Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Rocking Chair Project Progress



Thing I learned this weekend. Rocking chairs have lots of nooks, crannies and curves. They are not easy to paint. : )

Here's a sneak peek of my progress on the Rocking Chair Project. My goal is 7 chairs — one for each member of the family. So far I have 5. They were all found locally on Craigs list at prices from $10 to $40 each. (I found #6 on Craigs List this morning and will pick it up this evening. Yay!)



I had lots of green-tinted primer left over from the piano, so I used it on the rocking chairs. I'm such a brat about wasting things like perfectly good primer. It bugs me to no end. When I realized the colors I was using on the chairs were bright enough to cover the green primer, I was delighted to use it up instead of buy more.

At the paint store, I inquired about polyurethane and how I should handle painting these indoor chairs for outdoor use. They recommended using a high-quality exterior paint and skipping the poly. They also warned that the intense colors I was picking were sure to fade in the sunny Colorado sun. But I went for it anyway. I can always repaint if they get too faded. I
bought quarts of exterior paint in red, orange, yellow, green and blue. (#6 and #7 will be turquoise and magenta. I think.)

Warning: the intense colors take several coats of paint. In fact, none of the chairs pictured here are finished. If you could look closely, you'd see they all need an additional coat (or two). In fact, the green one has only been primed. This project will take at least another weekend. Probably two. Plus, I'd really like to add bright cushions and pillows...



But what I'm loving about this project is: you kind of can't go wrong.
- Almost any style of rocker would work in this eclectic mix so it's easy to add more — for guests, or if your family grows. Wouldn't a couple of child-size ones be cute in the mix?
- If a chair gets worn out (they are bound to, being left outdoors), it's easy to replace. And you'll have plenty of paint leftover to transform the new addition.
- When painting, if you don't do the best job ever, it's okay. They're outdoor chairs and will be used pretty roughly. Mistakes won't matter. These don't have to be refined. I'd say only 1 of the 5 I have so far would be worthy of stripping the paint and refinishing — meaning, these aren't heirloom chairs, you don't have to treat them like they are.
-To save money, you could paint or stain them all the same color. I was tempted to go royal blue for my whole collection. Instead of buying 7 separate quarts of paint, I would only have needed one gallon. And I think they would have looked equally cool in all one color.



A note on budget. I planned on $50 per chair ($350), plus painting supplies. But I've been able to score on chairs, so it looks like the whole project (7 chairs plus paint) will come in at about $320. Not bad. You like?

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37 Comments:

Blogger Emily said...

I am in love with this project. I am going to steal this idea for my own house...but I will only need 4 chairs. Thanks for the great, fun, new idea! You are the best mom ever!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 2:42:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Christine T. said...

I am so inspired to do this project for my patio. The colors are very much my style. Thanks for posting photos and getting me all pumped about a fun project!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 2:48:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Kaila said...

Love it!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 2:52:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Cara said...

I love it! The bright colors will be so fun out on a porch!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 2:53:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Katie @ goodLife {eats} said...

Like it? LOVE IT!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 3:19:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Aimee @ Smiling Mama said...

This is so fun! I absolutely love it!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 3:24:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Mychael-Ann said...

After reading your original post about the rocking chair project, I decided to copy cat you. We have an old farm house with a big porch that is in need of some cute furniture. I've collected 3 chairs (I need 6) and started thinking about colors. I love how yours look so far. I'm wondering about spraying vs brushing? Any input?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 3:30:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Ashlee said...

Those chairs look incredible in those bright colors. Nice choices! I love this idea. I love that the chair are all different but still work together. I can't wait to see the last two painted.

~Ashlee

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 3:45:00 PM EDT  
Blogger amy smart said...

What a fantastic project!! The colors are wonderful.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 4:06:00 PM EDT  
Blogger ellen said...

Gabby Blair's rocking chairs!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 4:17:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Marie {Make and Takes} said...

Those are fabulous! But ugh, I hear ya on the nooks and crannies of painting those. We painted my sister's crib and it took forever!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 5:19:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Janet said...

