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. grace adkins says

    Looks super cute! I love the color! Do you think you could use this same method for painting a big piece of furniture like a dresser? Or do you think it would be best to just buy a bucket of paint and a paint brush?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I would use the small foam roller and paint brush method we outline on our projects page in the post about painting furniture. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  3. Kelly Bartlett says

    Fabulous! I wonder how many chairs got a fresh coat of paint due to the post? I know I was inspired. Just waiting for the weather to get nice again so I can get outside and spray paint some furniture!

    Reply

  4. Renee says

    Clara looks super cute in her “new” chair! It’s amazing how a little spray paint can bring something old to life again. Side note, I can’t help but wonder how many spray paint spots are scattered around your yard, lol.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, I try to use the same spot over and over again out of habit. The grass is squished down there from my dropcloths and pieces of cardboard. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  5. Laura says

    If she was this excited about her big girl chair, just wait until she gets a big girl BED! She is going to freak out! hahahahaha…what a sweet girl. :)
    ~Laura

    Reply

  7. Sheila says

    This chair makes me so happy! First, it totally reminds me of this vintage Fisher Price toy chair (http://myvintagetoybox.ecrater.com/p/6677619/vintage-fisher-price-little-people). It also reminds me of the bright yellow table and chairs we had in our kitchen when I was a kid in the 80s. My mom thought she was on the cutting edge of decorating trends!
    Thanks for inspiring me to get on my big pile o’ projects. I get motivated by telling myself “Dude, Sherry would have totally gotten on that already!” ?

    Reply

  8. Alyssa Wine says

    Clara is so sweet! You can see how happy she is in her new chair. Nothing better than munchkin smiles. Good job, mommy, and never step away from the camera! (it flies by too fast)

    Reply

  9. Kim says

    Nice makeover! My kids would love to have had a bright colored high chair.

    I painted my girls room after about 9 years of white walls. I was dying to get some color up in there. I took your recommendation and used Olympic paint but had problems with it. Do you think it is extra runny? When we rolled it on the walls it started dripping while we waited for it to dry and it didn’t really cover very well. We used a Wooster roller if it matters. Have you encountered any problems like this?? Wondering what I did wrong.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, I wonder if you used a nappy roller instead of a smooth surface one. You ideally want to apply paint in thin and even coats, so a smooth surface roller deposits less paint so it can’t really start dripping while it’s drying or anything like that. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  10. Megan says

    Love the chair!!! Was thinking of redoing a dresser for baby’s room in the same color. Do you think the spray paint would also work on that or would traditional paint be a better option?

    Reply

  11. Susan says

    That yellow is so sunny it makes me smile. :)

    I picked up a kid’s rocker from Freecycle this week. I didn’t want to sand it cuz it’s so old. After reading this post, I decided to do the spray paint thang. Not so successful. The painted surface was really rough. Not nice to the touch at all. So I tried a deglosser (which I also read about here) and then tried again. Much better! I still have a few thin layers to go, but it’s looking good and has a nice smooth finish. My 2-year-old has given it her stamp of approval, telling me it’s no longer the porky-pine chair. ;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’m not sure it has a name for that pattern, but the curtains are from Ikea and I believe they’re called the Alvine Kottar (not sold anymore, but maybe try ebay?).

      xo,
      s

  15. ashlee says

    hey sherry,

    how many cans did it take?

    you wouldn’t believe how many DUDE, GET ON IT challenges i could perform. it’s sickening. there are sooooooo many things in my house just waiting to be worked on. i never think to use yellow. but it looks fantastic.

    i love that you are carrying a very nice colour scheme throughout your house (the shades of yellow, blues). the best part is that you can swap out your accessories for another colour down the road if you want new pops of colour. i love how your ‘base’ is so neutral (cupboards, floors, walls). it makes colour popping so easy. and so many options.

    Reply

  16. AJ says

    Did Clara lose her right foot? In the picture underneath “This is her face when daddy walked into the room to see her trying out her new chair” it looks like she has no foot! How is she going to chase after Burger now?!?!?

