Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Updating An Old Wooden Highchair

This is such a fun and simple project that is so smile-inducing it’s ridiculous.

updating-an-old-wooden-highchair

Remember this old highchair that I got from my mom almost a year ago, which she ate out of when she was a bambina? Well dude, I finally got on that.

Playroom High Chair

I had been waiting patiently to give it a little upgrade (it was covered in old paint splatters and smelled musty and smoky from a ton of years in storage) and now that Clara is big enough to sit in it without a lap belt, it was finally time to get ‘er done (after, you guessed it, sticking it in our playroom for at least eight months).

I debated a ton of “refinishing” options:

  • sanding and staining it
  • spraying it white or black for a classic look
  • going bright turquoise, navy, lime, yellow, or even a fun orange-red color

But in the end, I thought about the three places it would probably get used the most:

  • the dining room table
  • the kitchen peninsula
  • the living room table (the round pedestal one by the window where we sometimes eat)

So John and I had a little pow-wow and decided the finish that worked the best for those three rooms was…. bright happy yellow! How did we come to that conclusion? Well…

  • our front door is bright yellow and the dining room looks awesome when that door is open so you can see that pop of color (it’s also in our curtains)
  • we have a few happy yellow accessories in the kitchen and they look great against the grellow, gray, brown, and white backdrop
  • I carried these yellow horse heads into the living room and they looked so fun in the space

And so it was settled. I did my little pre-spray painting jig (oh spray paint, how do I love thee – let me count the ways) and brought the chair outside:

High Chair Unpainted

First came the spray priming step. I intentionally didn’t sand the chair at all because there were old paint splatters on it that I worried could be lead paint, since this chair is very very very old (haha, sorry for all the verys mom- you don’t look a day over 29!). So per the recommendation for lead paint, I let it lie and just opted to paint right over it. I applied three super thin and even coats of spray primer (more of a mist than a coat actually, and I always kept my hand moving and my nozzle around 8-12″ away from the chair – see more spray painting tips here).

High Chair White Primer

As for what I used, I actually went with my favorite spray paint with primer built in. It’s called Rustoleum Universal in the satin white color. I had a can on hand and have already used it as a primer under brightly colored spray paint with success (just because it has paint and primer doesn’t mean you can’t layer another color of spray paint on top of it and have that first few coats of primer/paint grab it and hold it for the long haul). So here’s how it looked after the white primer + paint was fully applied:

High Chair White

Then on went a few thin and even top coats of Sun Yellow, also by Rustoleum (from Home Depot) which I actually used on these horse heads and this box (I’m convinced it’s the perfect yellow color, which is harder to track down in spray paint form than you’d think).

High Chair Yellow Spray

After a few thin and even coats of that when I had nice solid coverage, I had this:

High Chair Yellow

I left it outside for two consecutive nice and sunny days so it could cure (bringing it into the sunroom overnight in case there was an unexpected storm or morning dew to contend with). After two days outside it was pretty much cured up, but I let it sit for another 48 hours in the sunroom with the windows open, just to be sure that it was nice and dry (and no longer smelled like spray paint) before bringing it inside.

By then the paint was hard and glossy – and fully ready for serious kid abuse (jumping the gun and using something that you’ve painted too soon is probably the number one way to end up with scrapes and dents in your paint job – especially when a toddler is in charge of quality control). So it was finally time for Clara to give it a try. I brought it into the corner of the living room before grabbing her after her nap so I could document her “discovery” when she came padding in and noticed it.

High Chair Done1

The good news is as soon as she saw it and I told her it was her new big girl chair she got crazy excited about it and tried to climb right up:

High Chair Done2

She needed a little mommy help to get up there, but she was definitely comfortable sitting in it. Here she is beaming like the proud big-girl-chair-owner that she is.

High Chair Done3

The kid was all smiles (and apparently still figuring out how to sit up straight in it, but she got the hang of that soon enough):

High Chair Done4

Then there was some happy singing (at a very high volume, but it was for a good cause):

High Chair Done5

It was at this point in The Presentation Of The Yellow Chair process that I wished I had something this exciting to give to her every day – or at least every month. She really was loving her big girl chair as much as any toy we’d ever given her. This is her face when daddy walked into the room to see her trying out her new chair.

