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DIY French Chair with Graphic

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This is a story of how I rescued and repurposed my biggest Pinterest fail. I rescued it with a staple gun and a glue gun and turned it into a DIY French chair with graphics.

I reupholstered a french chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew!

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I have had this chair for about 12 years.  My husband found it at a tent sale at a nice furniture store with one of the legs broken off for $5.

I reupholstered a french chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew!

The leg came with it, so he nailed it back on.  I want to say that it is well made chair, but since we purchased a three legged chair it may not be that well made. If you do not have a French chair, you can usually find one at a thrift store.

After much research on Pinterest, I decided to makeover my old chair and paint it with chalk paint.  My family thought it was a stupid idea, but I assured them that it would work. I know it will work because I saw it on Pinterest!!

I reupholstered a french chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew!

Here is a photo of my paint job after about 6 coats.  No lie, that sucker was sucking up the expensive chalk paint like a sponge!  And it felt like sandpaper when you touched it.  I could see that if I continued to try to paint the chair, my chair was going to cost a fortune, and be too painful to sit on.

The worst part was my family was right! It was a stupid idea.  I know people paint upholstered furniture all of the time, but I guess my problem was the material that my chair was made with.

 

Plan B.  I reupholstered a french chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew!

Instructions

I head to my favorite fabric shop, the Thrift Store, to find someone’s leftover fabric to cover my chair.  Paying $2 for fabric makes projects so less stressful.  If I cut it wrong or damage it, it’s no big deal!

I reupholstered a french chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew!

I really wanted a french graphic on the chair.  My decor is not cottage, it is more traditional, so I thought this graphic from Graphic Fairy was a little whimsical and would look good with my decor.

I reupholstered a french chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew!

Her graphics are so beautiful and free to download.  She has tutorials showing how to transfer the images.

http://thegraphicsfairy.com/

I tried the Modge Podge way on a scrap piece of fabric, and I was not pleased at all.   I went with wax paper method, and it worked great!

The instructions do not say to dampen your material, but you need to dampen it with a damp rag before placing the wax paper down. I tried it both ways, and the transfer hardly stuck on the dry material.

I painted the chair with paint .  The name of the color is Everlasting which is white.  I used clear wax to protect the paint.  I did not use any dark wax.

 

I took apart the 2 cushions and 2 pieces of trim.  I covered the trim and glue the material on with a glue gun.

I reupholstered a french chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew!

I stapled the material to the back of the cushion, and I stapled the trim to the back of the cushion with staple gun.

I reupholstered a french chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew!

Stapling the back into the wood was the only part that was hard to do. I had to get my husband to staple the back on.

I reupholstered a french chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew!

I stapled the trim onto the wood under the cushion and then sat the recovered cushion on top.

I reupholstered a french chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew!

I am pretty happy with my DIY french chair with a graphic, and I am hoping that my family forgets my huge Pinterest fail!

I reupholstered a french chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew!

 

I reupholstered a diy French chair with a staple gun and a glue gun. Easy and no-sew diy French chair with graphic.

Comments

  1. Katrin says

    Sherry, you did an awesome job with the upholstering!! I’ve never upholstered a chair, only a bench once and that was not tricky. This does look a bit more complicated but you made it look easy and do~able! The chair turned out beautifully!

  2. Angie @ Knick of Time says

    For a failed project, it turned out beautiful! Thanks for sharing it at Talk of the Town – I’m giving you a shout-out on Facebook and pinning it to the Knick of Time Party Board!

  3. Mum in Brum says

    This looks fantastic! You’ve done such a great job. I would probably have opted to paint it first too as using fabrics seems like a lot more work – but this looks super! x

  4. Debbie Kitterman says

    this project turned out fantastic and is something I would like to do eventually, so I am going to pin this post to come back to later when I find just the right chair. Thanks for sharing at #WayWow link-up

  5. Marjan says

    I think it turned out awesome, no fail here at all! I have tried something similar and will have a post in the future. Stick with your gut feelings! I found your blog through Welcome Home Wednesday.

