This old rocking chair has been intent on tripping me up for seven years.
Summer in Victoria is usually a scorching, dry heat, and so leaving it on a north-facing bull-nose veranda is not ideal, even though these chairs tend to add serenity and warmth to porch settings. Here it’s on the back porch – time is short and the back porch will have to wait it’s own revamp. Look at those raw boards! *sigh
The chair was snapped up at an antique market for $50 from a dolly and teddy collector. What interested me about this chair was the intricate carving on the back-rest and turned spindles – not really typical of Australian period furniture.
Unfortunately the dark brown colour was depressing – it had seen better days. It served as a constant reminder of rickety joints – the legs needed repair with wood glue – and spending my twilight years rocking away into oblivion. Gaslight, steampunk and everything associated with the Victorian era reminds me of harsh times. I couldn’t even sell it at a garage sale for $10! At times the chair was shoved into the junk room and then it collected numerous cobwebs and bird poop on the back porch. Unable to sell it and unwilling to send it to the scrapheap, I decided to give it a second chance.
I’ve previously completed a course in French polishing which made me more snobby than ever about wood. I used to think people who painted furniture had no respect for the inherent beauty of hardwoods. It was more about bringing out the beauty rather than hide it, but this chair shook my worldview. I stop short of bringing it into the 21st century as that really would be disrespectful.
Here is what it looked like with a light initial sanding:
After looking into chalk paint on other blogs, I decided to contact Country Chic Paint. The 35 available colours have been incorporated into many D.I.Y. blogs and I particularly love the transformation of a dresser using ‘cobblestone’. This shade is on my list for future purchase although being in Australia, the shipping is quite costly for anything from the United States. They kindly sent me a colour chart in the mail which was very sweet of them.
In the meantime, I came across a small can of Rustoleum Chalked Paint in Linen for only $20 in Bunnings Warehouse. Someone had returned the tin having changed their mind. This normally retails for around $46 in Australia, so this was a bargain (the only language I know). The beauty of Rustoleum chalk paint is that there is no real need for sanding, but I did anyway otherwise I would not be able to sleep at night.
After giving the chair a wipe over with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust, on went the first coat. Chalk paint is surprisingly thick, however it can be thinned out with water. I chose to use it straight from the tin because I don’t trust myself in these matters. The amazing thing about this paint is that it is practically odourless, I repeat…odourless! Why can’t other paint brands follow suit here in Australia? Their low-V.O.C. claims are not my idea of environmentally-friendly. With this product, I didn’t bother with a face-mask working outdoors.
From the outset, I decided not to distress the painted finish. I’m not particularly keen on the shabby chic look; and there is nothing shabby about a rocking chair with enviable origins. Judging by the inscription N.S. on the rear of the chair, it may have sat proudly on the veranda of a Nova Scotia home. I have no intention of painting over this important information, since it is on the back and out of sight anyway. It just seemed like sacrilege to do so.
Here’s how the chair looked after the first application:
I left the chair this way for a month or so, but it had a streaky appearance and so I decided on a second coat. Following another very light sanding, I painted a second and final coat:
The new matt finish has a much brighter and airy appearance, don’t you think? The chair still shows off the intricate carvings, but it now has a luminous quality in this particular shade and the coverage is excellent. The paint is durable and I could also apply a wax for added protection however at this stage, it is only used occasionally.
I love south-west inspired décor and so I complimented it with a cotton throw I recently purchased. Here’s our esteemed Abraham Lincoln teddy I bought from the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site in Lerna, Illinois some years back.
You can see examples of architecture and décor I particularly admire at my Pinterest site.
Having only used a small amount in the tin, I hope to paint the inside of a sealed-off kitchen fireplace with the remainder – only this time, I plan to distress the underlying red brick to expose it’s character.
I have also used Rustoleum’s ‘Ultra cover 2X Paint and Primer’ spray paint to totally transform a functional, yet ugly outdoor bench seat I bought in K-Mart, with the end result shown in the pic below.
I sewed a cushion for it in UV-resistant fabric and it has already lifted the space. The porch is also getting a new paint job this week.
Thanks for reading. I’m certainly impressed with the Rustoleum range and intend to use it for many more applications. Thanks Rustoleum!