Paint a wooden chair

Take one plain wooden dining chair and make it a stand-alone statement piece.

Resene upcycling for good with Sarah Herring - Project 39

Finished project

You will need: Painter’s masking tape and scissors, Resene Quick Dry primer undercoat, Resene testpots – Sarah used Resene Paddock and Resene Permanent Green, sandpaper, testpot brushes.

Top tip: This was a very simple but really effective way to update a plain old chair. It just goes to show that you don’t always need a full set of dining chairs; they can be statement pieces all on their own! You could use a chair like this in a home office, as a plant stand, or as a bedside table for your books and lamp. Painting one chair is an easy way to inject a bit of colour into a room too.

Before

Finished project

Step one
Clean the dust off the chair and then give it a light sand to prepare it for painting. Check for loose screws or any other repairs that might be needed before painting. Once it is clean and sanded, apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry primer undercoat to all surfaces.

Colours: Resene Paddock and Resene Permanent Green.

Step two
Once the primer has dried, paint the chair with two coats of Resene Permanent Green. Always make sure you wait for each coat to dry before applying another

Step three
Plan out some freehand shapes. These are where Sarah planned to apply the lighter shade of green. Mask out some sharp angled pieces to contrast the round shape of the chair. Sarah masked out a diagonal shape on the back of the chair, and another on the seat.

Step four
Apply two coats of Resene Paddock to the selected areas and once dry, peel off all the masking tape.

Upcycling for Good

You can find a huge range of treasures, from ornaments and picture frames, to furniture and toys at your local Salvation Army store that you can easily upcycle with a little Resene paint and some imagination.

"Our Family Stores are full of treasures generously donated by members of the public. We value these donations and try our hardest to re-purpose and sell as much as possible. We’re all about re-using and recycling, so teaming up with Resene on Upcycling for Good was a perfect match. Resene’s products and tips are a natural fit with our pre-loved furniture and accessories, which are usually great quality but could sometimes do with a lick of paint to ensure they fly off the shelves.

Each year, nationally, our stores save 16,000 tonnes from landfill. This initiative increases the value of the donated product, improves the range of goods for our customers, and furthers The Salvation Army’s mission and Resene’s community activity.” Gareth Marshall, The Salvation Army's National Family Store Manager.

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Resene Paints Ltd – www.resene.com