• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Average But Inspired logo - DIY and craft

Average But Inspired

Craft a home you love. DIY and craft tutorials.

  • About
    • Contact Me
    • Disclosures
    • Privacy Policy and Copyright Policy
  • DIY
    • Furniture
  • Crafts
    • Dollar Store Crafts
    • Seasonal
      • Patriotic & Summer
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Easter & Spring
      • Fall & Halloween
      • Christmas & Winter
  • Home Decor
    • Organization
  • Shop
  • Home

Stenciled Chair Seats – A Thrifty and Fun Kitchen Chair Makeover

September 1, 2015 by Bre 58 Comments

One thing I love is giving a plain object new life and personality with a simple change.  Stenciling the seats of my beat up kitchen chairs is precisely that kind of project.  With just a little patience and some paint, I was able to take my kitchen chairs from boring to beautiful in no time.  Give old chairs new life by stenciling the seats! It's an easy project that packs a lot of punch and will help make a statement in your home. Thank you to Cutting Edge Stencils for providing the stencil used in this project.  The project and opinions are all my own.

This all came about because after six years of use, my white kitchen chairs were getting a little beat up.  Give old chairs new life by stenciling the seats! It's an easy project that packs a lot of punch and will help make a statement in your home.  The seats were in especially poor condition due to my kids’ use of a portable booster seat on top of them.  It scratched the finish off of almost every seat.  Give old chairs new life by stenciling the seats! It's an easy project that packs a lot of punch and will help make a statement in your home.
I always toyed with the idea of repainting the chairs, but I pretty much despise spray paint because I never do it correctly (duh). Since the easy way out wasn’t an option, I was just going to leave them. Brush painting these chairs was too much work for me.

But then I got the opportunity to try out Cutting Edge Stencils’ products and a lightbulb went off in my head: stencil the chair seats to fix the problem left by the booster seat and give the chairs a totally cool new look at the same time!

Products I Used for my Stenciled Chair Seats

Links noted with an asterisk are affiliate links.  To read my disclosure policy, please click here.

  • Cutting Edge Stencils Nagoya Craft Stencil (size small)
  • Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint in Vintage*
  • Americana Multi-Surface Paint in Cottonball*
  • Ben paint in White
  • Elmer’s Spray Craft Bond*
  • Small Foam Roller*
  • 2″ Paint Brush
  • Painter’s Tape
  • Screwdriver
  • Sandpaper (220 grit)
  • Polyurethane (or some other sealer)*

How I Stenciled my Chair Seats

First, I read the directions that came with my stencil and watched a Cutting Edge Stencils’ video on how to actually do this.  Then I got to work and unscrewed the seats from the chairs, which made them incredibly easy to work with.  I lightly sanded them and painted them all over with two coats of Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint in Vintage.  Give old chairs new life by stenciling the seats! It's an easy project that packs a lot of punch and will help make a statement in your home.
Once the seats dried, I applied a light coat of Elmer’s Spray Adhesive Craft Bond to the back of my Nagoya Stencil. I pressed that onto the middle of the chair seat.  I put a couple of pieces of painter’s tape on the edges of the stencil for extra hold.  Probably unnecessary but I like to play it safe.Give old chairs new life by stenciling the seats! It's an easy project that packs a lot of punch and will help make a statement in your home.
Next, I dipped my roller into the Americana Multi-Surface Paint and made sure it was evenly applied on the roller with no visible wet patches. Then I gently rolled it over the entire stencil.  Once the first coat dried, I applied another.  TIP:  If you’re impatient like me, get out your hair dryer and speed up the drying process.Give old chairs new life by stenciling the seats! It's an easy project that packs a lot of punch and will help make a statement in your home.
After that paint dried, I gently removed the stencil, matched it up with an already painted edge, and stenciled the right side of the seat. I repeated the process for the left side as well.  TIP:  I used the Americana Multi-Surface Paint on the first seat and switched to the Ben latex paint for the remaining seats (because I ran out of the Americana paint).  I prefer the Americana Multi-Surface Paint SO MUCH MORE.  The finish is much better, in my opinion.  It was easier to apply, less “goopy” and resulted in much less bleed through.  It comes in 2 oz. bottles at the craft store, however, so you probably have to estimate one bottle per seat. I linked to it in the supply list at an 8 oz. size, which should get you four seats.Give old chairs new life by stenciling the seats! It's an easy project that packs a lot of punch and will help make a statement in your home.
After I finished all of my stenciling and the paint dried, I sealed each of the seats with polyurethane and then reattached them to the chairs (which I Magic Erasered, by the way!). Give old chairs new life by stenciling the seats! It's an easy project that packs a lot of punch and will help make a statement in your home.
I am in luuuuuurrve. Give old chairs new life by stenciling the seats! It's an easy project that packs a lot of punch and will help make a statement in your home.
Now I want to stencil ALL.THE.THINGS.  (The chairs look cute with my Pipe Strap Kitchen Art, don’t you think?)Give old chairs new life by stenciling the seats! It's an easy project that packs a lot of punch and will help make a statement in your home.
Even my husband likes them, which shocked me. I fully expected him to “veto” this project, but he is actually happy with them! Give old chairs new life by stenciling the seats! It's an easy project that packs a lot of punch and will help make a statement in your home.

Thanks for reading and good luck!

– Bre

Filed Under: Furniture

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christine says

    September 1, 2015 at 7:55 am

    They look fantastic. Your kitchen is so bright and cheery!

    Reply
    • Bre says

      September 2, 2015 at 3:17 pm

      Thanks, Christine!! It’s come a LONG way since we bought the house! đŸ™‚

  2. Sandi says

    September 1, 2015 at 8:26 am

    What a change! The chairs looks so fresh and new again. I am curious about the Ben paint. Is that Benjamin Moore? Very nice work.

    Reply
    • Bre says

      September 2, 2015 at 3:18 pm

      Thank you, Sandi!! And yes, the Ben paint is a line of paint they carry at Benjamin Moore. It is low VOC and has a primer in it, I believe. I think because it’s thicker than the multi-surface paint, it tended to “goop up” a bit more (if that makes any sense at all! Ha!)

  3. Jen @ Fresh Crush says

    September 1, 2015 at 9:37 am

    These look great! I love that pattern you chose!

    Reply
    • Bre says

      September 2, 2015 at 3:18 pm

      Thanks, Jen! Hope you are well!! xo

Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

Hi, I’m Bre! Thanks for visiting Average But Inspired, where I show you how to work with what you’ve got to create a home you love.

Bre of Average But Inspired - a DIY and craft blog

Love DIY? Subscribe to Get Posts E-mailed!

How Can I Help You?

blank

How to Build a Backyard Fire Pit

blank

How to Paint a Door to Look Like Wood (It’s Easier Than You Think!)

blank

Limewash Stone Fireplace Makeover: Bye Bye Orange Stone Fireplace, Hello Neutral Stone Beauty!

blank

7 Tips for Hosting a Party on a Budget

Looking for Something?

  • About Average But Inspired
    • Contact Me
    • Disclosures
    • Privacy Policy and Copyright Policy

Copyright © 2013-2022, Bre Eggert (Average But Inspired). All rights reserved.
  • Home
  • DIY
  • Crafts
  • Home Decor
  • Privacy Policy and Copyright Policy
  • Disclosures
  • Contact Me