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 :)