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Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

Simple DIY tutorials and thrifty furniture and decor makeovers

Robin’s Egg Blue Rustic Chair

What time is it? Ok I am hearing the Bubble Guppies song in my head again, but I promise not to sing it to you. (You toddler moms know exactly what I’m talking about.) It’s actually time for Themed Furniture Thursday!! That’s where a bunch of my furniture-paintin’ friends and I come together each month to share our furniture makeovers, only there’s a twist. Each month there is a different theme! Sounds like a fun challenge right? This month’s theme is rustic. Yes, a challenge indeed!

Remember this yard sale haul pic I shared the other day?

Sewing-Table-Yard-Sale-Haul

I was making over the tall table there in that post, which you can see here if you like. I also made over that oval coffee table with a French twist here. (The mirror has a new life too and I’ll share that soon!)

The guy I purchased the tall table from offered me that chair and another just like it for $3 each. They aren’t super high quality and I didn’t have a clue what I would possibly do with them, but for$3 each? I took them. He just wanted them gone. I was still kicking myself for taking them though since I wasn’t crazy about them at all.

Here is a better look:

Robin's-Egg-Blue-Chair-Before

When I was thinking about what I would do for this theme, my first thought was my coffee table in my living room, but I just couldn’t commit to a plan. Then I remembered these chairs.

I’ll admit this one turned out a bit more shabby than rustic, but whatever you call it, it’s an improvement. 🙂

Here’s what it looks like now:

Robin's Egg Blue Chair Makeover

Cute, right? It was so dark and heavy before and now it’s so Summery and pretty!

Robin's Egg Blue Chair Makeover

To get “rustic” I wanted a lot of paint to be showing through. I started by spray painting the seat black:

Robin's-Egg-Blue-Chair-12

When that was dry, I added petroleum jelly to the areas where I didn’t want the paint to adhere.

Then I spray painted the entire chair in Rustoleum’s Robin’s Egg Blue in matte:

Robin's-Egg-Blue-Chair-13

When the paint was barely dry, I took a clean soft cloth and started lightly rubbing the areas where I had applied the petroleum jelly and the paint just came away!

Robin's Egg Blue Chair Makeover

You do have to work quickly though and it’s tough to know how much to rub on and where. I tried to apply it in all the places I thought it would wear naturally. I don’t do heavily distressed pieces very often, but this was fun for a change.

Robin's Egg Blue Chair Makeover

I also rubbed my cloth across other areas where I had not added the petroleum jelly to reveal a bit more of the paint below. It was working great to start, but as the paint dried even more, I had to rub much harder on those other areas.

Robin's Egg Blue Chair Makeover

(Thrift store enamelware, thrift store jars used as my favorite glasses, thrift store platter.)

Robin's Egg Blue Chair Makeover

I’ve been wanting to try this paint color on something for a while now. It has the slightest minty tinge to it. I paid a little over $5 a can at the Home Depot and I used a can and a half. That still makes this chair around $10.

Robin's Egg Blue Chair Makeover

 Like I said, it looks a bit more shabby than rustic, but I think we can agree it looks a heck of a lot better than it did before!

Robin's Egg Blue Chair Makeover

Now to decide what to do with the other one!

How about even more rustic inspired makeovers?

 

And here are some of my favorite Themed Furniture Thursday pieces of my own from the past!

Themed Furniture Makeovers Confessionsofaserialdiyer.com

Thrift Store Side Table Goes Glam

Mini Drop Cloth Rosette Stool Makeover

Duck Egg Blue and White China Cabinet

Sewing Stool with a Secret Drawer

French Secretary Desk

Mason Jar Blue Headboard Bench

XOXO,

 Signature

 

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I love to share at some of these great parties:

Home Stories A to Z Not Just a Housewife Kammy’s Korner The Happy Housie Design Dining and Diapers Liz Marie Blog Funky Junk Interiors Savvy Southern Style Tatertots and Jello DIY Show Off Redoux Interiors Between Naps on the Porch The DIY Dreamer Oh My Creative Little Miss Celebration Just a Girl and Her Blog Sand and Sisal Interior Frugalista House on the Way Addicted 2 DIY I should be Mopping the Floor Miss Mustard Seed

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Comments

  1. Yeah for you for scoring two chairs for $3 each! I always wondered how to do the petroleum jelly technique to distress and now I know how to do it thanks to your directions. These chairs will make a great addition to your shop.

    • They were a great deal and that’s how I ended up with them. I’m glad I was able to use one of them after all. I might just do the other the same and make them a set. 🙂

  3. Really nice redo. The chair has much more character now ! I have been afraid to try the petroleum method, but maybe after seeing how lovely your chair turned out I will take the plunge!

    • Thanks, Beverly! It says it has a “matte” finish which to us used to mean “flat”, but apparently these days “matte” actually has a tiny bit of sheen to it so it didn’t really need wax.:)

  8. I’m amazed at how much older the chair now looks! You took it from contemporary back many decades to its lovely new “age”. The nice turned legs show up so much better in the light blue–I didn’t really notice them at all in the before picture. Thanks for sharing how to use petroleum jelly to expose the old color underneath.

  9. This turned out fabulous! Love the soft color of robin’s egg blue. The contrast of the black underneath is very “rustic!” ~Jeanette

  11. So CUTE! I swear girlfriend… you’d make a mud pie look good! I love what you did and the color of the chair. I see these all over the place and never would have picked one up! As always super project!!

    • Thanks, Wendi!! I never would have taken these either except they were only three bucks and I just couldn’t say no! Who knew there was a cute little chair in there? 🙂

  12. LOve me some blue, as you well know. Your chair is ideal for Summer or anytime of year. I LOVE the vaseline tip. I really need to try that sometime soon.
    Have a great weekend.

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