Recovering Paint Store Chairs

As I mentioned a while back, I am slowly working towards updating my family's paint store. My mom ventured over with me and we picked out fun paint colors to show off Benjamin Moore's great selection while also appealing more to women.

We are waiting for the usual summer slump before we dismantle the store and paint the walls and baseboards. But I just couldn't stand waiting! I decided the chairs were just too worn to be tolerated any longer and needed to be recovered immediately. The problem? I was swamped with work and trying to leave early for the airport but didn't want to waste my free shipping code! Thank goodness for Melinda. I told her the names of my paint choices and sent her a picture to refresh her memory of the paint store appearance. With that information, she gave four recommendations with this one being her first choice.

$10.80 per yard at Online Fabric Store

This fabric is just perfect. It pulls out the colors we chose for our walls and is very durable! And the busy pattern will hide any stains that break through the water repellent treatment. Let me repeat: Thank goodness for Melinda

the stained before and happy after

This was the first time I recovered chairs so I won't be writing a tutorial (you can find plenty of tutorials including this one by Young House Love). Instead, I will share some tips that I figured out while winging it - my favorite approach to DIY projects.

1. It took me less than an hour to do all four, which included taking pictures. However, my paint store guy helped by taking the chairs apart and putting them back together. Plan on having lots of time so you don't have to rush. It is no fun pulling out staples, as I learned that day.

2. I ordered 2 yards, which was a bit more than necessary but I wanted to make sure I could choose which section of the pattern to center on each chair rather than be concerned with conserving fabric. I measured my chairs and added 4 extra inches to each side for overlap, just to be safe. However, I could have probably gotten away with 2.5 inches on each side. I had enough fabric left over for my niece to make me a purse (surprise birthday gift from her) and a swatch large enough to redo a chair in the event of an unfortunate accident.

3. Decide how you will center the pattern on each chair before getting carried away with the staple gun. I decided to put a hexagon in the center, but did each chair with a different one since I had four chairs and four designs to use. I also decided to put the pointy ends of the hexagons up/down rather than going across the width of the chair.

different design in the center

4. I found my chair looked the best when I stapled in the order below. Otherwise, the corners weren't as perfectly folded. Really put thought into how you are approaching your project. It depends on the chair shape. Also keep flipping the seat over to make sure you are happy with how the fabric is working. Agani: pulling out staples is no fun.

repeat this patter for the two back corners

This project was super easy and I am very happy with how the chairs turned out. The paint store is much cheerier, even after that little bit of work. Melinda suggested I get a few pots of succulents for a low maintenance (and small) centerpiece and an outdoor rug to go under the table. The goal here is to improve the store's appearance without adding onerous chores to my paint store guys' responsibilities.

Do you have any DIY projects to share with us? We love to hear from y'all! Tweet or instagram at us! And great news! This project was featured on Roadkill Rescue!