform a piece. If you do take the plunge, please share your before and after pictures! I would love to see the results of your hard work!!!
BEFORE 
AFTER
Check back soon to see the final results with some helpful tips on how I tackled refinishing the table with both paint and stain. I can’t wait to show you how that turns out.