Yesterday I sat out on my back deck enjoying the warmth of the sun shining down upon my skin and warming me all the way to the bone. I love it when the weather is in the 70’s and all of the trees and bushes in my neighborhood are bursting into bloom. It really is the most beautiful time of the year here in South Carolina. I knew I had things to do but I couldn’t get myself up and motivated until I began to feel the burn on my fair arms. Alas, I am “pigmentally challenged” (my hubby’s name for very white) and I can only stay a short time in the sun without sunscreen.
I got a call from one of my doctors this morning and it turns out I’m Vitamin D deficient. So much so that she is starting me on prescription strength Vitamin D! Hallelujah! This might be just the excuse I need to spend more time lounging in the sun – with my sunscreen of course 🙂
So this is one of my French Country style bar stools and this is how they looked before. The wood color was kind of orangey and didn’t go with the look I’m trying to achieve in my kitchen. The wood is hard but not anything special SOOO . . . chalk paint to the rescue!
I started by painting the chairs a light color first and then trimmed them out with a darker color. I had Home Depot color match Annie Sloan Chalk Paint’s Country Grey and French Linen (I have an ASCP color card and I take that to the store whenever I want to get a color match). I purchased sample size containers and used my favorite homemade Chalk Paint Recipe.
After the base and trim were painted I used a small brush to dab darker color into the crevices of the chairs . . .
. . . and lightly dry brushed over the Country Grey with French Linen.
I wasn’t at all careful about how I applied it because I knew it would all come out just the way I wanted it to look in the end.
I used a sanding sponge to sand back back any unwanted dark color.
I finished up with my new favorite wax mixed with stain for added color (this gives it the same look as a dark wax and, like dark wax, any excess color can be removed by rubbing clear wax over it). Can you see the sheen on the chairs? They also have a very smooth feeling finish which I like better than the finish I get with soft wax.
A “real” furniture builder friend recommended Minwax Paste Finishing Wax. It contains carnuba wax which apparently creates a very hard finish.
By the way, I may have heated it just a tad to make it a little softer for mixing and applying. Shhh . . . this may be a dangerous thing to do . . . at least as dangerous as things get in my world 🙂
I did use some soft wax though, on the leather chair seats. Unfortunately, I splattered the seats with paint when I was painting the caned backs. The seat surfaces became dull when I cleaned off the paint so I decided to see what a little soft wax would do.
I waxed, let them dry for about 15 minutes, and polished. I love the sheen and even after a few months they are still shining bright!
I thought of making ruffled drop cloth seat covers but it would be a shame to hide such pretty legs. Maybe in the future.
Now – the wall color – the yellow in this room is still bothering me and I’ve been picking up paint swatches with thoughts toward a future change. I’m leaning toward Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams. Sigh – not until I whittle down my long list of to-do’s though. Priorities you know 🙂
Now it is on to outdoor projects. Filling planters with flowers, cleaning patio furniture, scheduling a lunchean on my deck. What Spring projects are you up to where you live? Is your weather warming too or are you still in a winter chill? Time flies so quickly and we will be feeling the heat of Summer in no time at all.
Blessings friends,
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Hi Patti, They look great! I used Johnson’s paste wax when I did our dining room chairs and they have held up really well. Then I used a paint glaze after the wax. I wish I’d thought to mix stain with the wax so it was only one step. Did the stain/past wax mix change the paint color like using dark wax before clear was will?
Patti, those look amazing! You never cease to amaze me with your ability to make things pretty.
Did you know we’ve started a new linky party? Thoughts of Home on Thursday – I hope you’ll join us. 🙂
Perfect timing for me, Patti….perfect timing!
I have some latex paint that I had HD color match for me and I want to make part of it in to a chalk paint. I’ve resisted it so far because I wasn’t sure which recipe I wanted to try. Part of this will actually go on a small, odd-shaped wall as a focal color. I’m excited about that!
I want to add that color to my entertainment center as well so I need to be brave and just do it!!! I love how your bar stools turned out. So nice and so….YOU….
Thanks for sharing and be careful in the SC sun.
Blessings to you, friend.
Patti,
Your cane back stool look fabulous, dear friend!
I adore how you applied the darker hue and accented the details of these gorgeous stools!
You’ll l o v e Agreeable Gray by Sherwin~Williams!
We have it in our Guest room and it’s marvelous!
Vitamin D deficiency. Do take care of yourself!
Tomorrow is my appointment with the custom hand railing contractor!
