Level: Intermediate-advanced

With a lick of paint and a swathe of fabric, you can give an old set of kitchen chairs a fresh, country-chic look. If you do not feel confident tackling the upholstery, you can just stick to the painting and take the seat pads to a professional, but why not give it a try – you might surprise yourself.

Materials needed

Medium/fine-grain sandpaper

A cloth

Water-based primer (I used Little Greene’s interior wood primer and undercoat)

Water-based paint (I used Little Greene’s intelligent eggshell and mushroom 142)

Paint brush

Fabric (I used floral and stripes. You need a good, heavy and durable cotton/upholstery fabric. Oil cloth can also be used)

Screwdriver

Staple gun

Staples

Staple remover or small flat head screwdriver

Scissors

Pencil

Method

  • Remove the seat pads from the chair. These are usually fixed to the chair with screws, which should be visible when you turn the chair upside down.
  • In a circular motion, sand the chairs with medium/fine-grain sandpaper. Make sure you get into any crevasses.
  • Wipe off any dust from sanding with a dry cloth.
  • Prime the chair with undercoat and primer. A good tip when painting chairs is to turn them upside down first and paint all that is visible, then flip the chair over and paint all the parts you missed.
  • Paint in a colour of your choice with two to three coats of paint, allowing them to dry between each coat.
  • While the paint is drying between coats, you can start on the seat pads. Firstly, remove the old fabric. If you have a staple remover, use that, or a small flat-headed screwdriver is good to pry underneath the staples to get them out. When using any tools, always have your spare hand behind the hand that’s working, never in front.
  • When the old fabric is removed, use it as a template to cut your new fabric. Draw a light pencil line around the template, leaving a little extra border when cutting it out with a scissors.
  • Place the fabric over the chair pad and staple it in place with your stapler. Do middle to middle first, then corners, tightening it with a slight pull each time before you staple.
  • With sand paper, sand any edging lightly in areas where you think would get the most wear.
  • Fix back the seat pad onto the chair. Now you are the envy of all your friends.