About ten years ago, I bought two chairs from a thrift store for the equivalent of $5 each. I know, right?! This chair makeover I did was round three for me and these chairs. The first time, I painted the dark wood white and made them loose cushions as seats. It was cute, but not that cute.

The second time around, I was brave and bold. I painted the wood a bright yellow and made fixed, upholstered seats in a rich, dark teal fabric. It looked amazing! Until I got tired of that look too. But there lies the beauty in being a DIYer. If you don’t like it anymore, YOU CHANGE IT!

This brings us to makeover number three.

Let me tell you!

Step one of this wooden chair makeover

I stripped off all the yellow paint with paint stripper and a putty knife.

Yellow painted chair 2
Stripping paint

The paint stripper removed all of the yellow chalk paint. It also removed almost half of the white oil-based paint that was underneath.

Chippy white paint is exactly the look I was trying to achieve! That was almost too easy. But it was perfect.

This was an easy project, but removing the paint and the 3000 staples from the old upholstery was time-consuming.

Re-upholstering a chair

New upholstery

Except for all the time it took, this project cost almost nothing. The fabric I used for new upholstery is a good old tarp.

Yup! A drop cloth from Home Depot. It’s the most fabric you will ever get for that price. Also, it was the perfect color I was looking for.

I added upholstery tacks all around the edge to get a more polished look—a look I have always loved.

Adding upholstery tacks
Chair makeover with upholstery tacks

This chair makeover was a project I did as a part of my DIY entryway makeover post.

My initial plan was to build a plan bench for the entryway. I am, however, very pleased that I found a place for these chairs I already had.

I LOVE this new look!

You might also love my post about decorating with vintage finds, in which I tell the story of my very first DIY projects and where my love for giving old things a new life began.

DIY chair makeover
Chairs in the entryway

This corner is perfect for playing around with seasonal decor. This is The current look for fall.

fall decor in an entryway

It also looks great dressed for Christmas.

Decorated entryway

Remember to subscribe below for more projects like these!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

9 Comments

  1. What a beautiful entry way!

  2. Wowsa! That’s an amazing transformation Marieza! I love the new look and you did an amazing job on the upholstery too 🙂 Nailhead trim is a winner in my book!

  3. Oh my goodness, I would not recognize those chairs. What an amazing transformation. Love it!

    1. Thank you so much, Tammy!

  4. Those chairs turned out absolutely gorgeous!!! Did you seal them with anything?

  5. Oh these chairs are gorgeous! I love all of the choppiness too. and the nailhead trim finishes is off perfectly.
    Thanks for sharing:)

  6. What a fantastic job you did. I love the natural linen fabric you chose.

    1. Thank you Carol! I’m so glad you like it.