Ladder Back Rush Chair Makeover! Finished product!

Just over a month ago, I posted about how I had found these 3 ladder back chairs with rush seats on a resale group on Facebook for only $25.  I am very pleased to say that I have FINALLY finished their makeover!  Here are the before and afters:

 

*Drum roll please!*

When I started out with the sanding, I thought to myself, "What the heck was I thinking?!  I'm 8 months pregnant and trying to bend over and sand an ugly, hopeless chair!"  But I enlisted some help with the sanding....

I started with the chair that was in the worst shape.  It had a couple places where there were deep chips missing so I got some wood filler & did my best at patching up the holes.  Some of them also needed just a touch of wood glue to make them a little sturdier again.

Ready for paint!

 At first I started with a can of spray paint (a mask and outdoor ventilation) because I read that it would easier to do that way.  As it turns out, I'm not very good at spray painting, and it takes A LOT of paint for one chair.  A whole can of spray paint in fact.  So then I got smart and bought a small container of white paint for $10 and took my time.  One by one, I slowly but surely got them done.  I debated for a while on whether I should paint the rush seats or leave them "natural," but in the end it was easier to not have to tape anything as well as I liked the "aged" look of an imperfect paint job on the rush seats.  After doing the second one, I spent a long time trying to convince myself to finish the last chair.

The other day, my pregnancy crazy got the best of me and I decided to paint the steps from the kitchen to the laundry room white since the plain plywood with the stamps and all on it was driving me to insanity further.  (These are also the 2 steps in the house that CJ fell down when he got his first bloody nose.)

Since I had the can of paint out again, I decided that it was also time to finish the last chair.  I sat on the front porch with my now 9 month belly in my lap and sanded it.  After a couple coats of paint and some drying time, it was ready for the finishing touch.  They all got a coat of clear gloss for extra protection--I don't want to have to paint them again anytime soon! 

Now with the new baby on the way, I can rest easy(-er) knowing that we have extra seating when we have company and 2 of my chairs are taken up by strap on booster seats and high chairs.  Surprisingly, despite their age, they are all still sturdy, especially now that I've added the wood glue.  They all got a new red seat cushion from IKEA ($12 for 3 of them), and I think they look very clean with their new look.