A Pretty Place to Sit - Phase 1: Deconstruction

Vintage chair revamp.

This was a long process, but so worth the effort. I found these AMAZING vintage chairs at this great furniture shop in the OKC metro. I was able to get them at a good price, still more than I wanted to, but I wasn't able to physically walk out of the store without them.

They even swiveled! I was super excited!

 Once I got them home, then came the dissembling.
First!!!!!!! Before you do anything else, take a picture of how it was assembled. Once you get the piece apart, it is very common to ABSOLUTELY forget how it goes back together.

Then start unscrewing/ de-nailing/ de-stapling your piece.  

 

 HLT (Handy Little Tip): Old foam and batting will disintegrate after time, so put down plastic before you start ripping things apart.

 Two wonderful tools that I have found to be helpful are the Needle-nosed Pliers and Wallpaper/paint scraper. The scraper has a solid pointy tip that works great for getting under staples and the pliers easily grab little bits.

 Take apart each piece seperately so that you can keep all of the screws or nails together. Put each section in a different baggie and label accordingly. Even if you are going to replace them, it makes it a whole lot easier to take each baggie into the hardware store, hand to an employee and tell them you need matching ones. :) Or, ya know, dig them out of those confusing bins yourself. :)

HLT: ALWAYS buy extra of each type. Inevitably, you will end up dropping one only to watch it roll under something into the dark abyss of lost things.

 If the foam is in good shape - As was the case in the top portion of these chairs - (They were wrapped in plastic before being upholstered).

 The seats were a whole different story. First, I had to take off one layer of staples to remove the dust cover.

 Then you get to see what shape the seat board is in. This is where you decide that it will hold up or you will have to replace. And once again, remove several layers of staples.

 Once the other pieces were down to bare minimum, I started working on the frame. Time to take it outside and sand it down. If you are not up for tedious work (then upholstery is not a project for you). It takes many hours of sanding and deconstruction to complete one piece. But hey, worth the time.

 Once sanded, give it a good wipe down with some high dollar water. Just kidding, plain 'ol tap is just fine. Let dry.

Now, time for phase 2..... to be continued!

Junk Holders! I mean.... supply holders!

Hello all! Happy Hump Day!

We all have those little things that lie around the house in masses and get lost on a regular basis (hair ties - can I get an Amen?). This project is an up-cycled way to keep all those things together.

You know all those jugs you go through, like milk jugs, laundry detergent and softener bottles, etc... this is a great way to recycle and to save money instead of having to buy bins. These work especially great in the garage for nails, screws and other sharp objects since these containers are fairly heavy duty. WASH Thoroughly and dry before starting.

You will need a pair of sharp scissors, marker, sandpaper, and a knife.

Mark your area that you would like to leave open. You can make it as open or closed as you like, but remember to make it big enough to get your hand through.

I like to leave the handles because it just makes it handier.

There are some spots that are too thick for your scissors to go through, so you will need a sharp knife to saw.

Once you are done with that step, you will need to sand down the edges because they will be SHARP.

 Recycle the unused part.

Then your holders are ready! Or you can get super creative and paint them all up with fun colors... Or... Oooh! Chalk board paint would be fabulous because then you could draw on them! The possibilities are endless. Have fun with it!

No COUCH potatoes here....

Pallet Couch!

I call this the tornado resistant (not tornado proof - cause nothing really is) pallet couch because it weighs so much, you need 2 people to move it. Of course I used really heavy pallets cause I wanted it to not go anywhere, but once you start stacking them, they become incredibly heavy.

This color is called Proud Peacock. I LURVE it! It is EXTERIOR paint from CLARK & KENSINGTON, an Ace Hardware brand.

So, I started out with 3 big blue pallets that were 47 x 36". These are super heavy and weather resistant, which means that they are made with pressure treated wood and coated with protectorate. Over time though, they break down from breaks and cracks and they will need to be sealed again to keep for even longer! This is why we paint. (Plus because we love pretty colors).

One of them will get cut in half to use as the back board. Break out that jig saw or sawzall and cut in half on one side of the middle feet. Remove the lengthwise boards but leave the base board and feet intact, because you will use them later.

Once you have all your pieces cut, Sand EVERYTHING. This step will take you the longest. I do not wish my house guests to get skewered by splinters or shards that I forgot to get rid of, so I sand the heck out of it. To get the big shards off, I use the sanding tool on the Dremmel and work out all of the sharp spots and holes that are too small for the sander to get.

HLT: Run your fingers or a linen cloth over the whole piece to find the splinters that you missed while sanding.

Dust off all of the pieces, and then you are ready to paint! These monstrous pallets used about a half gallon of exterior paint. I always get a gallon anyways, so that I can match it later if I have to and to know that I will have enough.

HLT: Paint all of your pieces BEFORE you assemble. It will take way more time and much body contorting to get all of those tight spots after the fact.

PALLETS ASSEMBLE!!!!

 

Using 3" decking screws, connect your pallets together by drilling pilot holes though the top layer foot into the bottom, them screw them together.

Next, attach the base board with feet to the back part of the top layer. Then use the discarded boards from earlier to lean the half pallet to the position you are comfortable with. You may have to cut the boards down, depending how laid back you prefer.
Screw all boards in to make the piece solid.

Now it's time to add the slats.

