Shabby Chic Dining Set Redo

I scored these table and chairs for $170 on Craigslist a couple months ago. They were all in perfect condition! I know it is hard to find cane back chairs with the webbing still intact. They were so drab and depressing looking. I knew a bright coat of paint would do the trick. I used Annie Sloan’s “Paris Grey” paint for the chairs and Benjamin Moore’s “Ballet White” for the cane backs, table base, and legs. Annie Sloan paint is great because you do not have to sand or prime your surface. I needed all the extra time I would manage seeing I look after a little one!

{Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Benjamin Moore}

I did want to stain the table top a darker color, but it turned out to be Formica (which is a fake wood basically and cannot be stained, or so I heard). I primed the legs with two coats of Zinsser White Primer, which worked great and followed up with Ballet White, by Benjamin Moore—a beautiful off-white color.

I took some fine sandpaper and distressed wherever I thought real bumps and wear would be. This is the fun part and really gives that shabby chic look! The final step was waxing and buffing everything with Annie’s Sloan’s clear wax. This gives a beautiful matte sheen.

I recovered the chairs using plain drop cloth (washed first). I did reupholster two of the chairs, but there were 4--FOUR layers of staples and I did not have time to completely reupholster all 6 chairs—so I just recovered the rest. I ended up reselling the set on Craigslist and making a profit. Although a lot of work, it was well worth it in the end!
For reupholstering the chair cushions, I viewed a video from This Old House. Removing the staples are the most cumbersome and frustrating part of this project, but once you get the hang of it the process will go quickly! Just make sure you don’t buy chairs with four layers of staples (like I did).
Thanks for stopping by!