Funky Junk Interiors

Woodgrain grain sack stripe on a vintage wood stackable chair

Remember back in school when it was assembly time? Row after row of wood stackable chairs were lined up so close they were touching each other. Ahhh… the sound of hundreds of those chairs clunking together and shuffling around on those wooden gym floors brings back loads of memories!

I don’t remember any vintage wood stackable chair being particularly cool in any way though. In fact, they were pretty uncomfortable for long sits!

But upon scrolling my town’s local Facebook bidding group, I came across a couple of vintage wood stackable chairs I felt the urge to take a chance on.

These chairs were different! The wood was thicker than I’ve ever seen before, plus both the seat and back had exaggerated curves, sort of like potato chips, leaving me to assume they may even be somewhat comfy…

Before I even won them, I had visions on what they would look like. I kept some pictures of some refurbished theatre seats and there was one in particular that I really liked. The chairs were painted black, but with lighter colored grain sack stripes running down the middle.

I felt these chairs would suit that look but with my own twist. So I bid until I got them!

And then the chairs sat… for at least a year. A room decorating switched gears and I no longer had a need for them. Oops.

So while purging lately, I attempted to sell them as-is, but no one bit. So I cut myself a deal… the only way I could get rid of them was to do something cool to them FIRST!

The challenge was on. But this round, that grain sack stripe would be my fav color. Wood grain! Something I haven’t seen done yet. 

And the outcome was just as I had hoped for, if not better!

So here’s how I achieved a fabulous woodgrain grain sack stripe on a vintage wood stackable chair…

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Woodgrain grain sack stripe on

a vintage wood stackable chair

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Supplies I used:

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Grain Sack Stripe stencil G1L

Fusion Mineral Paint’s Ash

Fusion Mineral Paint’s Stain and Finishing Oil in Cappuccino and Golden Pine

* Locate a local Fusion retailer HERE for all Fusion and Staalmeester products

Painters tape and ¼” vinyl pin stripe tape (I used Scotchcal)

Staalmeester #75 synthetic paint brush (from Fusion)

Palm sander (I love my Bosch variable speed HERE)

Tack cloth

How-to:

 

Sanding the chair

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1. The chair was sanded with coarse sandpaper to remove the sheen of the chair finish, but taken down to the bare wood where the grain sack stripe would ultimately be.

This is so a darker wood stain would have a chance to penetrate the bare wood.

View Grain Sack Stripe stencils HERE

2. A tracing of Grain Sack Stripe G1L was drawn on the chair.

This made designing the grain sack stripe quick and easy, even though I didn’t use it to stencil with this round.

Taping the chair

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3. Use painters tape to cover the entire grain sack stripe design.

Painter’s tape was used to fill in the middle thick stripe.

Then ¼” vinyl pinstriping tape was used to create two smaller stripes on each side of the wide stripe.

1. Lay a thin stripe against the thick.
2. Lay another thin stripe beside it.
3. Remove the first thin stripe.
4. Repeat on the other side.

Brush tips

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I’m a massive fan of 100% synthetic brushes because they offer the smoothest finish possible vs. a brush with natural bristles, which can result in brush strokes.

Because I desired a flawless finish, I chose to use the Staalmeester 100% synthetic ONE brush. (the middle one with a 75 on it)

This brush isn’t built to hold a lot of paint, but it does get the paint on fast, even and smooth. I’ve had my eye on them for awhile and was eager to give it a run! It worked like a dream!

4. Next up, the chairs were taken apart so I could spray paint the metal legs, and work on both sides of the chair seat and back.

Painting the chair

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5. Fusion Mineral Paint’s Ash was applied to the chair in long, even strokes from one end of the chair to the other, without stops in between.

The tape was then removed as soon as possible to avoid paint bleed.

How to avoid brush strokes

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• Fusion dries fast, so it’s important to not overwork the paint which can lead to brush strokes.
• Get it on, get it smoothed out, then leave it be.
• I like to use long even strokes from one end of the surface to the other without stops in between.
• Getting the right amount of paint helps too. Too little causes dry-drag… too much causes brush strokes. The paint goes a long way so you won’t need much. Just enough.

Staining the chair

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5. Next up was to stain that gorgeous grain sack stripe to bring out a darker tone of wood grain!

However, I also stained the entire chair, even where there was paint, for added durability and a silky feeling finish.

I used a mix of Fusion’s Cappuccino and a little bit of Golden Pine.

You can see how I used this stain combo in THIS SHELF and THIS IKEA TRESTLE DESK and THIS SCREEN DOOR.

Staining on paint tips

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While Fusion has a built in top coat and doesn’t need anything else, topping with Fusion’s Stain and Finishing Oil results in a smooth, silky finish that offers a little extra protection.

Less fingerprints will show on the surface as well!

Here’s some additional tips when staining on paint:

• Brush the stain on, wait a few minutes, then wipe all the excess off. This is especially important where it’s sitting on paint, as the stain will not absorb.
• Additional coats will enhance the sheen, deepen the stain tone and offer more durability.
• This is a floor grade finish so the durability is there.
• Best to use this stain on darker paint tones only, as it can yellow lighter tones.

Then once the chair was dry, it was time to put it back together again. So grateful for easy bolts to work with!

The finished chair!

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And the finished result was exactly as I imagined! This gorgeous beast of a chair is little bit dramatic, and a little bit rustic. Vintage modern if you will!

I felt this paint treatment had a masculine look, which suited the chair shape, don’t you think?

Plus, the finish feels as smooth as silk!

I forgot to take pictures of the back! But the stripe is also on the back of the chair AND underneath the seat, which I know is overkill. But it was easy to do since the chair was unassembled, so why not?

And then I started to play. The more I played with the chair, the more I knew I’d have a hard time letting it go…

Oh dear.

That woodgrain sack stripe though… that’s what makes this makeover so special, don’t you think?

Oh goodness I adore this look.

I also love how Ash looks deep without being dead black. It’s so pretty! And just a little more further enhanced topped with stain. I love the barely there satin finish it leaves.

Isn’t it a beauty?! It’s simple… yet simply perfect! And of course it looks really REALLY good in every room in my home…

Any guesses where it’s currently sitting?

You guessed it… in the guest bedroom where I had intended for it to be ALL ALONG.

I may fail at this particular purge, but at least the chairs ARE stackable… right?! LOL

How would you finish them if they were yours?

Other grain sack stripe projects you may enjoy:

 

How to grain sack stripe a chair slipcover

Achieving authentic looking grain sacks

Double grain sack pillows:  Wild Flower Seeds / Reindeer Feed

Visit other grain sack striped projects HERE

Check out all my other DIY project HERE