Thursday, July 5, 2012

Metal Foling Chair Makeover

Folding Chairs: Reupholstered in 10 Easy Steps


 We received 3 folding chairs for free when we purchased our sofa (also a Craigslist purchase). The folding chairs are older than my youngest sister and are very uncomfortable. They are nice for large dinners and parties though, so we keep them around. I have really been wanting to give them a facelift, and I have been searching Pinterest for ideas. I could not find a DIY site for the exact type of makeover that I wanted to do, so I kind of put everything together and just went with it. So here is my official DIY Folding Chair Remodel for Pinterest!!
 You will need:
Old (or new) folding chairs
1/2 inch to 1inch foam (I used 1 inch)
batting
thick fabric (I used outdoor fabric)
staple gun and short staples
spray adhesive (not necessary)
spray paint
screw driver



Step 1: Take your folding chair apart. Mine just had 4 screws keeping it in place.

Step 2: Spray paint your chair. I gave my chair 3-4 coats and made sure to take my time. It took almost a entire 12oz can for 1 chair. I didn't do anything special to the folding  brackets, and it folds and unfolds just as it did before.

Step 3: Trace your seat onto the piece of foam. The lady at Joann's said to cut the foam with a bread knife or an electric knife. Since we do not have an electric knife I tried the bread knife...and it did not work. So I relied on good old scissors, which left a wavy pattern, that  didn't end up on the final product. (I actually did this between coats for paint). 

 


Step 4: When you are done cutting your foam, spray it with adhesive and attach it to your seat.


  


 
Step 5: Place your foam/seat over your batting, leaving enough around the edges 
 to cover the foam.


  Step 6: Cut your fabric, leaving enough around the edges to cover your foam and batting.





Step 7: Fold your fabric over back edge of the seat and staple. I used many staples to keep it together. Make sure your staples are not going through to the other side (ouch!).  Cut the corner of the batting on each corner. It will be easier to fold your fabric over.





Step 8: Cut off extra fabric and batting.

Step 9: Assemble your chair. 
Step 10: Enjoy!


These chairs are beautiful and SO COMFORTABLE! I am totally inspired to redo my dining room seat cushions as well.









Patio Table and Firepit Makeover!

Let the Summer Vacation Begin!
The best part about working for a school  (besides enriching the lives of our youth) is SUMMER VACATION! I am so lucky to have 5 long (unpaid) weeks of staying up late, sleeping in later, and CRAFTING! Have a look at what I completed so far.

Project #1: Patio Table and Chairs:

  We have this amazingly large patio on the side of my house that we never use.
 Now that the rain has passed, I plan on adding some plants, Xmas lights, a table, our massive BBQ, a fire pit, and this beautiful table that I found on Craigslist!
Unfortunately, I am horrible at taking before pictures. This is the picture from the actual Craiglist ad. It is hard to see, but the table is OLIVE GREEN with a horrible blue top. YIKES!!

 I started painting this bad boy ASAP! I used paint that was in the garage, which ended up being indoor paint, so I had to add 4 or 5 coats of spray on sealant. It actually took a ton of primer and 4 or so coats of paint for each chair.
 The yellow and lime chairs are actually indoor/outdoor spray paint, which  covered very well. I am  really happy with the way it turned out.
                                                           (Sorry for the rainy day pictures)
 I also painted one of the the yucky  plastic chairs we had outside (I originally rescued it from the dumpster at school). I think the red  gave it a whole new life.

Project #2 Free Fire Pit


  This is another Craiglist find, it was a free garage sale left over. I didn't take a before picture of it, but it was pretty horrible. It was black in some places, but was mostly just a pile of rust and spiders. Bear sprayed it off with the hose and was freaked out  by all of the spiders. He made it stay outside for a few nights, and made me inspect the back of his truck...what a baby.

 Anyhow, I found some high-temp black spray paint at Walmart for 3.77, and I ordered some red high temp paint from Amazon. I dont know how often we will use it, but it is just one more awesome thing to add to our empty patio. There is a black tray that slides under the bottom, but it was in the garage when I took this picture (in the rain).