Hello, dear friends! Today, I’ve got an antique chair makeover for y’all, but this is not the first makeover it got! This chair was part of a set that was given to me from one of my sweet neighbors a couple of years ago.
Here is how they started:
This one had some serious issues…
And this is what was on the inside of these chairs:
I did replace all of that though…
See that whole original makeover HERE.
One of them sold right away, but the other one just hung around my booth for over a year:
I finally brought it home, and it has just been sitting in the garage.
When I was pulling out all the remaining pieces from my current haul, including the frames I was planning to share today, I uncovered this chair.
Here is what it looked like after sitting in my garage for several months:
I started by removing the seat and giving this piece a good sanding all over:
You don’t have to sand a piece sealed with Dixie Belle’s Clear Coat if you plan to repaint it using their chalk paint, but I did sand lightly just to get a smooth as possible surface for my new paint.
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
Paint
For this go, I went completely opposite and chose Dixie Belle’s Caviar:
This is clearly a terrible first coat, but two coats is all it took!
Sand
Once it was dry, I sanded all over to smooth using a fine grit sanding sponge as I did not want the lighter first layer to show through.
Seal
The last step on the painted part of this chair was to seal, and I did that using Clear Coat in satin, applying it with the blue sponge applicator.
The chair cushion
I hated removing the elegant fabric that was on the chair previously, but I had to do it…
This tool made that easier to handle. And I did finally settle on a new Staple gun! I have been using my el cheapo light duty staple gun for forever, and while it did the job fabulously, my hands just didn’t love it anymore!
I bought the Ryobi staple gun that I can use with my Ryobi batteries so it’s cordless, which I love…
My poor hands were so happy!
And yes, that would be a lovely classic toile going on. Let’s see how this chair turned out!
Antique Chair Makeover Take Two Reveal
It’s a little more sophisticated now:
I wanted to highlight that gorgeous detail at the back, but sanding wasn’t an option since it’s a lighter color underneath…
I decided to do that with Gold Gilding Wax:
Such a gorgeous detail!
The seat
The seat was covered in black and white toile:
In the original makeover, there ended up being a slight gap between the seat and the frame. Adding a row of piping filled that gap perfectly:
It was actually glued to the frame, so here I just painted it black:
While the original was pretty as a set, I think I prefer the more dramatic version!
Which do you prefer??
I hope you’ll meet me back here on Thursday as I team up with my Furniture Fixer Upper crew!
I’ll be sharing the final large furniture piece from my current haul, this dressing table:
While I didn’t quite complete my Summer 2025 Haul while it was still summer, I was pretty darn close! Only SIX to go after this dressing table!
UPDATE: See how fabulous this dressing table turned out HERE!
See ya Thursday!
XOXO,
P.S. Keep an eye on your inboxes today as I will be drawing the THREE winners of my Etsy Shop Birthday Giveaway! You will only have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be chosen!
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Mary Kaiser says
Wow it is such a beautiful transformation! First of all I can’t beleive that one sold, but not the other! Second, while I love the first makeover, this one is elegant and sexy! LOL The black and white fabric with the black paint looks amazing! We I don’t think it will be long in your booth now!
Christy says
Thanks so much, Mary! I think with the first version, I was trying to be respectful of its age and decided to keep it very understated, but forget that lol! I much prefer the black too! XOXO
Cecilia says
Interesting that one sold and the other didn’t. I like both versions but the black stands out more. Pretty toile fabric too. Here’s hoping this one will sell now!
😊Cecilia
Christy says
Right? It sold almost right away, so I was very surprised this one sat so long. I guess it’s like twins that are made to dress the same, but one really doesn’t want to ha ha! Thank you, Cecilia! XOXO
Cecilia says
Haha, right! As a fraternal twin I can relate! My sister is peaches and cream complexion with gold brown hair and I’m olive complexion with dark brown hair. I always got stuck with the pink version of a dress because the light blue looked so pretty on her. Trust me, I didn’t want to wear that light pink dress! Lol.
