Level: Intermediate-advanced
With a lick of paint and a swathe of fabric, you can give an old set of kitchen chairs a fresh, country-chic look. If you do not feel confident tackling the upholstery, you can just stick to the painting and take the seat pads to a professional, but why not give it a try – you might surprise yourself.
Materials needed
Medium/fine-grain sandpaper
A cloth
Water-based primer (I used Little Greene’s interior wood primer and undercoat)
Water-based paint (I used Little Greene’s intelligent eggshell and mushroom 142)
Paint brush
Fabric (I used floral and stripes. You need a good, heavy and durable cotton/upholstery fabric. Oil cloth can also be used)
Screwdriver
Staple gun
Staples
Staple remover or small flat head screwdriver
Scissors
Pencil
Method
Remove the seat pads from the chair. These are usually fixed to the chair with screws, which should be visible when you turn the chair upside down.
In a circular motion, sand the chairs with medium/fine-grain sandpaper. Make sure you get into any crevasses.
Wipe off any dust from sanding with a dry cloth.
Prime the chair with undercoat and primer. A good tip when painting chairs is to turn them upside down first and paint all that is visible, then flip the chair over and paint all the parts you missed.
Paint in a colour of your choice with two to three coats of paint, allowing them to dry between each coat.
While the paint is drying between coats, you can start on the seat pads. Firstly, remove the old fabric. If you have a staple remover, use that, or a small flat-headed screwdriver is good to pry underneath the staples to get them out. When using any tools, always have your spare hand behind the hand that’s working, never in front.
When the old fabric is removed, use it as a template to cut your new fabric. Draw a light pencil line around the template, leaving a little extra border when cutting it out with a scissors.
Place the fabric over the chair pad and staple it in place with your stapler. Do middle to middle first, then corners, tightening it with a slight pull each time before you staple.
With sand paper, sand any edging lightly in areas where you think would get the most wear.
Fix back the seat pad onto the chair. Now you are the envy of all your friends.
Level: Intermediate-advanced
With a lick of paint and a swathe of fabric, you can give an old set of kitchen chairs a fresh, country-chic look. If you do not feel confident tackling the upholstery, you can just stick to the painting and take the seat pads to a professional, but why not give it a try – you might surprise yourself.
Materials needed
Medium/fine-grain sandpaper
A cloth
Water-based primer (I used Little Greene’s interior wood primer and undercoat)
Water-based paint (I used Little Greene’s intelligent eggshell and mushroom 142)
Paint brush
Fabric (I used floral and stripes. You need a good, heavy and durable cotton/upholstery fabric. Oil cloth can also be used)
Screwdriver
Staple gun
Staples
Staple remover or small flat head screwdriver
Scissors
Pencil
Method
Remove the seat pads from the chair. These are usually fixed to the chair with screws, which should be visible when you turn the chair upside down.
In a circular motion, sand the chairs with medium/fine-grain sandpaper. Make sure you get into any crevasses.
Wipe off any dust from sanding with a dry cloth.
Prime the chair with undercoat and primer. A good tip when painting chairs is to turn them upside down first and paint all that is visible, then flip the chair over and paint all the parts you missed.
Paint in a colour of your choice with two to three coats of paint, allowing them to dry between each coat.
While the paint is drying between coats, you can start on the seat pads. Firstly, remove the old fabric. If you have a staple remover, use that, or a small flat-headed screwdriver is good to pry underneath the staples to get them out. When using any tools, always have your spare hand behind the hand that’s working, never in front.
When the old fabric is removed, use it as a template to cut your new fabric. Draw a light pencil line around the template, leaving a little extra border when cutting it out with a scissors.
Place the fabric over the chair pad and staple it in place with your stapler. Do middle to middle first, then corners, tightening it with a slight pull each time before you staple.
With sand paper, sand any edging lightly in areas where you think would get the most wear.
Fix back the seat pad onto the chair. Now you are the envy of all your friends. 
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