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

  2. Candice says

    I got a little sentimental when I saw you had painted Clara’s chair. It looks lovely and reminds me of when I was a little girl sitting in my identical “youth chair” as my dear mother called it. Wow, your mom and I must be nearly the same age if we both sat in the same chair as little girls. Clara will fit in that chair for several years. How darling she looks in her chair.

    Reply

  4. Diana says

    Your blog is so great! (I love watching Clara grow up before our eyes!!) I don’t know if I ever mentioned that we refinished dining room chairs following your tutorial and they turned out beautifully! They look professionally done!! (My husband loves hardware stores so he was quite thrilled to learn about spray paint refinishing!)

    Quite by coincidence, I also have a chair just like Clara’s that I picked up from my neighbor’s garage sale. I just loved the shape and look of it, so maybe some day I’ll redo it for a grandchild!

    Reply

  6. Nicole says

    That is the most perfect chair. Perfect fun cheery color and that chair can’t get any easier with clean ups. I hate all these new highchairs. They are sooo hard to clean up when kiddo makes a mess. UGH! I am jealous!

    Reply

  7. Rachel @ Common to Moms says

    What a sweet chair! And the pics of Clara are so cute! How much time did it take to do the actual spray painting (v. the time it takes to dry) and how much time does it take to dry in between the very thin coats?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I would say that it took an hour total (maybe ten minutes per coat for six coats plus wiping it down, setting up, etc). That doesn’t count waiting time between coats or drying time. I usually give it around 30 minutes between each thin coat and an hour between primer and paint (read the can to see if it has specific instructions because sometime it does).

      xo,
      s

  9. Jen says

    I love the transformation that a bit of spray paint can make! And the yellow colour is so happy!
    I did my own DGOTA (Dude get on that already) project last week while I was on spring break from school. Inspired by your guest room, I had Martha Stewart’s “Plumage” matched at Benjamin Moore and put up two coats in our guest room. In between coats, I worked on painting my old childhood dresser white. I ended up not really liking how the colour on the walls turned out (too green in our room, though I adore it in your house), so ended up priming and doing two more coats, this time of “Georgian Bay” by Benjamin Moore. I absolutely love it now and feel like I actually accomplished something on my break! Thanks for the inspiration, as always!
    Jen

    Reply

  10. Justin says

    I’ve been looking for a highchair like that! I’ve never been a fan of yellow, but I must say it is starting to grow on me just from reading this blog.

    On our end, we are really excited about our new hardwood floors in the living room and dining room, and our new entryway. We decided to jump on the board and batten bandwagon for that, and it looks great. We had it done the right way, as opposed to the way I see a lot of DIYers doing it (by just placing battens over their textured drywall and hanging over the baseboards…yuck).

    What do you think?
    http://justinandkatie.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/goodbye-cabinets/

    We need a bench and some hooks still, but we are stuck on what to do for a bench. Maybe something yellow? Hahaha

    Reply

  12. Heather Johnson says

    I have almost the same chair and now I’m totally going to have get my spray paint on too!! Super cute!! And I have to know… did you put Clara in that adorable green shirt on purpose for her first pics in that chair?? So cute!! What a bright, cheery combo!

    Reply

  13. Mary says

    Love the spray paint idea for a chair. So much easier than restaining or painting around all those spindles by hand…and much prettier too.

    So you inspired me to rethink the two stair railings that are off the wall right now due to the basement remodel (carpet coming tomorrow!) Instead of restaining, I think I’ll lightly sand, spray prime and paint them a black semi-gloss that matches the new cabinets we put in the basement. With the spray repainted satin nickel hardware, it should look awesome.

    Reply

  14. deborah says

    It seems that at one point when y’all would sand and then wipe down stuff before painting you used some product to wipe it down. What was that called?? I am about to do my first sand and paint furniture project and have reviewed the archives and can’t find it.

    Also, for using spray paint–how do you deal w/ the underside and not causing run off there??

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we use that sometimes, is it TSP? Or deglosser? This time we used mild soap and water (Dr Bronners) but those work too! As for the underside, I like to buy spray paint cans that can spray upside down and right side up (almost all of the Rustoleum cans can) so I can just move the can and my wrist to get under and around stuff like those spindles and rungs and stuff. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  16. Sara says

    So funny you should post about this chair. My son and DIL were at my parents’ house a couple of weeks ago and he took MY chair which is very similar to yours. He loves the chair and wants to paint it also. He has a 3 and 2 yr old, so I’m sure it will get as much use as yours will. Very cute chair, and even cuter Clara!!

