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D.I.Y. Upcycled Chairs

Posted by Ali | Tuesday June 12, 201222 comments

As they say, one person's trash is another's treasure.  In my neighbourhood it is customary to leave things you no longer need at the end of your driveway for anyone to take.  It's a great way to get quality stuff for free. I've seen everything from gently used strollers to solid wood coffee tables, sofas, chairs, bicycles, books and random odds and ends. Sidebar:  I do not recommend you take a roadside sofa because you never know what's living in them. 

When the discards go out, you have to act quickly before the guy in the minivan beats you to it.  For real. There is a guy in a minivan in my neighborhood who is all over this.

I found these chairs on one of my walks.  They're solid wood and aside from being an ugly shade of army green were in pretty decent shape.
D.I.Y Upcycled Chairs
I was lucky to get a free can of high end Benjamin Moore paint from the brand in Snow White (2122-70).  It's a beautiful designer shade of white that is nice enough to use by itself but I had my mind set on a particular shade of yellow, which I created by mixing with another paint.
D.I.Y Upcycled Chairs
Ideally when taking on a project like this you aren't lazy and you take the time to sand and prep the wood first.  But friends, I am lazy and so my D.I.Y buddy, Alexandra and I just painted over all of it.  To create my perfect yellow, I mixed the two colours together. 
D.I.Y Upcycled Chairs
Is this not the happiest yellow you've ever seen?  You could leave the chairs like this, but I thought a pillow to sit on would be more comfortable so I enlisted another D.I.Yer to help. My Mom.  But before I show you the final look, let's take another peek at the before:
D.I.Y Upcycled Chairs
I think we can agree they look much better now.  Ta-da!
D.I.Y Upcycled Chairs
What do you think?  Am I going to have to fight you for the neighbourhood discards now?
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19 Comments

on June 14, 2012  Scfixe  3,613 said:


Wow, thats really creative! Those chairs look great!

on June 13, 2012  Racenhawk  2,689 said:

What a transformation!

on June 13, 2012  GoneBatty  3,196 said:

super cute! I just re-painted a bed a found the same way!

on June 13, 2012  TashaCat  6,762 said:

I'm so the domestic diva... I love up-cycling and creative use of older pieces. Designers and divas agree... you can't beat the old-school construction of a hardwood chair!!

on June 13, 2012  bubbles77  28,057 said:

Amazing what a little paint and some new pillow covered fabric can achieve. This is clean and rustic, it gave me a great idea for an old rough looking chair I have, I can't part with the old thing cause I love the lines and the shape it has. I now have gotten bitten by the DIY bug, thanks for the motivation.
Love this !!

on June 13, 2012  no1-mom  1,031 said:

Great idea - good job! like it!

on June 13, 2012  farouknabela  3,469 said:

Those chairs look brand new! Thanks for sharing!

on June 13, 2012  Kewald  2,141 said:

I love these, I would really like some chairs redone in my house :)

on June 13, 2012  KatelynRose1984  20,704 said:

Those are adorable! Amazing for sitting on a patio, or in a sun room. Love them! Great job.

on June 13, 2012  lawrencesharon  1,325 said:

You have such appreciable innovative ideas.

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