Silver Leaf Side Chair

I love silver leaf furniture. It can't be that hard to do if it's all over the web... I acquired a black side chair from an old roommate. The paint was chipping all over. It seemed like a prime choice to test my silver leafing skills on.

 

This is a picture of the chair before the paint started chipping

 

 

 

I sanded the areas where the paint was chipping then I wiped down the chair with a damp cloth. I primed the entire surface with primer.

 



 

Once that dried I used an adhesive spray all over the chair . It gets tacky almost immediately so you'll be able to apply the silverleaf right away. I used Silver Leaf  but you can get Metal Leaf, Gold Leaf, etc... I picked mine up at Hobby Lobby but I've also purchased it off Amazon.

 

 

 

 

The silver leaf pieces are separated by wax paper. They crumble easily so applying them using the wax paper is convenient. After placing the first piece I rubbed a foam brush over the back side of the wax paper then peeled the wax paper off. The silver leaf stuck to the adhesive. I placed each piece slightly over the other. I used a paint brush to push the crumbled pieces into the cracks that the silver leaf didn't adhere to. After I finished putting the silver on the entire chair I sprayed it with a metal leaf sealer that I picked up from an art store and let it sit for 36 hours. I thought I was done...then my sister sat in the chair and got silver on the back of her shirt. So, I'm going to paint a coat of polyurethane sealer over it. I read online that a lot of people don't seal their projects because they like the antiqued look when pieces flake off. Unfortunately, I did a high traffic piece so I'll most definitely need to use a sealer.

 

 

 

 

 



 

**NOTE: The silver flakes get everywhere so make sure you are outside or on a tile/wood surface that will be easy to sweep when you are done.

 





 

 

 

 

Dining Chair Makeover

Every time I move I like to redecorate my house with different furniture. I’ve been moving so frequently that it’s getting a little expensive & it doesn’t make sense to invest in furniture when I always leave it behind. I decided to buy old furniture and refurbish it myself. This way I can create exactly what I want for a minimal cost. How hard could it be?

I purchased an oval dining table with four side chairs and one arm chair on Craigslist for $50. They were a mahogany finish with (what used to be) white cushions. Since there was only one arm chair I decided to reupholster the cushion in a funky fabric and use it as an occasional chair in my guest room.

 

This is what it looked like after I removed the disgusting cushion (Minus the wood board that sits on the fame. It was is good condition so I reused it).

 

 

 

I started to sand the wood but it was taking forever and I couldn't seem to reach every square inch with all those curves. I finally decided to use a primer instead. I just painted the entire surface with the primer and once that dried I painted the chair black with a regular water based paint I picked up at Walmart. I had to buy a new cushion which I picked up at my local art store (Joanns or Michaels). The cushion was a 3" thick square that I had to trim a little to make it the same size as my frame. I put the fabric (face down) on the floor and put the new foam cushion and wood board on top. I used a staple gun to attached the fabric to the bottom of the board. Once I placed the new cushion on the frame I used the old screws to reattach it.

 

Here is the finished product.

 

 

 

 

I chose a suede fabric that I found online ($9/yd) for the four side chairs. When it came to repainting the dining table I sanded the legs since they were "real" wood and primed the "particle board" (top and frame) before painting.

 

 

 

 

I did the same thing to a pair of barstools I found on Craigslist for $13.