Two beat-up old chairs get a lift

I have a soft place in my heart for anything needing a good home. Case in point: chairs whose inner beauty has been cloaked with a bad paint job and frumpy fabric. And, since spring is a season of revival, I thought that these two chairs deserved a new lease on life. I called these girls the Joan Rivers of chairs — a lot of stretching, trimming and gluing went on before they were transformed from dismal to diva in just a weekend. (The chairs are from Tarrant County, Texas-based JunkerVal.com.)

Step 1: Prepare the chairs

Both chairs were treated in much the same way, and preparation is the absolute key to a smooth, beautiful outcome.

Remove the seat and inspect the fabric and padding. If they are in good shape, don't remove them. This will make re-covering the seat that much simpler. With these chairs, everything, including the plywood, needed replacing.

With pliers and a flathead screwdriver, pry any staples or nails from the chair frame. Remember to wear gloves to protect from rusty staples and nails. Work in a well-ventilated area to avoid breathing in any of the dust — a lightweight face mask would be helpful.

Glue and brace all loose joints with carpenter's wood glue, and allow to dry.

Lightly sand all wood surfaces to remove old paint or finish. We began with 80-grit sandpaper, switched to 120-grit, then finished with 220. It is important to sand in the direction of the grain and to wipe the surface clean with a tack cloth in between sandings.

Fill all gouges, staple holes, etc. with wood filler and wipe smooth with a damp fingertip or paper towel, then allow to dry.

Smooth the filled areas with 220-grit sandpaper and wipe clean.

Step 2: Paint the frames

For the chair frames, we used Valspar interior/exterior high-gloss latex paint in Gloss White and Parsley Sprig, from Lowe's.

Begin with a primer that has been tinted to the color of the paint. Brush on a single coat and lightly sand with 220-grit sandpaper, then wipe clean.

Apply 2-3 light coats of paint, allowing each coat to dry. It is not necessary to sand in between coats unless there is a drip or other flaw in the paint finish. (I was working on the back porch and had to sand out several pesky gnats that kept dive-bombing my work.)

Step 3: Be seated