    Reply

  17. Erin says

    This looks great! I am getting ready for my first spray painting adventure today!! I am painting two hand-me-down beds for my twins (wooden head/foot boards and side rails). I bought satin spray paint, should I return it for glossy?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Satin should be great! Just be sure it has built in primer or you might want to use a separate spray primer first to get a nice long-lasting hold! Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  19. Michelle says

    I am going to repaint a Jenny Lind crib (they are the ones with lots of spindles) and I need your advice! If I wanted to paint the crib white, could I just use that primer/paint spray in the white color until I get the coverage I want and be done? I will probably seal using the SafeCoat Acrylacq since it will be for a newborn baby. Should I use a brush or a foam roller to apply the sealer?

    Do you guys have any qualms about painting a crib?

    And lastly, is there any option to “view all” comments?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry, we don’t have View All for the comments anymore since it was crashing the site (hundreds of comments to load slowed things down and we kept crashing). As for painting that crib, I would use no-VOC paint applied with a brush in thin and even coats over spray paint since spray paint is oil-based, which isn’t good for expectant moms or babies. Then following that with SafeCoat is the perfect combo. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  20. Kara says

    Love the chair! I’m going to be doing some spray painting of my own (I scored some cheap wood night stands from a hotel that was renovating). Was there a reason why you didn’t put a coat of poly on top of the spray paint? I’m not sure if I need to do this step or not.

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That spray paint with primer combo is really durable, so spray poly is a nice extra credit step, but we’re confident it’ll hold up well without it. If you’re in doubt, it can’t hurt to add it though!

      xo,
      s

  23. Sonja says

    I have an old wooden highchair that I want to paint red for our second little guy who will be using it soon. It’s old and has a medium-blah tone to it – our kitchen area accent colour is red, like our apple red Kitchen Aid mixer, and I think it’d be great on the high chair. I like the idea of spray paint as it seems easier.

    Can you tell me how the paint job is holding up? One of my concerns is I don’t know what the finish is on it now – might be oil-based as it’s old/second hand. Will the primer you used stick to that? I don’t want it to peel/chip off after all that hard work. Do you find it wipes down ok?
    Love what you’re doing! I’m inspired!
    Sonja

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So gar it’s great! My tip would be to use a liquid deglosser, sand a bit if it’s glossy, and then definitely spray it with a primer first (that will be oil-based so it’ll “reset” the chair, since latex paint or oil-based paint can follow oil-based primer). Thin and even coats are key!

      xo,
      s

  24. Amy says

    I just found a chair like that at a yard sale and painted it. I love it and so does my 2 yr old! Thanks for the great idea!

    Reply

  25. Dawn says

    You may have already answered this but have you ever done a top coat over your spray paint to protect it even further from toddler abuse? I did a chair like this for my son (lagoon…LOVE how the color turned out) but I am finding that with the constant wiping down the paint is starting to chip and wear off in places. Have you had any experience with a spray paint top coat? Thanks LOVE the blog and it has inspired changes in every single room of my house. Some day I will send you guys some before and afters ;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think a topcoat is a great idea for more durability! I didn’t get around to it, but I’d love to add one just to keep things looking good!

      xo,
      s

  26. Katie says

    I’ve been thinking of redoing some laminate shelves that we own so they’re the same color (the Ikea Expedit line). Do you think the spray primer would work on it??

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, laminate is always hard since it doesn’t grab things like wood. I think your best bet would be applying an oil-based primer with a small foam roller and following that with a few thin coats of latex paint in a semi-gloss finish.

      xo,
      s

  27. Laurie says

    Ahh! This post stresses me out! How did yall get that chair to look so perfect and not streaky at all?! I’ve spent 2 weeks priming/sanding/spraying painting (and re-sanding, re-priming some of the pieces) And it still looks streaky. I’m not sure why! Any advice? Should I just keep spraying till it looks completely even? I feel like I’ve already done like 1,000 coats. HEEEEEEEEEEELP!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I would guess it’s not the best quality spray paint (that makes a difference) or it’s going on way too thick (which can make it look uneven). Maybe try sanding it all down so it’s smooth and apply stainblocking primer with a brush in thin coats followed by semi-gloss latex paint with a brush? Sometimes spray paint is hard to use if you’re new at it.

