“Make A Statement” The Elizabethan Chair Makeover

Hi, my sweet friends!

You know how much I love makeovers, right? If you like them as much as me then you will enjoy this one, I am sure. With this Elizabethan Chair makeover, I am participating this month at The Fab Furniture Flippin’ contest and we’ve been lucky to have DecoArt’s Americana Chalky Finish as our sponsor. I have never had the opportunity to use their products because I used to make my own chalk paint so was excited to try them.  Their Chalky Finish Paint is an ultra-matte paint that comes in a ton of gorgeous colors and it is awesome how well it covers the piece in just one layer. I couldn’t wait and made my first try on this wicker basket.  For the project I had in mind, I couldn’t decide whether to use Serene or Primitive, and I finally used the last one.

DecoArt

Disclosure: DecoArt provided me the paint for this project, but all opinions are my own.

So, before showing you any picture I need to tell the story behind this (now) beautiful chair and advice you is a loooong post. My mother in law had some serious health problems and decided to leave her apartment, where she lived all her life. You can imagine the amount of things she had, so I offered to take a van, board it to the ferry and go to pick the things she wanted to keep. It took me nearly a whole day to fully load the van, and when I was ready driving to the port again I saw this beauty next to a dumpster. Oh no!! I stopped the car and tried to imagine where I could place that chair… 15 minutes later and some elbow grease I had it next to me, obstructing the right wing mirror (the rearview mirror was obstructed way ago), fingers crossed I didn’t meet any policeman on my way. When I was inside the limits of the port and thought I was safe there he was, standing in the middle of the road… and obviously, he stopped me. I don’t know if it was because of the real story I told him or because of my exhausted face but he didn’t fine me, just told me that wasn’t secure and that I had to move things to have vision on any of the two blocked mirrors. Move what, I thought, while seeing the van about to explode!

Eight hours later and back on the island I had my chair home. Then it took me some months to start working on it, but here it is today!

The Elizabethan Chair Makeover

Now tell me, isn’t it pretty? Look at those legs, and the thumbtacks so well aligned; it was worth all the effort. I planned to “Make A Statement”, she deserved it!

By its condition, I can tell it was outdoors for some time.

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Lucky me, I had a friend who bought a new huge freezer and it was empty for some time, so he did me the favor to place the chair inside to kill all the woodworm it may had. Such a time saver!! Time to work on Mrs Elizabeth, the first thing was to get rid of the old fabric.

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Then I realized the foam was in good shape, so I clean it with a rag and some ammonia solution. I used the metallic brush to get rid of the chipped paint.

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It was time then to use some paint stripper to finish the work.

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There were places really difficult to work in while the paint stripper was there, as the rounded wood on the back. I tried without success steel wood, sanding paper, the metallic brush was too hard for it so I ended up using one super tool… a clothespin. I hope any professional is reading this right now, but it worked wonders!

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Judge for yourselves. But wait, can you see any difference in the foam? Yes, of course you can go back three pictures. I left the chair outside to get rid of the strong smell and our DOG wasn’t too confident about the comfort of the chair so he scratched it just to check. Ok, something else to fix.

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I loved how the raw wood looked and decided to dye it using some “Miracle Liquid“.

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I know it darkened a lot, don’t panic, still not finished.

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It was time to white wash it with some pretty Primitive color.

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The process is simple, brush on

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and wipe off up to the desired look you want.

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Time to upholster! I took some batting and stapled it in place.

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Then I did the same with some black fabric.

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And I had a vision. Do you remember the pretty thumbtacks on the original chair? All perfectly aligned giving the chair an elegant look; I was going to do the same with my father in law thumbtacks. After all, it shouldn’t be difficult, just place one and hammer, that’s it!

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Well, not as easy as I thought and definitely not my vision. Fail.

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I could think of something later, time to make something special for it! I taped some painters tape and Miss S help me to paint it. She used an old piece of foam to do so, tapping all over. We used Primitive color again.

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We did two more stripes, I love grain sack style.

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And to finish it, after the epic fail with thumbtacks, I thought it was better to stick to something I had worked with previously, some upholstery trim.

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Here she stands, elegant, waiting to be seen and admired as in her best days.

The Elizabethan Chair Makeover

Love the tones it shows now.

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The Elizabethan Chair Makeover

The Elizabethan Chair Makeover

The Elizabethan Chair Makeover

And this is my pretty Elizabethan chair, I told you I wanted to Make a Statement.

You can see some of the projects our hosts have done this month, like Carrie‘s and Charlotte‘s.

FFFC-main-graphic-updated-10.2015

The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest is open only to the entrants who have signed up through the group Facebook page. If you are an active, furniture flippin’ blogger, and you’d like to participate in future contests, we’d love to have you! Please contact us at info@fabfurnitureflippincontest.com to find out how!
Participants, by entering your project into The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest, you are giving the contest hosts, sponsors, and judges permission to share one photo, with a link/tag back to your blog, for the purpose of promoting the contest and announcing the winner/favorite picks on our blogs/websites and social media pages.