Christy says
Ha ha! That is so funny! And how cool that you’re a twin! XOXO
Janice Redden says
Christy, I love the makeover! So elegant; as a pair, the first makeover was lovely, but as a single, the black is stunning. How clever to paint the cording!
Christy says
Thanks so much, Janice! It’s such a pretty chair, so I really didn’t mind giving it another redo, and I prefer the black too! I was originally going to replace the cording as well, but it was stuck on there good lol! XOXO
Irma says
LOVE, LOVE the caviar version with the gold detail, much better. It will fly out the door.
Christy says
Thank you, Irma! I have to agree! XOXO
Josee says
Really classy!
Christy says
Thanks, Josee! I enjoyed giving it a new look! XOXO
Nana Diana says
That turned out great….very dressy/formal looking. Have a great day-xo Diana
Christy says
Thank you, Diana! Yes, more dressy for sure! Enjoy your day too, my friend! XOXO
Charleen says
She is all dressed up and ready to party!!! Like a little black dress,works for any occasion, I believe she will go to someone who will adore her. Lovely job as always. Take care,see you on Thursday.
Christy says
She sure is ha ha! Thank you, Charleen! XOXO
Laura J. says
The chair is gorgeous Christy! You can’t go wrong with caviar. The gold detailing adds just enough glitz. Painting the unremovable piping is genius!!! You are SO clever and resourceful!! You should have your own show on HGTV! It would be a hit and I would definitely watch!!! 🩷
Christy says
Aww thank you, Laura! You are so kind! And yes…Caviar always takes things up a notch! I’m not holding my breath for HGTV to come knocking, but how fun would that be?? XOXO
Cyndi says
Oh, gosh! It’s stunning! Great idea to paint the piping. It looks good and is so much easier than trying to get it off and replace it.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Cyndi! I had planned to just replace the piping, but it was stuck on their good lol! Painting worked out great! XOXO
Caye says
Great save on the welt cording, Christy! The chair is certainly noticeable now, and I think it will sell quickly. Good job, well done!
Christy says
Thanks, Caye! I had planned to replace that cording, but it was stuck on there good lol. XOXO
Sue McCombs says
Hi Christy, The white chair is lovely but I really prefer the black chair. It is very elegant and eye catching. The toile fabric is always a winning choice and the black piping is so clever and really sets off the fabric. Definitely a winner.
Christy says
Thank you, Sue! I agree..it’s all dressed up and ready for a night on the town now! XOXO
Jackie C says
yep, love it. I hope you’re able to re-use the seat fabric you had to remove. Really like it. I’m kind of surprised I prefer the black.
I spy the chest with the gray stripes in the background. I am still crazy about it. I can’t believe someone didn’t snatch it up from day one.
Can’t wait to see next week’s project. xoxo
Christy says
Thank you, Jackie! Black is always striking. That was an older photo of my booth to show the chair, and that striped chest has long since sold, but it did sit there for a couple of months which surprised me! See ya Thursday! XOXO
Becky B Allen says
I love the black the white looked good but I prefer your update thank you for sharing!!
Christy says
I’m so glad you like it, Becky, thank you! I prefer this version also! XOXO
Liz Shivel says
Hi Christy, the caviar black is always a winner! The chair is lovely! And painting the cording you had glued from the previous makeover, that’s perfect! 😎
Christy says
Thank you, Liz! I’m so glad painting that cording worked out because it was stuck on there good lol! XOXO
Mary says
Wasn’t that old seat filler stuff horsehair? That’s supposed to be good filler but probably best you swapped it out. I can’t believe you don’t have a plan for that new black/gold chair??
Christy says
It sure was horse hair but it looks gross lol, and I wanted to give the seats a little more cushie for the tushie! You know me so well…I do have a plan for that chair. Stay tuned! XOXO
Robin Simonds says
Wow! What a difference that has made. I love the black and white colors and the toile. However I’m wondering how silver might look instead of the gold. I know gold is the trend now and all your work is quite lovely. Please continue to inspire.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Robin! Silver would have been lovely as well! XOXO