  6. Mary-the boondocks blog says

    Are you kidding me, this is stunning! And you did the right thing in the end by using fabric instead of chalk paint. If nothing else it was a good lesson for all of us to not use it with certain types of fabric. Don’t you wish that the people who use chalk paint on their upholstery would come back a few months later and tell us the afterstory… if it held up or not.

  7. Nikki Frank-Hamilton says

    Sherry, Wow! From a $5 chair! Amazing. The intricate detail of the chair makes for a really gorgeous transformation. It looks so much better in white, the detailing shows up so much better.

    I’ve thought about chalk painting a chair of chaise, I’m so happy I read your story, I read another one recently where the paint cracked on the piece of furniture. I will be recovering the piece, instead of painting, who wants to do it twice? LOL Unless of course it’s just because you want to change the look later on.

    The graphic is perfect, interesting, eye catching and not too much for the piece. It’s just right. Great job!

    • BJ says

      If you don’t fail sometimes, it means you are not trying! How many times did Edison fail before inventing the light bulb? How many times did Lincoln fail before he finally made it to the presidency? If you never fail, you are not expanding your borders! I’m glad you didn’t quit. You got your beautiful chair and gave us encouragement to keep trying! Thank you!😁

  9. Terry says

    Oh how beautiful! Your chair turned out stunning and classy! I love how you made over this beautiful chair! Well done! I hope you have an amazing day!
    Smiles!
    Terry
    The Curator’s Collection & Making Broken Beautiful (Thursdays)

  11. SheilaG- Plum Doodles says

    Your chair looks amazing. I tried that whole paint the upholstery thing once and had the same issue. Luckily, it was only a footstool. I love that graphic and have used it on several projects, too. 🙂

  12. Kimberley says

    Hi Sherry,
    Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for leaving such a sweet comment!
    I think your chair turned out amazing! And I love the material you used and the graphic is just perfect! Beautifully done!!
    Happy almost Friday! 🙂
    Kimberley

  13. Susie says

    This is so awesome!! Sharing out this morning on IG and FB. Thanks so much for linking at Friday’s Furniture Fix. We love have you share with us. Susie from The Chelsea Project

  14. Marie says

    This beautiful chair of yours is getting a lot of buzz in the blogosphere this week – I’m seeing it everywhere! Love the graphic you added to the back too. Thanks for the great tip – I tried the wax paper method without dampening and gave up so this tip has been stored in the old noggin. I found the exact same chair(s) on Kijiji and refinished them in white. Don’t you just love all the detail on those legs!

  19. Carrie Groneman says

    This is the MOST amazing project I have seen! I mean the shear courage you have to try it in the first place amazes me. I love the outcome. The design and colors you chose are perfect. You have such an eye for detail and style; from a $5 chair to one that someone would pay $100 or more for I’m sure! Thank you for showing us your tutorial and how to do this on our own—not that I would, lol. Truly a stunning piece of furniture.

  23. Carol says

    Sherry, I think your chair turned out beautifully. I’m in the middle of painting 4 dining room chairs for my son. I’ve painted one chair seat with ASCP and fortunately 2 coats of Graphite covered the red paisley fabric and I’m happy with the results. But sometimes, you just have to put new fabric on. I’ve done that too. I love the graphic embellishment. Thanks for sharing at Your Inspired Design Link Party #30.

  24. Laurie says

    Sherry, I have had many a pinterest fail project. Thank you for sharing yours! The chair turned out beautifully in the end! Thank you for the tips on the transfer. This is something I have not tried yet, but maybe one day. Enjoy your chair! Pinning and tweeting to share. Thanks for linking up with us this week for Snickerdoodle Sunday!
    ~Laurie

  25. Lindsey says

    Sherry,

    You are so much more patient and precise than I could ever dream to be. This is beautiful, I’m pinning this as well. <3

  26. Amberjane says

    Love the bee graphic and it looks great now – if at first you don’t succeed 🙂 Thanks for sharing with Pin Worthy Wednesday Sherry

  30. Beverly says

    Sherry, your chair is lovely! Your perseverance paid off! Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle Sunday. Pinned and Tweeted.

