After years of doing what I do, my family, friends and neighbors have come to know I love JUNK! This rocking chair was left at my house one day while I was not home. I had seen it earlier in the week at my neighbor’s house, but I don’t think she was the one that actually delivered it to me. 
Many on facebook wanted me to fix the seat, but y’all know that’s not what I do. It needed to be not only replaced, but fixed on the left side.
While I was busy getting ready for Glendale 2014, I was looking for a couple of quickie projects. I recently showed you the faux coffee table shelves I made.
While making those, I grabbed this chair and made a few cuts on it. I thought the jig saw was the best way to remove the rocking chair back.
Although the jigsaw was the easiest way to separate it, the cut wasn’t the best. I took it to the miter saw to get a nice even cut.
I grabbed a scrap board from my stash.
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Clamp the board to assure a good fit.
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Gorilla Wood Glue for added strength.
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Drill pilot hole
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Countersink screw
I cut some 45° angled pieces off the end of a 1x3 to help brace the shelf.
I used my Ryobi Airstrike nail gun to attach the bottom portion of the brace to the back of the chair and after drilling a pilot hole, I countersunk a screw through the top into the corner brace.
I gave it 2 really quick (light) coats of DIY chalk paint.
Then the weather took a turn for the worse and we had a bunch of rain. I moved this small project into the kitchen where I gave it a coat of wax to protect the finish of the DIY chalk paint.
It makes me smile! I have been wanting to make one of these for years!
Staged on my fence because I have no place to get good lighting in my home.
she’s ready for her close-up
I believe this repurposed chair back towel rack would work great in a bathroom or a kitchen! Yep, check another project off my bucket list!
gail
See other repurposed chair ideas here
See one of my first, and an all-time favorite chair projects here
Michelle
Well this is certainly the most creative thing I've seen in a while. I just saw some chairs someone had thrown out today when I was on my walk, too. Curiously they were just like the one you used, with damaged thatch seats (presumably why they were thrown out). Might have to think about seeing if I can snag one so I can make this myself 😀
CAthy Kaufman
Hi,
I am new to your website, but love it. Did you take shop? LOL. I would love to be able to use tools the way you do. My question is this...did you sand you chair before painting it. I am referring to your towel chair.
Thanks,'
Cat
Gail Wilson
Cat,
Thanks for your kind comment. No, I didn't take shop. My mom used tools a lot while I was growing up, but most of the larger power tools I use I learned as I went. I did some googling, and I watched some YouTube videos. But mostly I just jump in and fly by the seat of my pants. I probably did not sand the chair because I used two light coats of the chalky paint primer. It's very flat and will stick to most surfaces if it is sealed somehow. Sometimes I seal with a semi-gloss latex paint, wax, or glaze. The very flat paint needs something to protect it from getting scratched off.
I hope you find lots of projects to inspire you!
gail
Angel Mercure
This is a fantastic idea! Geez, I'm sorta wishing one of my dinner chairs would break, bcuz I really love this!! Great work! Thanks for sharing also!! ????????
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment Angel. Keep your eyes out for a cheap thrift store chair, or even one on the side of the road.
gail
Susan
Brilliant! I ♡ this shelf. Gonna have to go to the city wide sales to find a few old chairs. Thank you for sharing.
Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.
What a great save! You really have the vision and talent to bring your projects to life!
Holly
It turned out great. I have a chair I could do this with. I just might have to try it.
Trish
Now this is something I want. Would work so well in a bath. Gail didn't you do a post on how to get rid of the word verification on blogs at one time. I'm not sure it was you. If so let me know please.
BETH
I love the look of it outside on the fence. I'm thinking this would make a nice poolside shelf as well.
Mindi
This is a brilliant idea!! Sooooo cool Gail, you are so creative! Pinned, of course 🙂
Mary
OH! How I love it!!! Great job, Gail. May be able to do this, w/o fail.
Mary
girlfromwva
great way to do that! love the towel rack shelf!
Julie @ follow your heart woodworking
Great idea... again! How do you keep coming up with these original projects??
Scott
Great idea for reusing an old rocker! However, should you encounter another rush seat you don't want to repair, you may want to consider Shaker tape. This is basically a cotton webbing that comes in a variety of styles and colors, is incredibly easy to weave and holds up well to regular use (although I wouldn't recommend it for outdoor use). Here's a sample from a random web site I dug up.
http://www.shakerworkshops.com/catalog/shaker_chair_tape.php/tape
Susan
Oh yeah! One of my favorites and I love the color! Thanks for the inspiration as always. Happy Thanksgiving! xo