Sun Room Chairs

First DIY Explanation from the bright & sunny sun room!

Seating is a key factor to a fun sun room, and I had specific ideas in mind for what I was wanting...the problem was finding the ideas at a reasonable price! One day, my mom and I were playing around on Etsy and found fun, vintage chairs that were screaming for someone to love them! It came as a set of four and they were a score, even after shipping! I knew I would want some color and needed to spice up the old look. It may look hard to revamp some old chairs, but if they have screwed in cushions and you can spray paint, then it is possible!

Finding chairs: I suggest checking out Etsy, thrift stores, garage sales and antique stores for unique chairs that need some love. Better yet, maybe you or your parents have some in hiding!

Design: Think about where you want the chairs, what they will be used for and the look you are going for. I always love finding a fabric, pillow or painting for inspiration. Pinterest is a great outlet as well - you can always search for ideas as you start to get some inspiration.

Fabric: You can search around online or hit up your local fabric stores. I found this fun fabric at Hobby Lobby. I loved the two prints together, so I decided to do two of each. Make sure you measure to see how much fabric you will need. These chairs took a yard of each, but we had to be careful with the pattern.

Spray Paint: I read up on different spray paints and decided to go with the Rust-Oleum. I chose Meadow Green with a Glossy finish. You will need to remove the cushions from your chairs before spray painting. Old chairs can have some sketchy screws, so be careful! Another tip for chairs that have wheels, cover them with foil. Once the chairs are ready, make sure you wait for a day that isn't too windy (not very easy here in Kansas!). The plastic paint sheets are nice to put under the chairs as you spray, and make sure there is nothing around you that could be ruined. I suggest wearing a medical mask and rubber gloves. I had a green thumb for a couple days and it was not due to gardening! You also want to make sure you aren't wearing anything you don't want paint on - think about your jewelry ladies!

When spray painting, make sure you keep a smooth spray and don't get too close. It took me about a can for each chair to get them really covered. The spraying went pretty quickly, but I ended up doing two a day because my thumb started to get sore. Make sure you have some where you can keep them to dry - a garage is perfect!

Recovering the cushions: It definitely helps to have two people for this process. Luckily, Hailey was easily bribed by wine! Lay your cushions on the fabric and decide the best place to cut. Once you have them cut, you can start the stapling process. Make sure the pattern is lined up. I like to start in the middle of the front or back. Once you have a few staples in, make sure you start pulling really tightly on the fabric because you don't want it to stretch out on you. For the front corners that will be seen, make sure you take the time to fold in the fabric neatly. If there is too much excess fabric, you should trim it up so it doesn't hang down. 

Once you finish recovering, screw the cushions back in and viola! chairs with character!

Lots of Love,