Wooden stools

Give two old wooden stools a nautical-style new look with bright, bold colour and pattern.

Resene upcycling for good with Sarah Herring - Project 02

Give two old wooden stools a nautical-style new look
Finished project

You will need: Bar stools – Sarah sourced these from The Salvation Army store, Painter’s tape for masking, Resene Lustacryl paint in Resene Zinzan (500ml) and Resene Galliano (500ml), Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat (500ml), Resene Testpot of Resene Always (or the white shade of your choice), Sandpaper, Small detail brush, Testpot brushes x 2

Tips and tricks: If you are a bit heavy handed with the paint in some areas and you see drip marks appearing, you can carefully sand these off once dry in between coats to keep a smooth finish.

Give two old wooden stools a nautical-style new look

Finished project

Before

You will need

Step one
Prepare your item for painting by sanding it to remove any old colour, stain or lacquer. These barstools had a light stain on them so needed to be sanded.

Step two
Using your testpot brush apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry primer to cover all faces of both stools. Wait until this has dried completely. Try not to load the paintbrush up with too much paint or you will see drip marks when the paint is dry, especially on a project like this. If like these stools you have some tight spaces to paint, you may need to use a smaller detail brush.

Step three
Each of these stools is painted in two bold colours, though you could use more. Measure and mask where you want the colour to change. These stools are painted two thirds dark blue with a bold yellow on the lower legs. Painting an item in two complementary colours can be a good way to introduce a subtle pop of bright colour if you are not keen to commit fully to one by itself!

Step four
Apply your main colour to both stools. This project uses Resene Zinzan. Keep applying until you get the full depth of colour without any of the primer showing through. Wait for the first coat to dry completely before applying more paint.

Step five
Remove the masking tape and start applying your secondary colour. This project uses Resene Galliano, a strong yellow shade. It should be easy to cut into the masked line where the blue paint stops by using a testpot brush. If you are not confident at cutting in, you can always mask against the line again. Wait for the first coat to dry completely before applying more paint.

Step six
Once all your paintwork is dry, choose an area to paint a trendy pattern. This is a nice way to modernise the stools and also break up the block colour. On these stools, along the footrest part, a simple geometric pattern has been measured and masked out.

Step seven
Apply white paint to create your pattern. I used Resene Always. You may like to use a smaller brush for this step to avoid any mistakes. Wait for the first coat to dry completely before applying more paint. Once the final coat is dry, remove the masking tape.

Upcycling for Good

You can find a huge range of treasures, from ornaments and picture frames, to furniture and toys at your local Salvation Army store that you can easily upcycle with a little Resene paint and some imagination.

"Our Family Stores are full of treasures generously donated by members of the public. We value these donations and try our hardest to re-purpose and sell as much as possible. We’re all about re-using and recycling, so teaming up with Resene on Upcycling for Good was a perfect match. Resene’s products and tips are a natural fit with our pre-loved furniture and accessories, which are usually great quality but could sometimes do with a lick of paint to ensure they fly off the shelves.

Each year, nationally, our stores save 16,000 tonnes from landfill. This initiative increases the value of the donated product, improves the range of goods for our customers, and furthers The Salvation Army’s mission and Resene’s community activity.” Gareth Marshall, The Salvation Army's National Family Store Manager.

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Resene Paints (Australia) Limited – www.resene.com