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    Home » Furniture Makeover » Wooden Rocking Chair Makeover | Curb Find

    Wooden Rocking Chair Makeover | Curb Find

    Published by Gail | Published May 12, 2021 | Updated December 13, 2022
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Steps for saving an old abused chair. In this wooden rocking chair makeover tutorial, you will see steps to bring an old piece back to life. Most people would throw this chair away. But it still had a lot of life left. #myrepurposedlife #trashtotreasure #furniture #makeover via @repurposedlifeSteps for saving an old abused chair. In this wooden rocking chair makeover tutorial, you will see steps to bring an old piece back to life. Most people would throw this chair away. But it still had a lot of life left. #myrepurposedlife #trashtotreasure #furniture #makeover via @repurposedlife

    I'm sharing a wooden rocking chair makeover for this month's Thrift Store Decor Team project. I guess it's a little more than a makeover. The wooden rocking chair needed some repairs. But you can just skip that part if your rocking chair just needs painting. Yes, this rocking chair makeover involves painting, but I think that's okay because it was already black.

    wooden rocking chair in bad shape

    Would you have passed on this wooden rocking chair in such bad shape? I scooped it right up (from a neighbor).

    broken wooden rocking chair

    But, after I got it home, I saw this! Yikes!

    Repairing Broken Furniture, Where To Begin?

    For this broken wooden rocking chair, I had to remove the screws someone had used to hold the chair seat together.

    repair wooden rocking chair
    repair wooden rocking chair with wood glue

    I added Gorilla Wood Glue under the chair spindles and all along the side edge of the wooden rocking chair.

    Since I used a lot of wood glue for good measure, I needed to clean up the excess. For tasks like this, I use a bottle of diluted dish detergent. It cleans up messy hands and more with no need to rinse.

    Countersink Screws to Repair Seat

    countersink screws to repair rocking chair seat

    In order to insure the glue sets up with the broken part of the seat in place, I secured it with fine thread drywall screws. Countersinking the screws helped draw the pieces tight, and will make them invisible on the wooden rocking chair makeover.

    How to Prepare Wooden Rocking Chair for Painting

    After the seat was repaired and patched, it was time to paint the wooden rocking chair. But before that can happen, all the years of grime and dirt need to be removed. I prefer to use TSP or TSP substitute for this.

    Now that the wooden rocking chair is clean, it's time to paint.

    HTP all in one Iron Gate

    I've been using HTP All in One Paint a lot lately. It worked fabulously when I painted my kitchen countertops. Iron Gate is quickly becoming my favorite color, and I'm going to show you why! I used their paintbrush, and sponge applicator to get a smooth finish on this wooden rocking chair.

    To begin, I start with the rocking chair up on sawhorses. While it's elevated, I paint the underside of the chair. Brushing on the paint, then using the sponge applicator to stipple the paint to remove any brush strokes.

    oohh la la! Look how good the freshly painted wooden rocking chair is looking! At this point I've painted everything but the seat. I knew it may be the hardest area to achieve a nice smooth finish.

    Wooden Rocking Chair Makeover Complete!

    black wooden rocking chair makeover

    Can you believe it's the same chair? Let's take another look at the before . . .

    wooden rocking chair in bad shape

    This was a great save, eh?

    broken wooden rocking chair

    Remember the busted seat?

    I think the previous owner wouldn't even recognize it.

    Now, be sure to check out the awesome projects from my friends!!!

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    1. Christy @ Our Southern Home

      May 28, 2021 at 8:57 am

      Goodness! You really took the chair from the dumpster to fab! Great tips for repairing. I love the black paint on it. Well done!

      Reply
    2. Cheri

      May 16, 2021 at 7:48 pm

      Another wonderful completed project! Every time I look at what you've accomplished, it makes me want to learn how to do all this stuff. But alas....the motivation just isn't there!!!!!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        May 24, 2021 at 3:11 pm

        Cheri,

        I totally get the not being motivated part. That happens to me a lot. Thankfully I have this group of wonderful ladies (once a month) that are expecting me to produce a thrift store project!!! 🙂

        Hoping you get your mojo back soon.

        gail

    3. girlfromwva

      May 14, 2021 at 5:54 pm

      what a wonderful job! looks very nice!

      Reply
    4. Maryann

      May 12, 2021 at 3:34 pm

      That is a great save! Restored to its beauty!

      Reply
    5. Lizzy

      May 12, 2021 at 1:01 pm

      Wow! That's a great transformation. It looks like something that could be bought in a store.

      Reply
    6. Jennie

      May 12, 2021 at 9:14 am

      So many people would have walked past that rocking chair with the thought that they should have tossed it in the trash. But you saw it’s beauty. I want to try that new paint. The finish is so smooth. I wonder how many children were rocked to sleep in it. Do you think it needs cushions for it that tie to the back? I know I’ve had a lot of rump time in my rocker in the last 4 years. Especially with the 18 month old grandson who never sleeps.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        May 14, 2021 at 7:01 pm

        Thanks for stopping by Jennie!

        I seriously love that Iron Gate color. I just ordered the same color paint I used in my kitchen to use in my camper! It's all wood and dreary in there, so I'm going to have a new project to work on this summer. 🙂

        Maybe the new owner will decide to put some cushions in the rocking chair.

        gail

    7. Pam

      May 12, 2021 at 4:17 am

      That rocking chair reminds me of my Grandmother's. Not because it looked like that but because it was held together with screws and nails and just about anything she could find. Love how you fixed this one up. It looks great!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        May 12, 2021 at 8:35 am

        Awwww, Pam--that's sweet about your grandmother's rocking chair. Sweet that she must have loved it enough to want to keep a rockin'

        gail

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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