Upcycled Chair Using Decoupage

Since I was a teenager I have loved charity shops ... which is about 30 years now (when going in charity shops was NOT cool) but the bargains you could find were unreal! Nowadays everything is a bit more expensive but that's the fun of going and seeing what you can find.

Today I picked up this beaut of a chair for £5! I love the shape of the chair and the bones of it are solid. I'm going to upcycle it with a bit of spray paint and some pretty paper.

This type of upcycling is known as decoupage -

Decoupage originated in France in the 17th century as a means of artistically decorating pieces of furniture with pictures. It took a few centuries, but by the mid-20th century decoupage became a household name in American interior decoration. The word is fashioned from Middle French decouper, meaning "to cut out." Decouper, in turn, pastes together the prefix de- ("from" or "away") and couper ("to cut).

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Sandpaper

Modge Podge

Glue / Paint brushes

Pretty Paper. (You can even use napkins)

Paint / Spraypaint

So firstly give the chair a wipe down with a cloth. And then give it a quick sand. It doesn't need much, just something for the paint to grip onto.

I'm using spray paint for this piece. There are numerous paints you could use though, including chalk paint, furniture paint, wood and metal paint.

Giving a quick light spray for the first coat then leave to dry. Lighter coats on top of each is better than one thick coat, especially with spray paint as it can easily become uneven.

Once the chair is painted decide where you want your pattern to go. I've used decoupage paper but you can use napkins, wrapping paper even wallpaper.

Using modge podge on the paper to glue down will also help varnish it too. I'd add two or three coats of this if you are going to be using in rather than an ornamental piece. It's really hard wearing.

And here's the finished chair in place in my house.

Kelly