I know what you’re thinking . . . OMG, have they redecorated AGAIN?!?!! Actually, no. Mike and I staged our dining room, above, to show off our latest tag team makeover of yet another “could not resist” Craigslist score.
The chairs looked terrific in the ad but it wasn’t until we got them home that we appreciated just how much work would be required to renew them. The lacquer was worn revealing a yellowish undercoat, dings needed patching, the foam had completely disintegrated and nearly half the feet were missing. I didn’t doubt they’d be amazing, I just underestimated what it would take to get them there.
Mike and I decided to divide and conquer; he took on the seats, I did the frames . . .
Our first mission was to assemble our supplies. We headed out to General Upholstery in Mississauga for the foam and the chair feet ($20 total) and to Barrymore where we found a fantastic fabric remnant that had the neutral, mid-century feel we were looking for ($30 for four yards).
Then Mike got down to work rebuilding the seats. He cut and glued down a piece of foam the same size as the seat, then wrapped the first piece in a second length that covered the edges and was stapled underneath. The seat was then wrapped in Dacron and finished with the new fabric. Mike took special pains to make sure that the pattern didn’t pull in one direction or the other.
The chairs were relatively simple. I filled any holes with wood filler then sanded the patches and rough, scratched surfaces, removing the wood dust with a tack cloth before spraying. I used an aerosol lacquer primer, followed by a gloss coat and then a clear coat ($15 each), all from Toronto’s John E. Goudey Manufacturing. With the lacquer complete I attached the new feet, then Mike fastened the seats and voila!
As much as we love the look of the set we’ve decided that the chairs are just a tad small for us so they’re headed back to Craigslist, albeit with a considerable mark-up to cover our costs and labour. Definitely a fun and satisfying project; now if we could just figure out who designed and/or made the chairs.
October 21st, 2009 at 7:19 am
Wow! Another sensational save by the Stylenorth crew. Beautiful work fellows! They should sell in a second. Thanks for walking us through the process. Always so helpful and inspiring.
October 21st, 2009 at 7:55 am
These look gorgeous guys! One small tip to add for this style of chair: make sure you wrap the fabric far enough around the seat so that it will sit inside the frame once the chair is re-assembled. I’ve failed to do this on more than one occasion and had to re-cut.
One of those things that seems so obvious until you forget to do it…
October 21st, 2009 at 8:20 am
Hey Chris,
I’d like to do the same to some chairs I have but don’t really have the confidence or the tools to do so…You make it look easy though. The chairs look great and I really like that table. Was that a craigslist find as well?
Cheers
October 21st, 2009 at 8:45 am
gorgeous! - and thanks for all the sourcing references, too… i love the way you guys just dive in. thanks for the inspiration!
October 21st, 2009 at 9:19 am
Guy, it’s true that a staple gun is mandatory, the other tools can be improvised from almost any tool kit. We actually scored a quality, electric staple gun at an estate sale on Saturday for $14. TIP: if you happen across an estate sale, head for the junk room/workshop in the basement! They’re giving the stuff away.
The table came from now defunct Flare on Queen West. Paul, the owner, wanted $150 for it but agreed to sell me just the base for $100 (I already had a glass top at home I’d been wanting to use).
October 21st, 2009 at 1:15 pm
When you sprayed the chairs with lacquer did you use an off-the-shelf can of lacquer or did you spray with a compressor and spray gun? thx.
October 21st, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Lorena,
I used off-the-shelf spray cans; Goudey’s is the only place in Toronto I have found that sells them and the product is exceptionally good, I’ve used it many times. If you’re not here in Hogtown, I believe they’ll ship, probably depending on your order size.
October 21st, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Love them! How much are you planning to list them for? They’d look perfect in my space.
October 21st, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Thanks for the tip on Goudy’s. Never heard of them but will definitely check them out.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:06 am
Beautifully done boys! Man I wish we were neighbors…
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:01 pm
coooooolllll!!! I love the chairs too!
but somehow I think the original table worked better there!