Sitting pretty

Tool belle Rose Hughes gives much-loved but tired dining chairs a welcome update.

It’s a new year and time to ring the changes. We have had a set of Freedom moulded ply chairs for about 12 years, they have worked hard and are now paint-spattered, chipped and looking a little the worse for wear. I admit that my plan was always to paint them, but like many great ideas, life got in the way. Now that they reside in a very simple white space they are calling out to be updated.

Chair before refurbishment
Before

Chair after refurbishment
After

I decided to mix and match with two Resene colours from The Range – Fashion Colours 14 – this year’s colour swatch book. I chose Resene Double Barely There – a grey/white to work with the walls and Resene Flourish – a ‘‘tasty fresh pesto influenced lime’’.

This project was easy to do with one of those miracle products that it’s hard to imagine life without – Resene Smooth Surface Sealer. This water-based product allows you to paint all sorts of surfaces you thought you couldn’t – ceramic tiles, glass, some metals, Formica laminates and old varnished surfaces. Check with Resene staff if you are unsure if this product will be suitable for your project.

What you'll need

Hot, soapy water and cloth
Screwdriver to remove fittings
Fine sandpaper – I used 200 grit
Surface sealer – I used Resene Smooth Surface Sealer
Paint stirrer
Paint brushes/small roller and paint tray – I used a Resene Test Pot Kit
Top coat – I used Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel

Step-by-step instructions

I washed the chairs down with hot, soapy water to remove any grease and surface dirt, and then removed the legs.
Lightly sand the back and front of the chairs to create a key for the surface sealer to adhere to.
Apply surface sealer with a brush or roller and allow to dry. The product is touch-dry in 30 minutes and can be recoated in two hours, assuming you are using a water-based top coat. If you choose to topcoat with an oil based enamel, allow 4 hours for the surface sealer to dry thoroughly. Avoid breathing the vapour while using this product. I was working outside so it was no problem, but make sure you have plenty of ventilation if you are working inside.

Step 1
Step 1

Step 2
Step 2

Step 3
Step 3

Step 4

Apply top coat and allow to dry. I started by top coating the back and underneath of the chairs, letting this coat dry and then I reattached the legs to make it easier to work on the front.

I picked up a miniature roller and paint tray from the Resene store, this is designed for applying test pots and was absolutely perfect for this project – the chair backs are curved and it was hard to get a really good finish with a brush. It survived painting six chairs in two different colours with frequent washes between coats.

I chose to use Lustacryl semi-gloss enamel, which is a water based enamel – hard-wearing and easy to clean up with water. If you prefer, you can always use oil-based enamel, but you will need to use an undercoat (such as Resene Enamel Undercoat) on top of the surface sealer and before the top coat.

In the warmer weather, paint dries more quickly and there is a great product called Hot Weather Additive that you can add to the paint to slow its drying time.

You can apply a second coat after a minimum of 2 hours. We waited 48 hours before using the chairs. The paint will be cured (fully dry and hardened) in 4 weeks. After that the surface will be very durable, but given how wonderful they look, they will be treated with a great deal more respect.