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October 20, 2014 · 12 Comments

French Distressed Chair and Easy Upholstery Tutorial

Paint/Wax/Stain

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This French distressed chair with easy upholstery tutorial is for any French decor loving girl.

French Distressed Chair and Easy Upholstery Tutorial - So Much Better With Age

Some people can be easily intimidated by upholstery projects but I’m here to tell you that it is very easy, especially on chairs like this that only need the seat upholstered.

And the best part of this project is that it is very inexpensive as I use a drop cloth and stencil and paint to give this chair a makeover.

 

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To get started, here are is what you need for this project:

Supplies:

  • wooden chair in need of painting with a fabric seat
  • screwdriver
  • cream or white (I used Raw Silk by Fusion Mineral Paint)
  • charcoal grey (I used Ash in Fusion Mineral Paint)
  • paintbrush (this one is my fave)
  • clear furniture wax (Fusion Mineral Paint)
  • dropcloth (washed and dried to soften)
  • fleur-de-lis stencil (similar one here)
  • sandpaper or sanding sponge (120 or 220 grit)
  • scissors
  • staple gun and staples
  • black fabric paint
  • foam pouncer brush for stencilling
  • masking tape or painter’s tape
  • packing tape

Here is the chair before she got a makeover. It was $4 from the Salvation Army, solid wood and from Romania.

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/before - So Much Better With Age

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/before chair from Romania - So Much Better With Age

Paint Directions:

  1. Unscrew the seat from underneath and set aside.
  2. Paint the chair with 1-2 coats of white paint drying 1-2 hours in between coats.
  3. Paint the chair with 1 good coat of the charcoal grey paint.
  4. Allow to dry 24 hours before sanding and sand the entire chair with fine grit sandpaper sanding more around the edges for a natural distressed look. Wipe off excess dust.
  5. Finish the chair by rubbing clear wax over chair with a rug then wiping/buffing off as you go.

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/grey over white paint - So Much Better With Age

Upholstery Directions:

1. Lay the seat upside down on the piece of drop cloth keeping the old fabric attached to the seat (you can remove the fabric but then you will need new foam and batting so it’s easiest to just leave it on). Cut around the chair leaving about 2-3 inches all around.

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/upholstery on seat chair - So Much Better With Age2. Starting in the middle top or bottom, pull the drop cloth a taut then staple. Do the same to the opposite side as pictured below. You want the fabric pulled nice and snug but too tightly will make pulls in the fabric.

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/stapling chair - So Much Better With Age

3. Repeat the same on the sides of the chair alternating top, bottom, side, side with one staple next to the first staple about an inch apart repeating until you are only left with the corners.

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/drop cloth on chair - So Much Better With Age

4. For the corners, (1) pull the middle piece of fabric towards the centre of the chair and staple. (2) Then pull one side over the part just stapled and staple in place (3) and repeat for the last piece. This will ensure a nice fit with no fabric pulling from the top side.

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/finishing corners - So Much Better With Age

5. Trim off the excess fabric.

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/upholstered chair - So Much Better With Age

6. Tape the edges down with packing tape (it’s all I had on hand and seemed to do the trick!)

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/drop cloth seat - So Much Better With Age

7. Flip the seat around and place your French stencil on the middle of the chair and secure with painter’s tape. Squeeze a bit of black fabric paint on a paper plate and dab the foam brush into it dabbing off excess on a paper towel. Dab the foam brush up and down over the stencil onto the fabric moving making sure the paint doesn’t bleed through under the stencil.

8. Let it dry then screw the chair pad back to the chair.

Isn’t it so sweet and French?

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/grey French chair - So Much Better With Age

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/fleur de lis - So Much Better With Age

French distressed chair and easy upholstery tutorial/distressed paint - So Much Better With Age

I hope you try making your own French distressed chair along with this easy upholstery tutorial.

Click in Case You Missed:

Toile Chair Makeover

Toile Chair Makeover - So Much Better With Age

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. DesignDreams by Anne says

    October 20, 2014 at 5:50 am

    Absolute perfection! What a gorgeous chair!!!

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      November 5, 2014 at 10:37 pm

      Awww, thanks Anne!!
      Big hugs, Jamie

      Reply
  2. Cassie T - Lovely Weeds says

    October 20, 2014 at 12:25 pm

    I love it! The colors are beautiful. Thank you for the step-by-step on getting the corners of your seat pretty – that’s always the hardest part!

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      October 20, 2014 at 9:17 pm

      Thanks so much, Cassie!
      Hugs, Jamie

      Reply
  3. Fonda Rush says

    October 20, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    I’m confused…what makes this French?

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      October 20, 2014 at 9:16 pm

      Annie Sloan’s look is very French. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. One of her books is called “Creating the French Look”.

      Reply
  4. Natalie says

    October 28, 2014 at 7:48 am

    Hi! Popping across from Do Tell Tuesday! I love that distressed look… great transformation 🙂

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      November 5, 2014 at 10:38 pm

      So glad you’re here, Natalie! Thanks so much 😉

      Reply
  5. Monika Bourderioux says

    November 3, 2014 at 9:21 am

    I find it interesting! Did you make it with all your chairs?

    Reply

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