I’m beyond excited!
Once those rails are delivered and installed, I’m on to adding live plants to the new front porch!
Fondly,
Pat
Patti, Great transformation……I love the new look.
Hugs,
Sherry
This is so beautiful and the perfect way to dress up a chair that I got from my mother. Thank you for sharing! – Jerusha, ThePositiveYear.com
beautiful!
These bar stools now look perfect! Soo much better than the orangey wood! Gorgeous and oh so French country! Love it!!
Blessings,
Cheryl
Your “new” barstools are fabulous, Patti! You did a great job on them.
SW has the prettiest grays. I just painted our bonus room Repose Gray and my daughter’s bedroom Light French Gray. I don’t think you can go wrong with Agreeable Gray! Take care, Cynthia
Your stools look waaaay better in grey! They were pretty before but now you can see all the gorgeous details on the wood. Well done! I too have a vitamin D issue and it really makes a difference in energy levels when everything is balanced again! I hope you get that resolved soon 🙂 Thank you so much for joining in Making Broken Beautiful and sharing your inspiring project! I hope you have a great weekend!
Smiles!
Terry
The Curator’s Collection & Making Broken Beautiful
Fabulous! I’ve done some chalk painting and I love it. I use the same wax…
What an improvement! I love how you trimmed them in a second color. Your kitchen is beautiful.
What paint colors did you use on the chairs
Oh I love them! Love the color. The chairs were pretty before but these look amazing now!
Absolutely gorgeous transformation! Be careful you don’t slip right off those slick seats now! haha
🙂
https://gwingal.blogspot.com/
After making new bar stool cushions several years ago, I’ve continued to ignore the stained finish on them. Thank you for the inspiration to get moving on making a change. Your stools are gorgeous!
Hi Patti!
These are absolutely beautiful!!! I am not good at these sorts of things so I admire the talent of others like you!! I also admire the lovely South Carolina weather you describe. Here in Ohio we had a stunningly unexpected sunny day and 74 degrees and yesterday we awakened to 3 inches of snow covering everything including my blooming daffodils and star magnolia bush (the extent of our blooms as of yet). Happy to find you as my neighbor at the Linkup at What Joy is Mine today.
Those are very pretty. Well done. I’m going to try that soft wax on a couple of leather pieces I have.
These are really beautiful. Love the chalk paint so much better than the original. We just bought a house with a breakfast bar, and I need to get stools. Thanks for this idea.
I would love to know more about your stools…..are they new….what company made them… as I have been looking for new stools for several years but don’t like the square boxy legs that I see on most stools. I LOVE yours and the new paint finish is perfect!
I too would like be to know where the stools came from. I have been looking for new or usd stools like this for some time now.
Wish you’d just sell me yours and save me all the work! Haha!
Oh Tonya, it has been awhile since I purchased my barstools but I think they may have been from Ballard Designs. They carry a lot of different bar stools and the styles change all the time. I think your best bet would be to try Googling either “cane back bar stools” or “french country bar stools.” I looked through several sites and didn’t see any exactly like mine but there were several that were similar. The prices vary widely!
I really loved your French Country bar stool makeover! The chairs went from blah to fab with a coat of paint (or two). Thank you for linking up with Thursday Favorite Things Link Party and I will be featuring your post on my blog tomorrow night!
What an amazing difference painting the stools. It really shows the beautiful details. I bet you are in love with them all over again.
Those are absolutely gorgeous. So light and airy without being solid white. I love the look and will be watching for some …stools similar, for sure, Sandi@BarberryLane
What an incredible transformation Patti. I truly love the colours you have chosen and think they enhance the details of the stools. Thank you for sharing this makeover on Shabbilicious Friday. I’m delighted to be featuring you at tomorrow’s party. Hugs ~ Kerryanne
Patti – these look great as well. So glad I found your blog through ShineBlogHop.
Wow, what a fantastic job! Beautiful! Visiting you from Shabbylicious Friday.
This came out beautiful!!! Love the new look 🙂 Thank you for sharing with us on the Art of Home-Making Mondays at Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth!
I would call these ‘elegant stools’ my friend. You did an amazing job, love them!
Have a nice weekend.
FABBY
Gorgeous chair makeover!
Beautiful transformation! These french country counter stools are so much better than the plain wood and go so well in that space. Thanks for the step-by-step instructions!
These look amazing!! Can’t wait to redo my own bar stools…very soon!