How to upcycle a kitchen chair with chalk paint

Give an old chair a modern makeover with some chalk furniture paint and a new cushion cover and you’ll have the best seat in the house

Published: August 2, 2021 at 7:13 am

upcycled chalk paint chair — Chair painted in Rust-Oleum Bramwell furniture paint, £15 for 750ml, B&Q. Barbados Shell fabric, £15.99 per metre, Terrys

With just a few common crafting items, you can transform a lived-in kitchen chair into a stunning upcycled treasure with a fresh coat of paint and a new seat cover.

Read on to find out how to use chalk paint and a piece of fabric to give your old kitchen chair a new lease of life.

You will need

Dining chair
Sandpaper
Chalk furniture paint - we used Rust-Oleum, but you could also use brands like Annie Sloan or Frenchic
Paintbrush
Pliers
Scissors
Patterned fabric
Staple gun

Step 1

Remove the seat cushion from the dining chair and set aside. Lightly sand the chair and clean with a cloth.

Step 2

Protect your work surface with newspaper. Apply a coat of chalk furniture paint on the chair frame, and leave to dry. Repeat with a second coat of paint.

Step 3

Remove the old staples and fabric from the seat cushion with pliers. Then place the seat cushion on the new fabric, and cut around with scissors leaving a few centimetres of excess fabric all the way round.

Step 4

Starting on one side, start stapling the new fabric to the underside of the seat cushion. Then work on the opposite side, pulling it tight as you staple. Make folds and tuck them in neatly at each corner, and continue stapling the fabric on all the remaining sides of the seat cushion.

Step 5

Finally, fix the seat cushion back in position on the chair frame.

Make and styling Suzie Attaway Photo Oliver Gordon