I received a message from a beautiful family friend containing a picture of a set of dining chairs. My sister had alerted her to the fact I was looking for new (no brand new) dining chairs and this was the exact style I was hunting for. The only downfall of this "No Brand New" journey is that things take time, you can't instantly click your fingers and have or buy exactly what you want or need. But something that was once a downfall has made the thrill of the chase, the excitement of the hunt, and the rewarding experience of transforming or upcycling an item and reinventing it into the future such a satisfying experience.
So that very afternoon my beautiful friend arrived with 5 dining chairs for $69 stuffed in the back of her little car that she had seen at newly opened second hand furniture shop. She took the liberty of sending a pic of the chairs out to her friends, now that's the recycling, reinventing, restoring advocate we need!
So that very afternoon my beautiful friend arrived with 5 dining chairs for $69 stuffed in the back of her little car that she had seen at newly opened second hand furniture shop. She took the liberty of sending a pic of the chairs out to her friends, now that's the recycling, reinventing, restoring advocate we need!
These chairs were an icky, yellow cream colour which was easily changed with a plastic primer and high gloss plastic spray paint. These spray paints and primers (specific to the surface you want to paint) can be purchased from Mitre 10, I used a brand called Plastikote. I unscrewed the legs, and set up a well ventilated painting area. The chairs took 3.5 coats, 1 coat of primer, 2 top coats, and a bit of a touch up spray around the edges and any high wear areas.
Once dry (leaving them for 24 hours in the garage) we put the chairs back together and matched them with my 1970s Formica extendable table. This table was a Trademe bargain for $40 and is perfect for a small dining space. I used a little white paint to freshen it up and metal doctor on the legs to get rid of a bit of rust and give them a shine.
And there you have it, my new (not brand new) Upcycled dining chairs & table. Total cost $109.