I love the rainbow of rocking chairs. I painted some chairs this weekend also, but I took the easy way out: SPRAY PAINT!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 5:58:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Kimberly said...

Those look great. I'm painting all my kitchen chairs a different color. A tip I learned is to buy a little tester pot of paint for as little as $3.00 each. One pot will easily cover a chair and that way you're not wasting your $$ or paint. Lowe's, Home Depot, and even Sherwin Williams all sell the small sample sizes now.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 6:02:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Andrea said...

I love, love LOVE this! I am so glad you decided to go with all the different colors! Can't wait to see a picture of them finished and on your porch!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 6:09:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Ginna said...

I don't just like, I love!! :)

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 6:20:00 PM EDT  
Blogger mrs boo radley said...

I like AND love!

Dear husband has a old glider from his Grandma Olive (love the name...) and I am really hoping to paint it and recover the taupe cushion. It would be an indoor chair, though. Should I prime and paint?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 8:21:00 PM EDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

LOVE!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 9:37:00 PM EDT  
Blogger jo said...

they. look. AWESOME.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 12:32:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Free Art Printables said...

What a great idea! Love the colors! jen

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 9:20:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Sarah Bradley said...

These look gorgeous! Great, great job!!!!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 10:59:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Mauri said...

Love the chairs! I love all those bright colors. What a great visual statement your porch will make. :)

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 11:09:00 AM EDT  
Blogger The Girl: said...

I too love everything about this project. The colors are so much fun and the price can't be beat.

Thanks for sharing the details. I may have to try and piggy back on this idea.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 12:13:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Karen said...

Like? I LOVE! Super job... and it looks so neat. Can't wait to see them all lines up!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 1:07:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Sarah said...

I love them! I love that they are so different in style as well! Great job.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 2:08:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Rebecca Lynch Photography said...

I like the chairs and the the bright colors you are painting them. I might have to steal the idea. This could make a great winter project.

Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 7:37:00 AM EDT  
Anonymous Kelly said...

These are so peppy and rad. They leave me longing for a porch.

Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 1:27:00 PM EDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am beyond inspired! I'm off to thrift some rocking chairs!

Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 2:52:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Jessica Ochs said...

I adore this project! It makes me want to go run out right now and find four rocking chairs. The colors are fantastic! Thanks for sharing!

Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 7:40:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Rachel H said...

I LOOOVE that you are doing this! Brightly colored painted furniture...especially when done in unexpected ways thrills me to no end! Yay for your happy outdoor rocker projects! "Rock on!" =)

Friday, September 11, 2009 at 9:54:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Cathi said...

I like...no...I love!!!

Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 12:00:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Hena Tayeb said...

what a fabulous idea. good luck with the hunt.

Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 6:45:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Autumn said...

No I don't like. I LOVE. Fun idea!

Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 11:54:00 PM EDT  
Blogger jen said...

Love it - and I think they might just look cool all faded too!

Monday, September 14, 2009 at 10:38:00 PM EDT  
Blogger mondocherry said...

Brilliant! Did all your kids get to choose the colour they wanted? I can imagine a few disagreements otherwise (I have 5 and another on the way, so I know what it is like)!
Clare

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 8:00:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Hannah said...

What a gorgeous plan! I am so inspired to do the same thing with bentwood chairs.

Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 7:42:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Sarah said...

So So COOL! I'm going to steal your idea (but try to find returned paint at home depot to save money - our budget is SMALL). I also love the idea that the chairs can be used for seasonal decor, too. The red and green chairs can be used on the front porch at Christmastime and we just add a wreath. The orange and yellow chairs can hold the scarecrow and some pumpkins in the fall. Red, white, and blue for Independence Day, etc. I love it!!

Friday, September 18, 2009 at 2:15:00 PM EDT  
Blogger made sweet said...

yes yes yes!! i'm loving all that color!

Monday, September 21, 2009 at 12:47:00 PM EDT  

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