before:
after:
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love a good thrift store. Since we moved from Sacramento, I have been a wee bit disappointed with the selection/prices here in good ole thrifty Utah. Too much competition, I suppose. Anyway, I had 20 minutes to burn the other day before picking my Phoebe up from preschool, so I pulled into the Deseret Industries, and told myself it had to be a blitzkrieg of a visit. And lo and behold! I found three really great pieces of furniture all in a matter of 5 minutes. I'm sure I was a sight to be seen with 2 chairs and a huge mirror, trying to maneuver my way to the register and then out to the car. Luckily, this one had wheels.
I'll take you through each of my purchases (as soon as I refurbish them to my liking)....The first finished project is The TUFTED ROLLY CHAIR
PROS: I love the tufting and nailheads on this chair. A-mazing. I also like the industrial base and the swivel/rolling action on bottom. It was $20. I asked for a markdown, and they gave it to me for $15. Not bad.
CONS: It's vinyl. And brown. I have so much wood energy going on in my house, and especially in the computer nook where I put this chair. It looked crazy and monotone and redundant with the wood built-ins, the exposed wood beams, and the wood floor. Too much wood! (Didn't think I'd ever really say that....)
MAKIN' IT MY OWN:
I searched online for products that could paint on vinyl upholstery. I first wanted to avoid spray paint, because I wanted to be able to paint around the nail heads, and taping off nail heads to make something spray-paint-able was going to be next to impossible. And then I realized that I was looney toons because anything that I was going to brush on would look incredibly brushed on. So, spray paint it was!
I decided that I wanted to go with a metallic paint, mainly because I wanted those dang nail heads to still look like nail heads. If they were spray painted blue, it just wouldn't be as cool. I went with Rustoleum's Universal Spray Paint in Satin Nickel because it would balance out all of the wood, and also bring a little brightness into the room. I wanted a cool color to tone down all the brownish yellow. This particular line from Rustoleum is considered their "ANY SURFACE" spray paint, with a built-in primer.
PROCEDURE:
1. Scrub the chair down with a rag and a little soapy water. Let dry.
2. Take the chair outside in high 30-degree weather (I know, I know, not supposed paint under 50 degrees! I have no patience....)
3. Spray in steady strokes, for a light and even coat.
4. Recoat after it dries. And then again, if needed. (I went through 2 whole cans of paint, and might even give it another light coat in a few weeks.)
5. Spray with a clear coat/sealant.
I'm actually quite thrilled with the result. Who knows how long I'll have it around, but it's already made the room look more balanced, and has also provided a comfy spot for computer use. YAY!
What do you think? My husband told me (under his breath) that he liked it better in brown. Oh well! No going back now...
2 comments:
Hello. I love your chair! I also used Rustoleum metallic on a vinyl chair, but mine doesn't look so good. It had cat scratches on it that I tried to fix first with a vinyl repair goop, but that left things looking goopy. The parts of the chair that weren't scratched look great with the metallic paint.
I used a Sharpee metallic paint pen to stencil a design on part of the chair and the paint from the pen is still sticky. I'm wondering if I should try to seal everything.
What type of sealer did you use?
Thanks,
Mary
I have never used the Rustoleam Universal, but I've found when I use most spray paint on vinyl, it never seems to dry. Do you not have that problem with the universal?
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