Happy Trash-to-Treasure day, dear friends! On the second Tuesday of the month, I and four of my favorite blogging friends get together to bring y’all brand new trash-to-treasure makeovers! My project for today is a vintage banker’s chair makeover.
Look for the links to my friends’ makeovers at the bottom!
I originally planned to share what I did with this tea kettle today:
A perfect trashy makeover, right?? Except I was all ready to share it LAST week when I thought it was the second Tuesday lol! I ended up sharing it anyway last Tuesday.
You can see how sweet it turned out HERE.
But then I had to go back to my stash and see what else would work for today, and I immediately locked eyes (if it had eyes, they would have locked), with this beauty of a banker’s chair:
I would never have paid money for this chair as it is just way too masculine for my taste. It has lived in my hubby’s office for years, but he’s doing some redecorating there and was just going to toss this in the dumpster behind his building.
I’m sure he could hear my voice in his head and then he thought better of that idea and asked me first.
I just couldn’t see this perfectly good (and comfy!) chair get tossed, so here we are!
My challenge was to make it a whole lot less masculine.
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
Clean
The first step to any makeover is a good cleaning!
I cleaned this chair with White Lightning using a terrycloth applicator pad which works great! You can just throw them in the wash and use them over and over again.
I then swapped out my water for clean water and gave it another wipe down to rinse. White Lightning is a degreaser and deglosser and gloves are recommended.
Paint
This chair did not appear to have any properties that would leave me to believe it would have any bleed through, so I went right to painting it in Dixie Belle’s Fluff:
Fluff is more of a vintage white rather than a bright white like Cotton and usually covers in just TWO coats.
There were some scratches on the seat and in that area, I did end up getting a bit of the tannins bleeding through since the original sealer had been worn away.
To remedy that, I applied BOSS in White just to that area:
I allowed that to dry overnight, and then I was able to paint over that one area the next day with no bleed through. (In the above photo, you can see how Fluff compares to a more bright white as well.)
Once everything was dry, I sanded all over with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around an old sanding sponge.
This chair had lots of dings and scratches, so distressing helped to camouflage that a bit.
Adding a Silkscreen Stencil
I really wanted to add a stencil to this chair, so I looked though all of the Silkscreen Stencils.
I loved the roses from this Floral Silkscreen set:
SALE!!
All the silkscreen stencils have been marked down 30% to make room for new inventory! If you’ve ever wanted to give them a try, NOW is the time!
I’ve also marked down all of the first and second transfer releases from the Belles and Whistles line AND all their decoupage papers as well! It’s all 15-30% off!
You can find everything thing that has been marked down in the ON SALE tab in my Etsy shop or HERE!
I used this acrylic craft paint for this step as chalk paint dries a bit too quickly:
The Silk paint works well too if you have that on hand. There’s a small plastic spatula that you use to apply the paint…super easy!!
You can keep moving and using the same stencil over and over as long as it isn’t touching another fresh stencil that isn’t dry yet.
These are adhesive, so you get super crisp, sharp lines!
They can be used up to 10 times each. I don’t even have any regular stencils that I’ve used that much, so that will create a lot of projects.
Once you’re finished, rinse the stencil right away. The scrubby soaps are perfect for cleaning these, but a washcloth works also.
Then you can just let them dry on a paper towel.
I washed and rinsed these several times while working on this chair, and you can pat them dry and keep stenciling!
When I was done, it was still adhesive as many times as I rinsed and patted it dry:
I kept going until I was happy with the pattern I created and then let everything dry overnight.
Seal
Since the seat of this chair was pretty scratched up, it may get scratched again, so to give it the best protection, I sealed it with Gator Hide using the blue sponge applicator…
The After of this Vintage Banker’s Chair
Here is how this once very masculine banker’s chair looks now:
I wanted to keep it neutral, so I stuck to black and white.
The silkscreen stencils are incredibly detailed…
I gave just one of the legs a little love as well…
And here it is from the front…
It’s hard to know when to stop. I really could have kept adding and covered the whole chair!