High Chair Done6

Here are some detail shots because I can’t step. away. from. the. camera. See those shiny gleaming spots on the chair in the pic below? This is the beauty of gloss paint. It’s also super durable and wipeable since it has extra flex and shine in the formula. The only thing with gloss paint is that it shows imperfections more (they’ll gleam right along with the rest of it) so you’ll want to be extra careful about applying thin and even coats of primer and paint (you can even sand a drip down between coats if you get one).

High Chair Done7

Really, what’s a hand shot without a foot shot?

High Chair Done8

And how about a shot from above?

High Chair Done9

Oh yeah, and then this happened. A few rousing rounds of “Where’s Clara?”….

High Chair Done10

…. “there she is!” ensued.

High Chair Done11

So… victory! The girl loves her big girl chair and yellow just happens to be her current favorite color. At least today it is, but if you ask her tomorrow it might be pink. Although now that she has her new yellow chair, it might stick. And I showed my mom and she beamed, so apparently she’s in love with her old chair’s new life. She said yellow was the perfect color for Clara while still being friendly for a future kiddo of either sex and I didn’t even think about that so I’m glad it worked out. Haha. So a big thank you goes out to my mom for handing down such a charming little seat for the bean and encouraging us to make it our own with some happy color. It’s kind of amazing to think that three generations of our family have snacked on things while sitting in it (I also used it for a stint when I was younger). And you gotta love free hand-me-downs!

That’s what I got on this week for my Dude Get On That Already challenge. And it was a nice big item to remove from the playroom. Huzzah! I wish I could take photos of the playroom as my embarrassingly giant mess o’ things is reduced each week, but since we have secret book projects in the mix we’re not allowed to reveal those. Boo. Anyway, what highly overdue task have you guys tackled recently? Any chair makeovers or spray painting sprees going on? I think along with Ceramic Animals Anonymous I might need Spray Painters Anonymous…

Comments

  1. Kasey M. says

    My get on that challenge…finishing The Happiness Project yesterday while waiting for the vet to show up in the exam room. My poor kitty, Zeus, wasn’t happy about the visit but was all too happy to sit in my lap while we waited. And yes, I was the crazy girl reading out loud to her cat in an exam room when the vet finally walked in. At least Zeus wasn’t shaking (his normal reaction to the vet’s arrival)!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, what a nice way to “serenade” Zeus with happiness at the vet. I’m about half-way through and loving it! Wish I had more time to read it before falling asleep! Haha.

      xo,
      s

  3. Christine says

    Do you have any photos of your Mom sitting in that chair? That would be the ultimate before-and-after photo set! ‘Cuz Clara kinda looks like her grandma!
    We actually have a hand-me-down set of that style of chair, but table-height, for grown ups, and have long angsted over whether to paint them or just get new ones, because the shapes and lines are so old-fashioned. Have you ever thought of doing a, “can this furniture be saved?” feature? I, for one, LOVE it!!

    Reply

  5. Shari says

    How cute! It’s funny because the first thing I thought of when you chose yellow was that it’s a great neutral color for a little girl or a little boy!

    I’m right now working up the courage to use spray paint on furniture, like chairs or tables. As of right now, I’ve only used it on picture frames and small accessories. I’m just so afraid of it chipping if it gets daily use. So do you ever us a poly to seal it or does letting it cure for a couple days always do the trick?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I have found that good primer + gloss paint is similar to how any pro will paint most items of furniture (the gloss in the topcoat of paint is enough, and some poly can yellow or crack over time, so skipping it has worked out in spray painting cases). I still like to use poly when I paint things with a brush though (like a dining table or the top of Clara’s changing table) but with glossy spray paint and a good primer it holds up well without it!

      xo,
      s

  6. Sophie says

    lovely! I did a dude get on that project, but I’m only partway done, so does that count? I had some cherry stained ledges for pic frames from our old house just collecting dust in our basement. Finally spray painted them a satin white and now they are waiting to hang in my sewing nook to hold some pics of grandmas, aunts, great-grandmas, great-aunts, who were all awesome seamstresses.

