My Craigslist Addiction And A Much-Needed Chair Makeover

I had all but given up on Craigslist.  I had heard all these wonderful stories about people scoring incredible things for a steal, but had never found anything decent.  I would search several times a day, as was suggested by the lucky people who had scored deals and still nothing.  As timing would have it I found a boatload of deals the night before we were leaving for vacation.  I was sick to my stomach with the thought of missing out on all these amazing finds!  So I took a chance and emailed each one of the people listing the items I wanted and explained how I really did want their stuff, but could they wait say....10 days???  I was surprised at how many nice Craigslisters there are out there!  Most said they would hold on to the item, but if someone came along and wanted to pay listing price they'd have to take it.  I couldn't argue with that!

When I got back from vacation I was pleasantly surprised everything was still available.  The following weekend the Hubby, Hunter and I rented a Uhaul truck and picked everything up.  I have the best Hubby ever....after being away all week on business he was willing to spend his weekend picking up furniture from (as he says) possible serial killers.  I'm here to say not all people who list on Craigslist are serial killers :-)

Over the next several weeks I will be posting about all the different pieces I picked up so you'll have to be patient...just know I got a TON of great stuff!!

This post is about the chair I got from a nice lady who was clearing out her parent's 1810 farm house.  Such a cool house with lots of character and great furniture! 

  Here's the before shot of the the chair.

A solid wood chair with great bones, but it needed a lot of love.

It's made by Drexel and it's very sturdy....sturdy enough for Hunter to 'sit' on it :-)

OH, that lovely fabric that's torn....it was so old, dirty and dusty.  It makes me sneeze just looking at these pictures!  

Both sides were equally bad.  There were 2 layers of bad fabric, this blue fabric and then an acid green one.  Not to mention some really nasty padding.  It was so bad I wore a mask while taking this apart.  Dust plumes were going everywhere!

The finish was coming off too.....especially on the arm.

I knew this chair was going to get a lot of use in our house, especially from Hunter.  So I decided to try something new.  I know I'm always talking about how great the Annie Sloan paint goes on and sticks without primer, well one thing I've learned is sometimes the stain seeps through the lighter paints.  I didn't want that happening on this chair because I wasn't using any dark wax this time.  So I gave it a quick and light sanding, then put on 2 coats of primer.

It already looks better with 2 coats of primer!

I like how the shape of the chair shows up better now.  

Next step was the paint.  I used my old fav Old White...surprise!  I just love how creamy this color is and how easy the paint goes on.  I guess I have a chalk paint addiction and a Craigslist addiction! 

I tried something new this time.  Instead of putting a coat of clear wax on before distressing, I did the distressing with no wax.  I really didn't see any difference.  I like the fact that I saved a step so I think this will be the way I do it from now on!  Of course I still finished it up with a coat of clear wax to protect the paint.

Here it is....the finished product.  No I didn't take any pictures while I was upholstering the seat.  It was very tricky and there might have been a bit of cursing going on so I decided it was OK to forget about the pictures.  There weren't really any corners because the seat is rounded and this was what caused me the frustration.  The seat now has this gorgeous fabric, a new foam cushion and new poly.  I think she cleaned up great!

I wanted to make sure this fabric seat was durable so I used outdoor fabric!  I couldn't believe all the gorgeous outdoor fabric they have out there.  I actually fell in love with this fabric before I realized it was outdoor fabric.  It's water repellent and very strong....perfect for a house with a little boy!

I'm giving you a sneak peek of my next posting....the nightstands I bought from the same nice lady.  I will write more about that next time :-)

 I have to mention I'm going to be selling the nightstands and it's hard for me because I love them, but I can truly say I have nowhere in my house for nightstands. They will have to go to a new home.

I'm really happy how this chair turned out.  I just wish I could have bought two!  I love putting a bit of myself into each piece I redo and I can truly say that this chair has my name written all over it!  OH and I can't end this without talking about that adorable pillow.  The chair looked naked without a pillow and I found the perfect one at Home Goods!  Just what it needed to pull it all together.  I hope you like it as much as I do.  Also, if you're looking for nightstands, let me know I have two that need a good home!


****LINKING TO:

        Funky Junk Interiors Link Party: http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/2012/05/sns-132-link-party-porches-and-patios.html

       Primitive and Proper POWW :http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/