But I stuck with just a little here and there…
It isn’t easy to work over these curves with an adhesive stencil, so I added it to the front and then went back once it was dry and added it to the top, matching up the pattern…
It definitely took away the masculine edge it started with!
What do y’all think?
I hope you enjoyed this one! I’m just happy I could save it from the trash!!
Here’s what my friends are rescuing today!
That’s one more from my biggest haul ever complete!
If you missed any so far, you can catch up below:
Terra Clay Paint Case Makeover
Tea Kettle Makeover
Tray Update with Stencils
Painting the Smalls #18
How to Turn a Spindle Bed into a Bench
Dated Shelf Makeover
80’s Clock Repurposed
Stenciled Demilune Table
DIY Fabric Lamp Shades & $5 Thrift Store Lamps
Thrift Store Dresser Makeover
Don’t forget to check out the ON SALE TAB in my Etsy shop and see what else has been marked down!
All orders over $50 ship FREE!
Thursday is my birthday woohoo…another year of life, and I feel SO blessed! With that, I’ll be playing the rest of the week instead of working, but I’ll still be popping into your inbox with this mirror:
Have a great week!
UPDATE: See how I gave this a gorgeous new look HERE now!
XOXO,
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Robin Stephens says
You brought that chair right up-to-date with those lovely tattoos! No more vault-sitting for her! 😊 She’s coming to the main floor where all the action is! 😉 Nicely done, Christy. 🥰
Christy says
Thank you, Robin! Ha ha…they do look like tattoos! Yes, she is the main event now ha ha! XOXO
Mary Kaiser says
Wow, that turned out really cute! You saved it from the land fill, YAY!! I received my dixie bell package from you, and I just have to say I didn’t have to fluff at all, and it is so much cuter in person than the pictures even, I LOVE it so much! I just sit and look at it and will love it for the rest of my life!! My husband usually doesn’t say much about anything I bring into our home, and he even said it was beautiful! You are awesome and I appreciate you and what you do so much!!
Christy says
Aww thank you, Mary! YAY!! I’m so thrilled that it arrived safe and sound, and I love that you love it!! I really enjoyed making make. Enjoy, my sweet friend!! XOXO
Janette says
I felt so excited to see this, last week I saw it and fell in love, its such a great strong chair, so beautifully made. You did it proud, it looks stunning, and the stencil is perfect for this.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Janette! It is so well crafted and very comfy, so I was thrilled to be able to make it pretty! XOXO
Sheila DelCharco says
Oh it looks so nice! My first impression is that the chair has a tattoo sleeve! Haha!
Christy says
Thank you, Sheila! Ha ha… someone else mentioned it looks like tattoos…and I love that!! XOXO
Larissa ~ Prodigal Pieces says
Ya gotta love those chairs – built to last! Beautiful touches, Christy.
Christy says
Absolutely! Built to last for sure! XOXO
Denise Cox says
It’s LOVELY! I think the minimalistic look with the stencil is perfect!! Great job…😃😍☺️🙃
Christy says
Thank you so much, Denise!! XOXO
Peggy says
I love the transformation. It’s time we show love and embrace the solid and sturdy old chairs of yesterday. Good job Christy!
Christy says
Thank you, Peggy! I agree…I was so glad to be able to give this hard worker a pretty new look! XOXO
Gayle Stewart says
Another lovely piece! I always connect with your creativity
I do have a question. How do you know when a rescue is worth spending the cost of supplies. Between the Boss and the paint and the stencil or a transfer and the sealer, costs can really add up. I’m not trying to sell them. Just pieces I’m doing for myself or family and friends. Any advice would be appreciated. As always, thanks for sharing your talents!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Gayle! I think you can justify it more if you are creating pieces you and your loved ones will enjoy for years to come. If you consider the cost of purchasing brand new vs the cost of supplies, it makes good sense. And while the initial investment for the BOSS, sealers, etc might be a bit much, they will last through several projects. I hope that helps! XOXO
Cecilia from Georgia says
Beautiful! I have 2 of those old chairs stuck in back of my shed! They keep getting farther back in there since I had no idea what to do with the chunky things. Love the white/black contrast and the way you wrapped the design around arms and legs. It’s cooled off in the mornings a little so I want to drag my chairs out and get started—before I forget what you did. Have a wonderful weekend!!