    Reply

  7. gia says

    This project brought tears to my eyes! It has to be my favorite of your “dude, get on that” projects because it is so sentimental! I love the yellow and clara looks so adorable sitting in it! Clara is a few weeks older than our little girl and I also get a little sniffly seeing how much she grows everyday. We are thinking about moving her to the toddler bed soon! sniffle. sniffle…

    Reply

  8. KC says

    Ah man! I LOVE your all’s obsession with a pop of bright yellow. It looks awesome! And that color looks even better with a Clara accessory. :)

    Reply

  9. Kati H says

    You could take pics of the room any way and then do a time-lapse reveal if you wanted one day! would you recommend the same type paint for a table to eat off of? (in white, not yellow)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      For tables I always recommend using a brush or a small foam roller to apply primer + paint + some sort of topcoat/poly (we like SafeCoat Acrylacq since it doesn’t yellow and is non-toxic since you eat off of it). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

    • erika m says

      ahh man..wish I would have read this comment b/f commenting…I was thinking the same thing…time lapse video after the book release…

  10. mariela says

    Sherry,
    I’ve been spray painting a lot of stuff too, but I mainly stick to accesories for now. Your chair turned out so well! It definitely inspired me to try it on a piece of furniture. One thing is I think I go overboard beacuse I always get that ‘drip’ in a section or 2 after it dries. Need to start doing thin coats from now on!

    Reply

  11. Renee says

    I just love your posts! This one is such a fun, cheerful post – it gave me a happy, Friday kinda feeling on this gloomy (here in Boston) Thursday. Thanks!

    Reply

  12. Lindsey Bedford says

    Love, love, love the happy yellow color!!! I am getting ready to spray paint a cute roundish nightstand I found on craigslist, and it is going to be a glossy orange to pop out from my daughter’s newly painted light pink room. I am so excited to get it going now that I see this! Also in the works, I designed a quilt for her room and have all the fabric picked out for my wonderful mother-in-law to start on this weekend!

    Thanks for all your inspiring ideas on here!
    Lindsey

    Reply

  13. Ellen says

    I just got a few treasures from the thrift store last week

    – an oak magazine rack which I’m thinking about painting either green or blue and putting in the nursery next to the rocking chair for extra special baby books

    – and two brassy trivets, one shaped like an owl and one like a butterfly (I may have thought “Animals! Sherry would like these!” when I saw them…) which I’m thinking about spray painting ORB or perhaps a fun color and hanging them up in the dining room, because they are way too pretty to put hot pots on…

    Reply

  14. Robin O says

    I LOVE the chair!!!! The color is so fun and happy. Definitely an inspiration to me to get some more happy spots of color in my house. And don’t you just love how things can bring such sheer joy to kiddos? Clara’s expressions are just priceless!

    Reply

  16. karen says

    omg..the second photo of clara is priceless!!! she is a mini you sherry! i said it from the beginning.
    Hey, are you guys potty training yet?? I ask because my 21 month old just figured it out last week!! I just had the potty available to her and put her on it several times a day (after she had her milk or was done eating) and within a few days she got it!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s amazing! We’re not quite there yet (Clara talks about it a lot – well, she talks about everything a lot, haha) and sometimes sits on the potty, but no actual “in the bowl” things have happened yet…

      xo,
      s

  18. Missy G. says

    Clara is so stinkin’ ca-uuute!! I hope you frame that top photo of her sitting in her new big girl chair. She is just absolutely adorable.

    And while I don’t have any home stuff to chat about, it’s because I’m working hard on something else for now. After some recent health concerns, hubby and I have been laser-focused on eating healthier and exercising more. Hubby has already lost over 15 pounds; I’m so proud of him!

    Reply

  19. Stacey says

    Oh my goodness, your little girl is just too cute! Please give her a little cuddle for me – her bright smile has just made my (very long work) day!

    Reply

  20. Carra says

    I absolutely love love love spray paint!! I keep at least 15 colors on hand at all times :) The chair turned out beautifully, and I adore how Clara lights up when she sits in it. She is definitely following in the footsteps of her DIY loving parents! You guys are great, I genuinely enjoy reading your blog daily. Thanks for sharing and even more thanks for inspiring.

    Reply

  21. Beth in DC says

    Dear Sherry,
    As one who is approximately your lovely mother’s age, I think you should apologize for saying that chair has had “a ton of years” in storage. :)

    Reply

  22. Robin E. says

    Perfect choice for the chair! I too love yellow, and that hue is a great find.

    Also, what a seriously cute kid. Look at those crazy-long legs! Clara just gets cuter and cuter.

    Reply

  23. Melissa says

    Long overdue task — finally finished painting our gigantic kitchen yesterday! Booyah!!! I started it last May, figuring I could knock it out before my kids got our for summer vaca, then I got pulled into class parties and it never got finished. It’s been a spotty mess of old beige with some happy celery cut-ins. It was SO WONDERFUL to walk into the kitchen his morning and be surrounded by the cheery color on ALL the walls.