      xo,
      s

  28. Laurie says

    Sherry, you’re a hero. This project (headboard, footboard, dresser, 6 drawers, and the mirror that attaches to the dresser) has turned into my Mt. Everest. I used that Rustoleum primer/paint in white as my primer, and the spray paint I’m using is Krylon in gloss. The weird thing is all of the pieces look fine except for the headboard and the tops/sides of the dresser. Maybe I did get too excited/eager and sprayed it too thick without enough drying time… these were the last two pieces in this project to be painted. I guess I’ll sand it down and try to approach with caution (and patience.) Yall are the coolest… totally my decorating/DIY crushes.

    Reply

  29. kelly says

    ok, that looks GREAT! I recently redid a high chair and painted it with some paint from Sherwin Williams that is for door and trim. I originally spray painted it with a white primer then with their just normal wall paint and it bubbled! It was totally stripped too! Anyway, I used the wall and trim paint and its working great for my two year old. Ok, to my question, I hate my kitchen table and chairs but recently saw a re-do on HGTVs property brothers that I LOVED!! They had a grey round table with sage green ish blueish chairs and it looked FAB! I wanna do that but I REALLLLLLYYYY dont want to sand my chairs because of the detailing. Do you think this paint/primer spray would work for that project? Im nervous cuz we cant afford to buy a new table right now :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, I’m not sure. Maybe ask at the paint counter of a store you trust with good pros (ex: Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore) and see what they recommend?

      xo,
      s

  30. Rachel says

    We bought a high chair for my daughters first birthday that we are wanting to paint. I have read through your post and seen that you seem to always say use an oil base primer and I was wondering why you did not for the high chair or was it?

    Reply

  31. Rachel says

    Thanks a lot I knew it was an all in one but didn’t think it was oil based. We are doing a pink lemonade theme party and was going to paint the chair pink but now we are going with the sun yellow. Thanks to your chair. It looks great

    Reply

  32. Rachel says

    One more question for you. I am only planning on using this high chair for her party do you think I still need to prime it since I’m not worried about the long haul? Although I do want it to look perfect for her party. Do you like the paint and primer in one better than just primer?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I would prime it if you can just because it only taken like twenty extra minutes and you won’t worry about paint chipping or peeling off while it’s in use. If you don’t have the extra twenty minutes you could probably skip it but there’s a slight chance it could chip off while in use. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  33. Rachel says

    Thanks! I went ahead and primed just to get the best look i could. For some other stuff that I am painting do you think the paint and primer in one gives just as good of foundation than just primer?

    Reply

  35. Priscilla says

    Hi there,
    I was inspired by this chair makeover and recently tried it myself. Left it outside for 3 days to set. My 2 year old has been climbing in and out of it and eating on it for about two weeks and there are black smudges all over seat and arm areas. Any thoughts on what might have gone wrong? I am trying to use some goo gone to get the smudges off but it’s really taking a sharper edge like a finger nail to get eat mark off. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I did use a clear finisher.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, that’s so weird! I wish I could help but I can’t even guess what that could be. So puzzling! Could it be that she’s rubbing something on it like a marker? I’m stumped!

      xo
      s

    • Priscilla says

      It’s sticky. Do you think I should have sanded down the wooden chair a bit? Would you recommend I start from scratch? If we keep using it the black sticky marks are only going to increase, I’m afraid.

  37. Rebecca says

    I read this post back in March and loved the chair and happened to stumble upon one that looks exactly like this on my run tonight(on the curb!). Do you happen to know about what year the chair is from?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think there are a bunch of them from a few different decades with really similar lines, but this one is probably from the 1950s since my mom and her sisters all used it growing up.

      xo
      s

  38. Aliky says

    Wow! I loved this chair!
    The spray painting is amazing! I’d love to try it!