Thanks for visiting, have a wonderful week!

Hugs,

Pili

Do you love DIY, recycling, home decor, furniture transformation and all kind of crafts? Then we have the same passion! I would love to share all my crazy ideas and projects with you so I would love if you SUBSCRIBE for my post e-mails.

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Featured at:

vintage charm   Homemade

51 comments

    • Pili says:

      Hi, Bridget! Thank you so much for leaving me a comment; the post wasn’t ready but I scheduled it wrong and I realized when I saw your comment.
      Glad to stop by your party!!

  1. Mary-the boondocks blog says:

    Pili what a story. I love the chair and you were very smart to take it home. The whole process was very interesting to read about. And the final outcome is so beautiful. I love the color of the wood painted like that. The fabric you chose gives it a dramatic look and makes it stand out all the more. A beautiful job Pili!

    • Pili says:

      Thank you so much, Mary!! Most of my beloved curbside finds have a special story behind and this one is no exception.
      I don’t use too much black, but this time I thought it would be a great choose.

  2. Brenda Young says:

    Oh Pili, I would have snatched up that babe in half a heartbeat, great find. I love the weathered washed look and the feedsack design in reverse,… brilliant design choices, superb refab!

    • Pili says:

      Hi, Brenda!! I love finding things, and this is one of my favorite finds! I had a totally different idea for it when I first saw it, but as I began working I changed my mind.

      Thanks for visiting!!

  3. Keri says:

    Pili, I could just imagine you driving along with the chair on the side of the van!! It’s funny to think about, but maybe not funny at the time. Anyway, your chair is beautiful!! I love how you restored the wood, and gave it a wonderful new color!! Nice job on the upholstery!! Love the grain sack look you added!! I’m glad you were able to breathe life into this old beauty!!

    • Pili says:

      Keri, I just look back and smile at that adventure, and I am happy I persisted and finally was able to take it with me. I can tell you it wasn’t easy at all, thank God I am so stubborn! The same with that varnish that didn’t want to come off!

  4. Beverly says:

    Pili, this is gorgeous! It’s so awesome that you found that chair discarded in in such poor condition and were able to give it a whole new life. I haven’t had much success using those tacks, either. They are tricky to work with. Glad you didn’t get a ticket! Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle Sunday..

    • Pili says:

      I am so lucky to find great treasures from time to time. I fell in love with the chair as soon as I saw it next to the dumpster! I think my next challenge will be learn how to deal with tacks.

      Thanks so much for visiting, Beverly!

  5. Terry says:

    Pili your chair is absolutely gorgeous! I love the paint effect you did on the wood! It is beautiful! I hope you have a great week!
    Smiles!
    Terry
    The Curator’s Collection & Making Broken Beautiful

    • Pili says:

      Thank you so much for your comments, Terry. I wanted for so long to find an Elizabethan chair, and I finally did it. I can’t express the happiness I felt when I saw it. And I am really happy with the result too.

  6. sue says:

    I just love it Pili!! But then I love all your DIY creations you are so talented. Thank you for the step=by-step guide although I think it is above my level of DIY. Thanks for sharing and being part of #OvertheMoon. Have a great week!

    • Pili says:

      Hi, Sue! This one has been tough for me too, but I was determined to make it pretty no matter how long it could take.

      Thank you for stopping by and leaving me your sweet comments.

  7. Megin says:

    This is lovely! I adore that you saved it from the scrap heap. I appreciate the the great step by step, too!
    Thank you for sharing this week at Brag About It link party on VMG206 (Mondays at Midnight). I plan to feature you next week!
    ~ Megin of VMG206

    • Pili says:

      Wow, great news, thank you so much Megin!! You made my day!

      I really appreciate you take the time to stop by and comment, have a wonderful week!

  8. Nikki Frank-Hamilton says:

    Pili, this turned out just gorgeous. I had my doubts when I saw the before picture. But the bones of the piece are so pretty it deserved a make-over. I love how it turned out, and it looks fantastic in your home! Great job.

    • Pili says:

      You made me laugh Nikki! Your comment reminded me a gorgeous (destroyed) chair I bought for 5€ to a lady whose sons asked her with open eyes: did she paid you 5€ for that? I still need to write that post, it will be fun.

      Thank so much for visiting, enjoy your week!!

    • Pili says:

      Bridget, thank you so much for the feature and for stopping by to let me know 🙂

      Have a wonderful week!

    • Pili says:

      Thanks, Amy! It is different from what we are used to see but I really love how it looks too!

      Have a wonderful weekend!

    • Pili says:

      Hahaha!! I do sleep, not as much as I would love but I do.

      Thank you so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it!

  9. Pingback: Vintage Charm #21
    • Pili says:

      Many thanks, Rose! It first I wasn’t sure how it would look but I am now in love with it.
      I hope you enjoy the weekend!

  10. Mary says:

    WOW you did a great job !
    Love the color it would go perfect in my home ,when can you deliver. …lol

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