  31. Tuula says

    I absolutely love how your chair turned out Sherry. It’s beautiful! You turned a potential fail into an amazing success. Awesome job! Thanks so much for sharing at Vintage Charm.

  34. Lela says

    Sherry! You have done an outstanding job! The chair is absolutely stunning. And I love the addition of the graphic, too. Thanks so much for sharing at Inspiration Thursday. Hope you have a great week.

  36. Sandra Garth says

    ‘I’m sure that Pinterest experiment is just a memory by now. Your chair is gorgeous and thank you so much for sharing it at Celebrate Your Story link party and we hope you join us again.

  39. Terry says

    Sherry! Because of your great advice and sharing real life experiences getting this chair to this gorgeous state, I will be featuring it on Making Broken Beautiful tomorrow! Thank you for the inspiration! I hope you have a wonderful day!
    Smiles!
    Terry
    The Curator’s Collection & Making Broken Beautiful (Thursday)

  40. Gabby Chaapel says

    Oh I love this! I am trying to become a DIY-er but it can be so hard when you have not had the motivation all the time! This looks adorable though! I must pin this!

  41. Teresa says

    I love it, you did a great job. You should actually be glad the chalk paint didn’t work, because I’m pretty sure it would not have turned out as great as it did, even if it had worked as it should!

    Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party this week! Pinned!

  42. Tuula says

    Hi Sherry! I’m just popping back in to let you know that I’m featuring your fabulous chair makeover at Vintage Charm tomorrow. Thanks again for sharing it with us!

  43. Kerryanne says

    Sherry, i love how you turned your failed project into such a fabulous make-over. Your chair looks amazing. Thank you for sharing at Shabbilicious Friday. I’m delighted to be featuring it at tomorrows party.
    Hugs ~ Kerryanne

  44. Dawn says

    Thank you for sharing this FABULOUS chair redo at the Friday Favorties Link Up Party – I’ve chosen it as one of my special features this week, swing by and grab your featured button!

  45. Tania Rossouw says

    This is brilliant! I am so impressed with your skills! Thanks for the amazing post. I’m new to your blog and think I’m going to love it here.
    Tania at FARRAGOZ ~ Online Courses in The Art of Patina

  46. Christine at Must Love Home says

    Your chair looks fabulous! I have always been afraid to use trim because I thought it was too complicated, but your way looks so easy that I am going to try it! I will be featuring your post on Friday Favorites at mustlovehome.com this week…I would love for you to check it out! Have a great week- Christine

  47. Nikki Gwin says

    I do love that you posted the fail. That is as helpful as the success story! And boy what a success story! I love the graphic you chose and the whole chair turned out fabulous. I love to shop the thrift store curtains for fabrics to craft with.
    🙂
    http://gwingal.blogspot.com/

    • Sherry says

      You are right Nikki! Curtains work great also. My mother has even recovered a chair seat with a thrift store skirt, and it looks beautiful.

  48. Keri says

    Sherry, this chair is beautiful!! Love the graphic you chose! You did a wonderful job refinishing this chair!! I hope you link it up to our party, Sweet Inspiration. It starts on Friday and runs until Tuesday. Have a great weekend!!

  50. Pili says

    Sherry, your chair turned out beautiful!! I’ve chalk painted hundreds of furniture but never tried on fabric. I wanted to try but now I have some doubts… I have to tell you my favorite transfer method for fabric is using spray varnish, I wrote a tutorial about it, 5 minutes and you’re done, I promise!

    I would love to invite you to share it with us at our new Sweet Inspiration party, which is live every Friday: http://sweethings.net/sweet-inspiration-link-party-2/

    Hugs,

Trackbacks

  1. […] she didn’t give up on it, and because of her persistence, the final result is a very beautiful chair makeover. You really must pop over and check out the before. It’s an amazing […]