These can be left over pieces from anything. Any length or width - you just want them to be the same height or they will be uncomfortable to sit on. Start from the middle and match them up laying until you get your pallet covered. Use your jig saw to cut off the excess overhang.

Repeat for the backer piece. Screw in all your boards. I used 1 1/4 length screws for this part to avoid having exposed screw backs poking through.

Sand everything! Clean and Paint!

Add pillows and a cushion if you like, but after all that sanding, it is nice enough by itself.

So go make something fun!

-Deborah

Pencil me this.....

End of the school year is here again! And all the children shout "YAY!!!!!". So of course that means it is time to thank our hard-working teachers for another completed school year. Here is just one of the many options for treating your educators.

Personalized Wooden Pencils

Start by taking your reclaimed (or new if you prefer) 1" x 4" (ish, doesn't have to be exact) wood. My plank was about 20" long, but you can make yours any length you choose.

Cut one side into a pointed angle for the pencil lead. I used my miter saw for this. A jig saw will work as well, just remember to draw out your lines first.

Next - SAND IT. We do not want our favorite people getting splinters, they already have enough paper cuts. So get it sanded really well. Then clean.

Favorite Part: Paint!

Primer white first because you want your colors to show up well. (Excuse the mess, but this is how I paint). Then draw out your lines for the eraser, metal banding, shavings mark, and lead.

I used pink for the eraser, a bright (but not neon) yellow for the pencil body, light grey for the metal banding, a light brown for the pencil shaving, and black for the lead. You can make your pencils any color you want! Try mixing it up and putting designs on it! The more creative you are, the more they will love it!

Once dry, add their name using a paint marker. I free handed this part but you could also use vinyl letters if you wanted.

CLEAR COAT your piece!!!!!!!

Next, drill your ribbon holes. Add ribbon!

 

HLT: wrap the end of your ribbon with clear tape (so that it looks like a shoe lace) to make it easier to thread through your board.

Then just tie your knots on each side and you are finished. Don't forget to sharpie in who it's from and the date, so that your teacher can remember later!

Happy Crafting!
Deborah

Any Ottoman Can Do It!

Think that reupholstering is hard? Think again!
Time consuming - yes, but you can do it!

Here is how I transformed this old ottoman into it's beautiful counterpart!

 

This was a 40"x 40" ottoman. The micro fiber material was still intact, so I wanted to keep it. It helps with support in the long run. But micro fiber is a pain to get clean once it is really dirty, so you have to scrub, scrub, scrub!

Now comes the fun part - DESTRUCTION!
Start by flipping your piece over. Remove the legs and set aside. They should just unscrew. Then you will need to remove the dust cover. If this is still intact and you wish to reuse it, then I recommend washing it on delicate to get all those years of pesky dust mite buildup out. Otherwise, chuck it and you will need to buy new at the end of the piece. I chose the former.

 

 Now remove the staples. There will be A BUNCH!

HLT: My tool of choice is this handy dandy paint scraper. There are so many uses for it. It is especially handy for removing staples - or at least prying them up so that you can grab them with your Needle Nosed Pliers.

Once your dust cover is off, you will likely see something like this:

 

OK, now flip back over. Fabric Time!
Since this piece was so big I had to first cut a piece for the top and then the sides and attach it to it. I used Duck Canvas because it is both strong enough to stretch without ripping, and durable enough to last.

HLT: If you have a patterned print, cut your side fabrics going the same direction or it will come out looking all wonky.

 

If you have a smaller piece, then you should be able to get fabric long enough to cover the entire piece. You will want at least a couple inches to overlap so that you will be able to staple it around the bottom.

Next, Comes the Tufted Buttons! See my tufted button tutorial on how to make the buttons @ http://loveandspraypaint.blogspot.com/2015/01/its-not-as-tuft-as-you-think-it-is.html
!
You need to mark out where you want the tufted buttons on the top of the fabric to get the right spacing. I chose to do 9 buttons. You will need a long upholstery needle and upholstery thread.

HLT: If you do not want to pay the expensive upholstery thread prices, and you have some braided fishing line lying around, that will work as well. ;)

Take your thread and cut about a 6 foot piece. This allows you to double the thread - then thread through your button and knot tight. Rethread through your needle.

The foam will be thick, so place your needle in your marked spot and push through while also compressing the foam enough to get your needle all the way through it. This can be tricky, so get another pair of hands to help hold the foam down, while you thread.

Once through, pull your thread tight. Use some tongue depressors or Popsicle sticks and wrap your thread around it. This help you pull your thread down tight enough to get the tension correct without having the thread cut through your hands. Plus once you get the tension correct (you will need to look at the top repeatedly to make sure that your button in secure in the fabric and is also even with the other buttons) then you can staple the sticks to the bottom!

 

 Repeat with all remaining buttons.

Time to start stapling!
Start first by stretching your fabric on one side and staple from middle outward. Then go to the opposite side and repeat. Next do the other sides, leaving space towards the corners, because you will do them last.

 

Next, stretch your fabric over the very corner and staple. Then fold each side down and stretch to make the corners. Staple down.

 Your stapled underside should look like this.

 Place your clean or new dust cover back on and staple in place. Then screw the legs back on (if you do not have to replace).

 And There you have it!

So you do not have to be afraid of upholstery! If you are just starting out, it helps to find a piece that is still in good condition to redo. Have fun!

Deborah