These pressback chairs were in need of some updating, said a friend of mine, who asked me if I could work some magic on her set. She gave me a gallon of antique white enamel paint and a bunch of creative freedom. Here I will show you the process as well as some helpful tips and shortcuts I figured out along the way:
Materials:
-antique white enamel acrylic paint (I used self-priming Behr paint).
-black wood stain (I used Minwax in Onyx)
-sanding sponge
-paint brushes in different sizes
-soft cloths
-cotton balls or cotton pads
-protective gloves
First, I prepped the chairs for painting by lightly sanding each chair with a sanding sponge (much easier on the hands than regular sandpaper)
Then, I wiped off the dust with a soft cloth.
I gave the chairs two coats of paint, allowing each layer to dry a few hours. The first two chairs I painted only with a brush. Then, I figured out a shortcut that cut the painting time in half: Use a small paint roller to apply the paint in one section, then immediately brush over it with the paint brush, to leave nice brush lines.
For the antiquing, I rubbed the black wood stain over the grooves in the wood in small sections and immediately rubbed the chair down, leaving the stain in the grooves only. For the first chair, I tried using a soft cloth-which resulted in a drippy mess. I tried using a cosmetic cotton round and which worked so much better. It also helped to wrap plastic over the parts of the chair I wasn't staining.