    Reply

  17. Katie says

    Hi Sherry and John,

    I don’t know if I have ever commented here before, but I love your blog and I have been reading daily for the past two years. I love how such a simple project brightened up the room and gave Clara so much joy. It finally inspired me to get on a project (coincidentally also with spray paint) that I have been meaning to do. So as soon as I read your post I ran outside and sprayed the first coat of blue paint on a wall sconce that I have been meaning to paint for the past month. Thanks for always giving me something inspiring to read each morning :)

    xxx Katie

    Reply

  19. Madison says

    Hey! So crazy, but I just painted my kitchen table and chairs. & the chairs are SUN YELLOW in gloss! Whenever I chose it, I made my family scratch their heads a bit – but everyone loves it now. I’m so happy I took a chance on the color and went bold. They make me happy looking at them. And look fun and cheery and sunny against our dark wood kitchen table and turquoise walls! I love your youth chair, too! So fun for Clara to have a chair with such a rich history! :)

    Best,
    Madison

    http://www.theseidlerfamily.com/table-for-two#more-1251

    Reply

  20. The Distilled Review says

    This turned out amazing! I really need to start on taking on projects like this. It’s truly spectacular of what you can do with just a little care. And nothing like the joy in a child’s face.

    Reply

  22. Chris Wilson says

    The look on her face says it all… Loving yellow plus perfect for kids…

    I just tried to spray paint a side table…forgot the primer so it took a million coats…so thanks for the reminder!!!

    I am spray painting something yellow this weekend, so the kids better watch out lol…I think some frames at least!!

    Reply

  23. Bernadette @b3hd says

    I agree that that color is to die for. I just bought some stools for the kitchen counter. I’m not bold enough to paint the cabinets yellow yet, but I think the stools might get us down that path.

    Bernadette

    Reply

  24. Kate says

    LOVE the yellow chair and adorable lil Clara! Also totally love this corner of your living room! I don’t remember seeing it from that vantage point before. (Gotta love how all of us strangers are so familiar with your house, huh?) ;-)

    Reply

  26. gina says

    Okok, I know folks always think that their OWN kids are perfectly beautiful, and all the other folks kids are just cute at best… but I swear, Clara is simply gorgeous! I have my own babie-boos, and I of course think they are gorgeous too… but up till I ‘saw’ Clara, I always thought other children were cute, adorable, or just precious in their own sweet way.. but Clara is so sweet and special, she looks like sexy john, no doubt… but she is a carbon copy of that drop dead gorgeous Sherry! such good genes here!!—- Clara is gonna be TAAAAAAL! she is gonna be calling Sherry lil shawty momma ((:

    Love the yellow chair. actually I love all that yall do!!
    and Burger too. <3

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, you’re so cute Gina! I totally can already picture Clara being taller than me in third grade or something and thinking it’s hilarious. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  29. Christie says

    Oh, I want a chair like that.

    It matches my dining set (from my mother-in-law that she bought used in the 70s). I think the set is from the late 50s/early 60s (does that fit the timing with your mom as a toddler?).

    What I love about the set is that its a huge, round, solid maple table, which extends into a large oblong with two leaves, and the chairs are low-profile, scooting under the table. The chairs are really comfortable too.

    Reply

  30. Beth says

    Love it! The gender-neutral nursery my Mom made for us was yellow and it’s been my favorite color ever since. Makes everything seem happier, including this awesome chair.

    Reply

  31. Megan says

    The yellow reminds me of my grandmother’s stool she had in her kitchen when I was growing up. It was definitely not as shiny as your’s but it was well worn and loved. She sat in it every day and it was there even when she was putting on a large meal. Everyone sat in it and it was just a basic, wood stool that was painted yellow. It even had a little step that was perfect to rest your feet on. I love that simple pieces – a chair for a toddler (adorable btw!) or a chair for a grandmother – can really make the room and make people so happy!!! My parents now have the stool but I’m thinking maybe I need to steal it… hehe…

    Reply

  34. Candice says

    Chair looks amazing! Question for you, would you spraypaint a larger piece (like a dresser) or roller paint it?
    Thank you!

