Believe it or not this unique little chair was a roadside find. Although one of it’s scrolling arms was broken and all the seat’s caning was gone I saw potential in this chair. Enough potential to pull over on the side of a busy road to dig it out of a large trash pile.

I started by wood glueing the arm back together and glueing various other areas that needed a bit of strengthening. Then Michael dug out all the little bits of caning that still clung to the edges of the blown-out seat. Sanding the inner seat edges with an electric sander helped the new beadboard seat adhere to the frame.

Our chair makeover was slowed down by record rain fall here in Kansas. More rain has fallen this spring than has fallen in over 100 years. Our poor chickens’ coop was transformed into a wading pool and our grass grew knee high before we could mow it. As soon as we had a dryish afternoon we continued working on the chair.

Using a scrap of beadboard from our master bathroom renovation, Michael cut a beautiful new seat for the chair. He does not have a fancy jig-saw so it took him several hours to perfectly cut out the curvy shape using his Dremel tool. He sanded all the sharp edges and wood glued the new seat until it felt a part of the chair.

A clever mix of “C” clamps and bricks helped to keep the new seat in place while the wood glue dried. Then as the rain commenced I brought the chair inside to paint (something I usually do outside to avoid my girls inhaling fumes). I was so excited to finally get to use the chalk paint my hubby got me for my birthday. Some girls wish for diamonds but I was just as happy to get a quart of chalk paint.

As a final step, I distressed and dry brushed some stain over the piece to antique it. This gave the chair more character by bringing attention to the worn places and flaws. I think for being a roadside gem this little chair turned out to be both functional and beautiful.

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