    I need to paint an old dinning table (30 years old at least!) with four chairs (also upholster them) that my mom gave us for our new apartment.
    I was wondering if it’s possible to paint the chairs with the spray and the table with a roller?
    Or better is to use the same method for both – chairs and table-? The thing is that spray paint looks much easier to get a good termination! But I understood that spray painting is not good enough for tables…

    What do you recommend?
    Thankssssss

    Reply

  39. jay says

    How has this held up? I rattle-canned a similar high chair without sanding most of it, and on the tray, it’s begun to be easily scraped up. That obviously makes me very very uncomfortable because it’s a 1 year old eating off it…

    So what kind of paint is safe for this type application?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ooh if they’re going to eat off it (like a tray type of chair) I would use no-VOC primer & paint and then seal it with Safecoat Acrylacq (a non-toxic alternative to poly).

      xo,
      s

  40. Adria says

    Hi y’all! I’m planning to paint a wooden high chair for my little lady’s first birthday cake extravaganza. I started wondering, though, if paint would be a safe choice on a high chair tray. Any pearls of wisdom? Non-toxic seems to be essential… Any other tips?

    Reply

  41. Lois says

    This just gave me an idea. I have an old childs rocker that I and all my sister used, must be almost 60 years old. I’m going to paint it!

    Getting ideas from reading your posts. I am addicted to spray painting. I just spray painted the trim for my island update project I’m working on.

    Reply

  44. Julie says

    The chair reveal to Clara made my day! What a darling sweet girl. Her beaming smile is what makes all of everything worth it! The chair looks great too :)

    Reply

  45. Calla says

    I love how the yellow chair came out. I have actually been wanting to spray paint my pine bar stools a very bright and glossy turquoise color for awhile similar to the color of these (http://style-files.com/2011/05/04/turquoise-chairs/). Sadly, it has been a lot harder to find the bright color turquoise that I am looking for in a spray paint option. Do you happen to know of any?

    Reply

  46. Olimpia says

    Love it! I’m sorry if someone has asked this before, but how smooth was the white primer? I just redid a desk with primer paint and enamel and I had to sand the primer quite a bit to get the paint to go on smoothly. So now I’m considering a spray primer instead for other projects. Did you find it to have that rough texture that primers typically have?

    I’m debating whether to redo all of my desks (so, big smooth surfaces) but am looking into options that might turn out smoother. Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It seemed to go on really smoothly, but I imagine that differs by sprayer and by primer and maybe even by operator (the speed, if you have to water it down, etc). We have rolled on primer with a foam roller and it has been really smooth so maybe that’s another option?

      xo
      s

  47. Erin says

    How do you decide whether to use spray paint or traditional (for lack of a better word) paint? Have you ever painted a larger piece with spray paint? Do you think you can achieve the glossy look of spray paint with traditional high-gloss paint?

    Reply

    • Erin says

      Oops, I think you basically answered my previous question in the regular paint tutorial–you’d recommend reg. paint on a larger piece it sounds like with a poly finish after . . . do you think it’s ok to use high gloss though? I like the look of a spray paint finish–does it compare to the spray paint finish pretty closely? Thanks! Trying to transform a cabinet into a new TV stand–your painting and media stand tutorials are lifesavers!

  48. Yuko says

    Hi, thank you for great tips.
    After using spray paint (I bought the same Rustoleum Universal in the satin white color), do I need to put clear coat? I am spray painting kitchen chairs. I bought Minwax polycrylic spray can, but it is kind of expensive and it says to do 3 coats and sand in between. I googled, but can’t find the answer. In this post, it doesn’t seem like you did any top coat after the yellow paint.
    Thank you so much! I love your website. Very helpful.

    Reply

  49. Jamie says

    I love this!
    Can anyone give me some advice?? I have a bedroom set (4 pieces) of 1990’s -looking pine furniture that I want to paint for the baby’s room. I just don’t know if it will be a boy or girl. I was thinking warm honey walls. Any suggestions for a paint color for all the furniture? THANKS!

    Reply

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