    Reply

  39. Phiyen says

    Hi there! I am a new follower of your YHL blog and completely impressed by all your DIY projects. This post is inspiring me to transform all my oak wooden dining chairs to a brighter color. I am just confused as to why you can spray paint this wood chair but recommend sanding/priming/painting for other projects- like the wooden table in another post. To me, it would be a lot easier to spray paint away…Would appreciate the advice before I start this weekend. thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Anything much bigger (like a desk, dresser, dining table, etc) can be harder to spray for a uniform result (drips and uneven areas can be a problem while a small foam roller can deposit paint a lot more evenly for a reliable and “safer” result). So for chairs you can try to spray them if you have a light touch and don’t get too much paint on (beware of drips!!) or have uneven spots where you can see there’s more or less paint. For most beginner painters I think a small foam roller gives you much more control, but it could work with spray paint if you’re super light with the coats I think!

      xo,
      s

  40. Elizabeth says

    I actually found a little high chair (a little more contemporary than yours) on the side of the road the night before trash day a few weeks ago, in perfect condition. I don’t have kids, but do have young visitors from time to time and I thought it would be nice to have for those occasions. But because it will mostly just sit in the corner of my dining room, so I thought painting it a bright color and making a pillow for it would make it a fun addition to the room, but then I got a little nervous and thought I should go with white. But seeing yours all nice and sunny has confirmed that I should go with bright. Now to pick a color!
    Thus ends the worlds longest comment!

    Reply

  43. Crochet By Megs says

    I just redid my office chair!! No painting but it had ugly blue fabric that looked 300 years old so I reupholstered it in a fun new fabric!! Thank you so much for all your inspiring projects! I don’t think I would have considered doing that before I started reading your blog! Now I like doing all sorts of (small) DIY jobs around the house!!!

    Reply

  44. Jacqueline says

    Gorgeous! Love it!

    You realise now everyone is going to be scouring antique stores for a similar chair?! :-)

    And well done to your Mum for having the foresight to hang on to it all those years!

    Reply

  46. brandi says

    I love the bright yellow you chose for the chair. I really enjoyed seeing Clara’s reaction to it in the pics. She’s getting so big. It’s so neat watching her grow! Makes me really miss when my kids were that young. Oh great, now I’m crying! LOL!!! : )

    Reply

  47. kim says

    I have a question for you and your readers. I’m a bit older then you (by 10yrs) and I know all my friends are the same way, but do you think the painted furniture is a trend? I remember as a teen in the 80s helping my mother strip all the antiques my grandmother had painted in the late 50s early 60s, it was a pain in the #$$. So I have a hard time painting any of it now. Unfortunately now that both my grandmothers and my mom are gone I have a lot of antiques and no one wants them! But the same two chairs no one wanted at the beginning of last summer (garage sale) sold in minutes at the end of the summer after I painted them a glossy white. Why do so many people have no imagination? Why do so many people require instant gratification?
    By the way the chair is great and your kid is really cute!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Great question Kim! I think nearly everything in design goes around and comes around, so it’s all about doing what you love whenever you love it! I think life’s too short to never take risks or paint furniture/wall because you worry someday that choice will be out of date (most likely anything you do will be out of date someday, haha). As for those chair selling right away when you painted them glossy white, it’s also funny to us that some folks need to see the “after” to be sold on something, but there are definitely people out there (like us) who look for things that need to be rescued and are most definitely in their before state! We just love a project, haha.

      xo,
      s

  48. Renee says

    I love the chair!! Gorgeous color choice! I wanted to also share that I bought that ceramic elephant that was in your “shop” on Joss & Main and I am so excited for it to come in the mail. I think I may need to join you for Ceramic Animals Anonymous!!

    Reply

  49. Amy Knisely says

    Our latest big project was installing our fence – we’re getting the most adorable yellow labrador puppy in just a little over a week! (There are pictures of his amazing cuteness on my blog).

    See, yellow is a theme or something…

    Reply

  50. Sonja says

    Wow. That’s cute! I think it might be your best spray paint project yet. Of course, I think that almost every time I read a spray painting post of yours. That stuff is so amazing.

    Reply

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