Christy says
Thank you, Cecilia! Chunky is a great way to describe them, but a little paint really helped to give them a lift! Enjoy transforming yours, my friend! XOXO
Niki says
The makeover really did soften the clunky/hard lines of this chair. Bankers chairs always seem like they would be stiff and uncomfortable. However I’ve found that with the somewhat larger seat pan and the fact that they are usually incredibly well made; they are very supportive and comfortable.
Christy says
Thank you, Niki! I agree…they are very supportive and comfy! XOXO
Denise - Salvaged Inspirations says
The silkscreen stencil was a perfect choice and I love the b/w contrast… so gorgeous! XOXO
Christy says
Thank you so much, my sweet friend! XOXO
Marcie Lovett says
Ooh, Christy, amazing what a little paint and some imagination can do! I was sure there’d be some upholstery involved😁 I have a plain, bulky chair that’s been crying out for a makeover and would be very happy to sport some of your rice paper decoupage paper (or the transfers I bought months ago and have been hoarding since).
Christy says
It really is amazing what even just paint can do! Start painting that chair and the ideas will flow! XOXO
Charleen says
Absolutely fabulous!!!The black and white was the perfect choice. Now that “she”is transformed,you husband won’t want it back!! Will you keep it or send to the shop?Beautiful work .
Christy says
Thanks so much, Charleen! My husband actually liked the outcome, but you’re right lol…he doesn’t want it back. This will be heading to the shop! XOXO
Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says
So much better! It was so boring before, no more! xoxo
Christy says
Thanks so much, my dear friend! XOXO
Patty says
Oh my, Christy, I would not have thought this chair could look so lovely! Your vision always amazes me! 🙂 Love the black and white – so classy looking. So funny that someone mentioned “tattoos” because that is what I was thinking, too. She is a beauty!!
Christy says
Aww thank you, Patty! I really appreciate that! I am a sucker for a simple black and white look also. And yes, it really does look like tattoos lol! XOXO
Jen @ Girl in the Garage says
This is so pretty, Christy – definitely not masculine anymore! And Happy Birthday early, I hope it’s fantastic and that your boys spoil you!! xo
Christy says
Thank you so much, my friend! I appreciate that! It will be a hands-off day for this mama for sure lol, although I’m good as long as I get out of cooking! XOXO
Deborah Mealus says
Beautiful design concept and implementation! ( as usual!) Happy Birthday!!
Christy says
Aww thank you so much, Deborah and thank you for the birthday wishes! XOXO
Leslie Delanty says
Hiya Christy,
I am in love with this makeover. My Gramma always put a little something on the back of the clothes she made, usually the hem of a dress/skirt. She said it was like giving a kiss goodbye for the person to remember you. The tattoo on the back leg of the chair reminds me of that. Keep them coming … all my best …./leslie
Christy says
Aww I am so glad you love it, Leslie, thank you! And I love that your Gramma did that! XOXO
Cyndi says
Beautiful job! Looks like it’s ready for another hundred years of service! 😉
Christy says
Thank you, Cyndi! Absolutely! XOXO
Michele M. says
WOW!!
What a gorgeous make-over!!! Well done, Christy. Looks fabulous.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Michele! XOXO
Cheryl Atkinson says
Hi Christy! I love that stencil and. The. Placements are perfect. So pretty.
Christy says
Aww thank you so much, my friend! I really could have kept on going ha ha! XOXO
Rose Lefebvre says
LOVE IT!!!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Rose! XOXO
Kathy says
Another AWESOME makeover! I loved the placements of the stenciled areas. I glanced through what’s left of your haul and I hope you will choose that cute little drop-side table in the near future. It’s adorable already and I can’t wait to see what you’ll do with it!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Kathy! I have that table cleaned and ready to go, so it will be soon!! XOXO