Making due with hand-me-down dining chairs

Sturdy chairs from our garage replace our crumbling set

The dining room chairs that I reapholstered a few years ago (documented here) have been slowly disintegrating. The legs were loose despite several attempts to glue the joints, and after adding metal brackets for support. Recently, pieces started to snap off; the wood was too dry and brittle. Still, I was not comfortable getting rid of these chairs because they belonged to my father in law's aunts. I also liked their shape -- they made me think of a hacienda.

Then my father in law refused to sit in them. They squeeked and wobbled so much that he was afraid they would collapse and someone would get hurt. I started browsing online for alternatives. None were a great fit, and even a set of inexpensive new chairs would cost a thousand dollars. I would rather spend that on contractors to deal with improvements that I can't hack myself. So it made sense to turn to our garage, where a set of hand-me-down chairs had been lurking for the past year.

The first thing that needed to change was their seat covers. My mother in law had tried to freshen them, but the fabric she chose would not last a week with my kids.

These cushions needed an overhaul with durable fabric

I rooted through my fabric scraps from other projects and found a few pieces that could work. These were quickly cut to size and stapled over the seats. (For more instructions on how to redo this type of seat cushion, see my earlier post).

Scraps big enough to cover the seat cushions

New fabric wrapped around the seat and stapled underneath

Now all that was left was to screw the seats back onto the chairs.

Mismatched seat covers felt cohesive enough

But I did not love the finish on these chairs. A little of that tone would be ok, but it was too similar to our cabinets and floor. Also, I didn't care for the shape of these chairs. They are too curvy, too fancy. Hmm... I could not DIY my way out of the shape, but what if I lightened up the wood?

Color of the wood was too similar to our dark cabinets and floor

I made a quick trip to our friend's store in town, Stylish Patina, to grab a can of Annie Sloan chalk paint. I chose Paris Gray because it was a good neutral, much lighter than the current stain, and when I held it up against the seat cushions it looked nice.

Paris Gray chalk paint by Annie Sloan

As usual with chalk paint, the transformation was a quick one: the first coat looked sloppy but the second touched up all of the smears and imperfections. Also as usual, I ran out of patience. It was a very windy day but I pushed through this tedious job, picking leaves off of the damp paint, and returning to the job after dark so I could finish in one day. Half finished jobs have a tendency to stay incomplete for some time in my house -- I've got to use the momentum of a new project while I still have it.

Painted chair frame, waiting for a seat

To seal chalk paint, there are two waxes: one light and one dark. I already had a tin of the dark wax leftover from my mudroom wall project a few years ago, so when the chairs were dry I blotted it on. Then I flipped each of chairs over and screwed on their seat cushions. The chairs were done.

They're ok but still not my style

I was hoping for that moment of satisfaction, knowing that I'd solved a problem. Unfortunately, it didn't come. The chairs look decent enough, but I'm not thrilled with them in my kitchen. The lighter color seems to clash with the warmer tones in the room. And the dark wax accentuates their shape -- maybe I should have sprung for a tin of the clear wax. Oh well. My father in law sits in them, and my mother in law does not seem offended that I repainted chairs that she picked out years ago. Good enough.