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How I Gave a Rocking Chair a Rustic Finish

In this post I’ll be sharing How I Gave a Rocking Chair a Rustic Finish.

There, do you see it?!! My favorite rocking chair in the whole wide world is sitting there. 

No not that one. 

The one, on the left. 

I saw this little rocking chair at Junkapalooza. 

It looked like it was just being used for a display piece because it had piles of products for sale stacked on it, and no price tag. 

Something about it caught my eye and I just had to ask, “Is this chair for sale?”

The answer I got was just what I wanted to hear, but wait how much was it?

The price that was shot at me was one I could handle, “$5.”  SOLD!! 

Rocking Chair with Farmhouse Makeover

How I Gave a Rocking Chair a Rustic Finish

This chair went through a lot of changes before I finally figured out what I wanted it to look like. 

The first refinish went something like this: I sanded the rest of the finish off (most of the top portion was already sanded when we bought it.)

Then I cleaned it, stained it and put 1 1/2 coats of polyurethane on it. Yep I was almost finished when I decided I didn’t like where this chair was headed. 

I meant for it to match the other rocking chair, but it just wasn’t doing it for me.

Painting the chair was always in the back of my mind, so I decided I would try that. 

Now this is where things got crazy. 

So you know how you know better, but you do something anyway despite your common sense. 

Maybe it was because I had already spent a lot of time on this chair, that I just half heartedly did this next step. 

I lightly sanded over the polyurethane that I had applied to the chair, and exasperatingly told myself, “That’s good enough.” 

Well I went forward in the painting process putting 2 coats of latex semi gloss paint on it. 

I used the same paint I painted my kitchen chairs with (that project is coming up). 

After the paint was dry, I went to distress it with sandpaper and it just peeled off.

UGH!!! I didn’t sand it well enough before applying paint, which would have been fine if I were using chalky finish paint. :/  

I kept thinking, “What in the world were you thinking? You know better!!”

This was frustrating at the time, but ended up being a happy mistake.

Well the next step was a mixture of just peeling the paint and sanding the parts where it actually adhered, but as I did this the chair transformed into perfection in my sight. 

I loved the rustic look I was getting!!

There was still stain left in some places and even paint left in the cracks, but it was a beautiful sight. 

After all the sanding was done, and the chair was cleaned up, I sealed it with finishing wax.

Rocking Chair with Farmhouse Makeover

The chair didn’t come with a seat, so I cut some plywood we had lying around to fit perfectly on the chair. 

I then took some lining in an old coat and stapled it to the plywood to create a cushion.

I then decided this need a little quilted look added to it. 

The wood already reminded me of a chair you might find in an old barn that had been sitting there for years, worn and rustic, so a quilted look fit the wood finish perfectly. 

I’ve mentioned before how I’ve kept fabric pieces for years and haven’t used them yet, well I pulled out some of those quilt blocks and sewed them together to create a cover.

I used my heavy duty stapler to staple the quilted piece onto the seat. 

My lines aren’t perfect by any means, but I think it lends to the rustic look, so I’m pleased with the “not so perfect” look of my quilt cover. 

Whew! I think I prefaced this chair makeover enough, onto the pictures. I’m in love with this chair so I took lots of pictures. 

I hope you enjoy looking at How I Gave a Rocking Chair a Rustic Finish.

Rocking Chair with Farmhouse Makeover
How I Gave a Rocking Chair a Rustic Finish
Rocking Chair with Farmhouse Makeover
Rocking Chair with Farmhouse Makeover
Rocking Chair with Farmhouse Makeover
Rocking Chair with Farmhouse Makeover
Rocking Chair with Farmhouse Makeover
Rocking Chair with Farmhouse Makeover
How I Gave a Rocking Chair a Rustic Finish
How I Gave a Rocking Chair a Rustic Finish
How I Gave a Rocking Chair a Rustic Finish
Thank you for sharing  How I Gave a Rocking Chair a Rustic Finish!
How I Gave a Rocking Chair a Rustic Finish

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