It's no secret that when I put together a space within my own home, I don't want it to look like its just been bought at the local shops. It has to be unique!!! In fact, every room in my home has some kind of DIY. In my nursery, it's my shelves, curtains and my nursing chair. In this post I'm going to walk you through how I turned this second hand bentwood chair into the stunning feature piece of my first childs nursery.
Step 1 - find the chair!
I didn't know what I was looking for exactly when I began looking. I just wanted something different! I looked at chairs in baby stores however they just seemed so generic. I looked for a gorgeous occasional chair however I love the idea of something that rocked. So I began looking for something unique on facebook marketplace. Eventually I came across this timber rattan bentwood rocking chair for only $40!
Step 2 - Sanding
My husband very kindly pulled the chair pieces apart to make it easy to sand. This was especially handy since I am pregnant and could sand it from the comfort of a chair.
I gave it a light sand using 180 grit paper.
Step 3 - Covering up the rattan
Originally I bought this chair with the intention to only giving it sand and a new stain, however I love white and just thought even though it's more effort the end result would be amazing!
I procrastinated and procrastinated on the decision until I woke up one day and decided to just do it!
First step to make it happen was to tape up the rattan. This was time consuming and required a lot of patience because getting it right and neat was going to affect the end result. I cut plastic bags to match the shape of the rattan then very carefully taped it around the edges.
Step 4 - Undercoat stain blocker
When painting timber furniture that has previously been stained, it's important to do an undercoat with a stain blocker. My husband used our paint spray gun to do this but we found it clumped in some of the nooks and crannies as he couldn't keep the gun moving fluidly to get good coverage.
Step 5 - Sand before paint
Especially because the paint clumped in areas with the paint gun we sanded the chair and wipe it clean before painting the first coat.
Step 6 - PAINT!!!!
I used gloss Dulux Vivid white to paint the chair with a brush and not the paint gun. It was a big job painting into all the nooks and crannies especially because when I paint, I am a massive perfectionist. I gave the chair 2 coats.
Step 7 - The reveal!
Did my rattan taping work!! I cringed as I carefully peeled the tape back and couldn't help but jump for joy when only one tiny leak seeped through the edge of the tape. This leak came off easily with a little scratching. I couldn't wait to get it in the nursery to dress with a throw and of course have a little rock imagining the life that will be in a few months time.
The chair fits the room beautifully and is so comfortable. My baby hasn't arrived I am already relaxing and enjoying some rocking time. Don't compromise on your vision because the hardwork always pays off!