The Chronicles of Home



Cane Chair Makeover

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If it is possible to be truly, madly, and deeply in love with a piece of furniture, then lovebugs, I’m here to tell you that I have met my soulmate and we’re running away together.

I spotted this cane chair while thrifting a couple months ago and despite its shoddy appearance I was immediately drawn to it.

The biggest score and the reason I brought it home was that the caning was almost perfectly intact.  There were a few small tears but nothing very major or noticeable other than the finish having worn off.

I sanded down the wood by hand, and only to rough it up and get the shine off the original finish.  I did not sand any part of the caning.

Then I started ripping off the oddly attached, stained velour cover, which gave off the distinct smell of wet dog.

Underneath the velour I found the sorry remains of the original silk upholstery.

I had been hoping I’d be able to reuse the foam and wrapping but it was turning to dust so I removed it all, down to the burlap and springs, and decided to start the upholstery job from scratch.

At this point I gave the chair two careful coats of Rustoleum semi-gloss spray paint in black.  Hand brushing black paint may have worked too but I was worried about how it would go on the caned parts and the spray paint worked beautifully.

At about this point I realized that I was falling in love and my original plans to sell this finished chair quickly started to slip away.  I mean when you know, you know.  You know?

I cut 2″ thick foam to fit the shape of the seat as best I could and lay it in place.

Then I wrapped batting snugly around the foam and stapled it to the frame.

I had originally intended to make welting for the edges of the upholstery but I loved the look of brass nailheads against the black and white fabric I’d chosen (and used on this bench, which I am selling), so I decided to go for the brass on black look here as well.  The chair had a channel that the original welting was pushed into, so I used this same channel to guide the placement of my nailheads.
This step was time consuming and tedious and it would have been much easier to punch in a few staples and cover it up with welting.  But I love the brass nailheads so much and am really glad I took the extra time to tack them all in.  I’ve said it before, but high quality nailheads make a tremendous difference.  These came from DIY Upholstery Supply.
To cover up the fabric edges around the legs I made double welting (Mom…are you reading this??  I made welting!) by following Jenny’s easy instructions.
It was my first time making welting and it’s not perfect but it looks great in place on the chair.  I used hot glue to attach it.
And with that step complete, the rebirth of this chair was done.  Shall I tell you what I love most about her?
The substantial yet elegant flare of the arms…

…the traditional carved legs…

…the inviting round curve of the back.

This chair will be moving into our upstairs hallway next to a vintage/antique (I don’t know the difference!) beadboard bookshelf that is next up for a paint makeover.  As soon as I have the bookshelf finished I’ll share photos of the chair and shelf together.

But for now, here’s a straight on shot of my love.

And another one of my cute model :)




Comments

  1. WOW, jennifer! it is stunning!!!!! fabulous makeover! and your little girl is precious- i miss those little pigtails.

  2. I absolutely love this makeover – my mother has a cane chair that has hideous orange tufted grossness on the bottom, so now I’m thinking of absconding with the chair… Do you know any tricks for repairing caning? I think it’s in good condition… hmmm… :)

    • Eeee…repairing caning intimidates me. I’ve gotten supplies online at Basket Makers before but not for caning repair. Sounds like it’s a worth a shot though, I love cane chairs, and if you can one for free…well, why not go for it?!

  3. LOVE the glossy black, and the fabric looks fabulous here too! Glad that you are keeping it :)

  4. I love this! I have a very similar unfinished chair that stole my heart sitting in my garage, waiting to be made over, and your makeover has inspired me to tackle it soon. Gorgeous!

  5. Wow, that came out looking fantastic! I see why you want to keep it. I recently redid a cane-back chair, but didn’t do welting or nailheads….love both on your chair.

    • Thanks so much! I love all those finish details with upholstery. There’s some finesse to them but I was surprised how much easier they are to do than what I expected before trying.

  6. You can defiantly stitch up a chair! Awesome work.

  7. Oops I mean definitely!

  8. Wow, wow and wow. How in the world…..? Give me some wood and power tools, and I’m good…but this is like, beyond me! LOL
    I so want to try this. I’m not a seamstress. At all. I can sew on a button. Does that qualify? Seriously, I love this chair. You make me want
    to try one. Dont know a thing about welting. Wouldn’t even know where to start. Love the nailheads. How did you get the fabric so neat and tight.?? sigh……

  10. Love it! The piece is perfectly updated. I did some similar shaped chairs this week, too.

  12. Very impressive! The black paint, fabric and nailhead trim all looks fabulous together. And congrats on the welting!!

  13. I would like to paint my caned dining room chairs. How has your chair held up over the last few years. Has the paint continued to adhere to the caning?

    • Hi Sheila,

      It has held up really well, no visible chips or cracking but it’s not heavily used, so I’m not sure if you would have the same results for a chair that saw lots of use. Spray paints are usually oil-based though, which are known to be very durable.

      • Thanks for responding!! I’m going to go-for-it.

Trackbacks

  1. […] been easy to overlook since it’s in an out-of-the-way place, but see the peek of the made-over cane chair in the bottom right corner?  The bookcase needs to up its game with such a gorgeous new […]

  2. […] * * * * For details on the other pieces you see in these photos, check out the following posts! Black and White Cane Chair Two-Tone Chest with Homemade Chalk Paint * * * * * * * Lulu & Georgia provided me with the […]

  3. […] my front entryway, I swapped out the throw pillow on the black cane chair for something a little brighter and added some more flower arrangements. And by arrangements I mean […]