We have been on our own for 2 years and was given a free dining set. We were so grateful for that, immediately I saw potential underneath the horrible 60's Orange plaid cushions and the wobbly wood table.
I don't have many pictures of it because it was so ugly and my kitchen is the last room that I am giving a makeover. I have put it off for so long because I am not to familiar with tools, I look like a deer in headlights in any Home Depot type store, and honestly I just thought I would mess it up. Then it hit me one day, who cares! It was a free table! A teacher of mine always said "You don't make mistakes you make discoveries." And it is so true. Even if the worst possible outcome happens, you learn from it! People are not born being able to be a pro at anything so take chances! I got a pink tool set for Christmas with the basics, and now I LOVE adding to my collection!
So on to the makeover.
1. I flipped the table on its top and put wood glue in the leg areas that were wobbly and let that dry. No wobbling table now, yay!
2. Using a screw driver I flipped the chairs upside down and took the screws out of the seat.
3. I took the material and padding off- oh man talk about old! It was falling apart like saw dust! (Ewww)
4. Then I was just left with a board for the base. I measured the length and width of the largest side and added four inches to each (This will give you 2" all the way around the material to fold on to the back and staple to the board)
5. After measuring I figured up how much material and padding I would need. I got extra so I could have left over fabric for another project, I could of got away with 1 or 1.5 yards but I did 2. And got a big piece of 1/2" padding.
6. I measured the four squares of material I need for the chairs, cut those out. Then used the wood board to trace on the padding to cut four pads out.
7. Then get your square of fabric and flip it upside down and lay it on your working surface. Next lay the padding with the board on top. Flip over fabric from opposit sides and using a staple gun, staple it all over the back. (Make sure not to cover the screw holes)
8. Once your cushions are reupholstered you are halfway done! Yay!
(These cushions are not yet screwed back into the chair I just sat it on there to see what it looked like)
For painting the table and chairs
1. I bought Plaster of Paris at Home Depot it was pretty cheap, you need this to make your regular paint into chalk paint. Why? Because with chalk paint you do not have to sand or prime and it can go on any surface!!! You're welcome, I just saved you hours of labor!
Mix into a good size bowl
1 1/2 cup paint of choice (I used BEHR paint I already had)
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup Plaster of Paris
Mix it all up until there are no lumps and that's all there is to it!! That mixture was enough to cover my chairs and bottom half of the table with a second coat! It is super fast drying so you can do a round of one coat then by the time you are done with your last item, start the second coat!
2. Now just by using a regular brissle paint brush, paint one coat of the chalk paint. When finished start with the first piece make sure it's dry- then do a second coat. Let this sit for a few hours once done.
3. By using one sheet of sand paper (I used 80 grit and it worked great) distress the area you painted wherever you want the paint to be worn off. This is also great for hiding areas of imperfections ;)
4. Screw the seats back on the chairs and you are done!
Note I plan on staining the top of the table- I'll add on to this once I do that! You can leave the table top as is, or stain it! It's your creation! :)