    And I was *totally* trying to channel my inner Petersik during the painting process. I truly hate painting, but imagining you cheering me on helped “get ‘er done”, as you say. ;-)

    Reply

  25. Jennifer Rae says

    Oh. My. Goodness. Clara looks so much like Sherry in the first smiling picture I had to look twice! I can only hope my future kids are as adorable as she is. :)

    Reply

  26. Lesley says

    Clara’s reaction is just adorable!

    Do you remember where you got the spray paint? It’s a great yellow. I was looking for some yellow at Lowe’s the other day, and all they had was “safety yellow” which I wasn’t too sure about . . .

    Reply

  28. Meg says

    Add Pillow Hoarders Anonymous to the list! The background of the picture of the chair in the playroom gives you away more than we already knew!
    PS> The chair looks great! Love the yellow.

    Reply

  29. Meg says

    Love it! It’s so cheerful! And she looks so thrilled. :)

    I have a question, too. When you’re painting furniture, how do you decide whether to spray paint or use a brush? I love your DIY furniture painting tutorial and used it to do a table and chairs (which turned out great), but now I’m wondering if I could have saved myself a lot of tears and swearing and spray painted the chairs instead.

    Thanks in advance! <3

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I generally use a brush or a small foam roller on large-ish furnishings like side tables, dressers, dining tables, desks, etc (since you can get spray paint drips in corners and have issues with things cracking and peeling if it’s on there too thick) and I usually use spray paint for smaller things like stools, small wood chairs, lamp bases, frames, accessories, etc. I would have totally painted the chairs to your table by hand though, because you want it to look exactly like the table, so unless it’s a small wood stool or baby chair I would probably do exactly what you did. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  30. Amy @ this DIY life says

    Love the chair! How fun. And because I can’t pass up a good TWSS moment – second sentence of the post…TWSS. I might need a support group for that. That and buying thrift store furniture.

    After two years in our house, we have exactly 6 things hanging on the walls of our 2,100 square foot house and one of those is a clock – fail. My weekend project was getting an artsy thing on a wall (http://thisdiylife.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/make-it-pretty/).

    Reply

  31. Kim says

    Love the chair! Such a fun pop.

    Can I just mention that little baby Clara doesn’t look like little baby Clara anymore!? I don’t know if her hair looks darker or if her face is maturing a bit, but she is growing up so fast! Such a beautiful little bambina :)

    Reply

  32. Sarah says

    OMG. That first close-up pic of her shows just how much she looks like YOU Sherry!! Especially in the smile. Sooo pretty! And I love the chair makeover. I’m seriously wanting to re-do this small white Target desk I got a few years ago, and I think you may have given me the nudge I need.

    Reply

  33. Jeannie says

    Clara is just too cute!! And I love the chair that color, what a great idea! Do you think you’ll need to add a strap or something for her? It looks like she’s pretty good at sitting in it without one, but just curious!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think she’s ok without a strap now (she even sits at booths in restaurants with us sometimes. Of course we have to keep an eye on her, but we’re always with her when she’s eating anyway so it seems to work!

      xo,
      s

  35. Kristen says

    Is there a tip to getting around the back part of the chair (like the poles that go from the seat to the top)? I’m dying to paint some kitchen chairs we have but I’m not sure I know a good technique in getting around the “spindles?” is that what they are using spray paint.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I just like buying good spray paint that can be sprayed at any angle (even upside-down) which Rustoleum is great about. I just hit it from many different places (below, above, all sides, etc) and it covered nicely!

      xo,
      s

  36. Sherri says

    This is looks so great and Clara is so awesome for being a sweet, happy, appreciative little bean! This is so much more special than the highchairs on the market today. Pretty soon your Magic Room of Unfinished Business will be cleared of stuff and your “Dude, Get On That Already” will be decorating the room itself!

    Reply

  37. emma says

    Thanks for the push to get little projects done too! A great reminder that the little punches of color and character complete a house!

    Reply

  38. Jenn says

    a. dor. a. bul.

    Isn’t it wonderful to see the world through a child’s eyes when a bright yellow chair rocks your world.

    PS. that chair would rock my world to.

    Reply

  40. Laura says

    OKAY, I’LL GET ON IT!!! (meant with some sarcasm…) I’ve read so many of these posts about the projects that you’re finally tackling, I can’t stand it anymore…. finally going to tackle one of my own! I’m planning to spray paint two lamps (my first spray-painting attempt… I know…) that I bought at goodwill, oh, you know…. 8-ish months ago. They’re currently a cream color, but I loved the dark purple/plum that you spray painted some ceramic animal recently (I can’t keep track), so I went to Lowes and bought the same color. Wish me luck! If they turn out nice, I’ll post some pics :-) Thanks for the motivation!

