Having moved into our first home just recently, we've entered the wonderful world of DIY in efforts to keep on budget while creating the home we love together. We welcomed any form of help settling in. Thankfully, the community we live in is an incredibly generous one and a kind soul gave us these Ikea Bertil chairs. They would have cost us £25 a piece brand new.
The chairs were well used so inevitably they had some scuffs, dirt scratches, uneven spots in the gloss and some wearing down in the finish of the wood. Nonetheless, they still had plenty of life in them and both my husband and I love them.
We decided to attempt our second 'major' DIY job, since repainting our apartment in the cold midwinter without heating and only a lamp to hand- another story for another day.
Also note that I use the term 'major' loosely as this job would be as easy as pea soup for expert DIY-ers. :)
Necessities: After many a trip back upstairs/down to the garage by the loving husband to retrieve forgotten items one by one, we learned the hard way that it's best to have a list ready beforehand.
1. Elbow grease, of course.
2. Tarp or old newspapers to line the floor before painting.
3. Medium grade Sandpaper (probably around 80-120 grit).
We used THIS.
4. Primer
This is not essential but we wanted to make sure our hard work would last as we know these chairs will be put to good use. Also, the previous owners happened to leave a full can of white primer in the garage. Waste not!
5. Paintbrushes.
My husband found the best brushes ever. My in-laws gave us sound advice to invest in a good set of brushes. These were not too expensive and were good value for the money. They have saved us from many tears and jaw-gnashing. Most importantly, they do not shed easily and they have a good balance between soft/firmness. So far after painting our entire apartment and more, both the brushes and we have barely lost any hairs in the process.
6. Face mask.
Essential to avoid inhaling dustclouds from sanding.
7. Small brush.
For sweeping down the chairs during/after sanding.
8. Rag.
For final dust off after sanding. This helps ensure the surface is as dust-free as possible before priming.
9. Paint of your choice.
We went with Rust-Oleum White Gloss Painters Touch. A bit on the pricier side for the quantity but the paint was quick to dry and gave a nice not-too-overly glossy finish. We were pleasantly surprised and also relieved that the 250ml lasted us all the way through with a bit more to spare although we did two full coats.
First step: SAND.
It was quite fun to dig up our basic skills in woodworking learned in school. We didn't sand the chairs too vigorously. Just enough to help the primer adhere to the surface. Dust off the surface as best as you can after the sanding.
Second step: PRIME.
Third step: DRY and repeat from step 2 for posterity.
Priming it twice worked well for us especially since the primer was white. It helped make the base very smooth before we applied the wood paint.
Finally: PAINT, DRY and REPEAT.
Post-DIY reflection: Can't emphasise this enough but when painting something with many corners, do a scan after each coat to make sure there are no paint globs lurking around. It would be frustrating to spot them long after they've dried. If any of our neighbours heard us working on the chairs, they probably thought we were a bit insane yelling around: 'Glob! Glob! Here! Watch it! Globby!!!'.
Thanks sis for telling me to colour in the same groove and not to switch sides midway during a childhood colouring session, not even to get into difficult corners. I made sure the strokes were as straight as possible so that it would dry to an even finish.
We were also really impressed by the range of new paints these days which have very little odour to them unlike the oil-based paints back when we used to help our parents paint the gates and fences.
We set the finished pieces to dry in our dining area. It took about two hours in total and we had friends over that same evening who were pleased to be the first to use our chairs. One of them said it made her feel like she was on holiday at a beach house somewhere. :)
We got some grey Bertil chair pads from Ikea to make them more comfortable.
We're really pleased with how they turned out!
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