    Reply

  41. Crystal says

    Love the glossy yellow you chose and thanks for the baby feet shot. What is it about baby feet that are so kissable but adult feet are so gross?

    Reply

  42. janetl says

    I spray painted a generic vase but my paint crackled with my later coats. It was the same paint. I’ve never had that happen before so I didn’t know what I did wrong. Anyone have ideas why that happened?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, maybe you didn’t use primer? That always helps with adhesion. Also if you did it on too cold or too hot of a day (it usually says what temp it should be to use the spray paint) that can result in cracking. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  43. Melanie says

    This turned out so great–I echo other readers who have mentioned how fun it is that you guys are going for more color in your current house. I am loving seeing how it is developing.

    Also, Clara is adorable as usual.

    Reply

  44. Sarah says

    Love it! There’s nothing better than a sunny, happy yellow, if you ask me. I’ve been seriously thinking about spraying my cheap-o IKEA dining chairs for a little contrast. This might be the final straw of encouragement!

    Reply

  45. Sarah @Savvy Young Something says

    What girl doesn’t get excited when she gets a big girl anything? I slept in a twin bed throughout my childhood and was so excited to get a “big girl bed” when I got an apartment in college. And I can’t wait to get my own place and get more big girl furniture. Maybe one day I will get a big girl haircut. Big girl stuff never gets old!

    Reply

  46. Lindsay says

    Clara looks just like you, Sherry! And I do see your mom in her, too… which makes sense since I think you look like your mom. How does anyone say she looks like John at all?

    Love the yellow!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s so funny but John’s entire family and my entire family say John. It’s a head shape thing I think. And those long legs. Haha. Wish those were mine! But lately we hear the eyes and her smile are looking more like mine.

      xo,
      s

  47. Andrea says

    I love this chair! A question though, did you consider putting some sort of poly finish on it? If you did consider, I’m curious why you didn’t end up doing it.

    Thanks for all the inspiration you guys provide. Can’t wait for the book!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I have found that good primer + gloss paint is similar to how any pro will paint most items of furniture (they will use an industrial sprayer, but the gloss in the topcoat of paint is enough, and some poly can yellow or crack over time, so skipping it has worked out in spray painting cases). I still like to use poly when I paint larger furnishings with a brush or roller though (like a dining table or Clara’s dresser) but with glossy spray paint and a good primer on smaller furnishings like stools or chairs or lamp bases, it holds up well without it!

      xo,
      s

  48. LauraC says

    Well, I did the same thing (spray painted a chair, not a high chair) last month, but I’m not in love with the shade of green I used. So it’s going to get a repaint job, back to white! If it ever gets warm enough here (WA) to spray paint. I did the chair in the garage, big mistake. I thought I had enough cardboard down, but not so, oops! One question, I checked and checked for any spots I’d missed, and finally finished and brought it inside. Then immediately found two spots I missed! So frustrating (just left them since I had finished the can, and plan to repaint anyway). But they were the inside rungs on the bottom, just like your high chair. Did you have trouble getting every angle of the rungs? I turned the chair upside down to fully cover it, but obviously it didn’t work perfectly (or maybe it was just bad lighting in the garage). Maybe Clara’s high chair was spaced out enough it wasn’t an issue; I just had a hard time getting my hand close enough to get those inside rungs.

    Happy Thursday!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’m a huge fan of getting the good spray paint that can spray at any angle (even upside down) like the Rustoleum stuff, so that seemed to help me get the underside of things (I just squatted and sprayed it from below or held it upside down and sprayed up in places I could get beneath). I love doing it outside since it’s easier to see parts you have missed in natural light, so that might help over the garage which can have shadows and make things harder to see. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  50. Rach says

    We did this last summer! I got an vintage chair off craig’s list and we painted it blue:) It looked awesome in my DTR’s vintage photos. If I did it again I would spray paint. I had every intention of her eating off of it so I wanted to do BPA free, blabla. It looks great but it was a bad idea. It chips easily. So for now it is really pretty decor in our living room!:) Love your chair…love yellow. Clara is such a doll sitting in it so proud like a “big girl!” The rino is cool too!

    Reply

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