|

BEFORE & AFTER: Vintage Chair Makeover From the Nursing Home

Love this post? Share it! :)

I get easily attached to things, like this vintage nursing home chair.

Especially if they conjure up thoughts of people I love, places I’ve gone, and things I’ve experienced.

Organizing guru’s would just call this “memory clutter” and preach that we should always pear down these things.

But there’s something to be said for tangible objects that help us to remember parts of our life that were meaningful.

It’s like holding a piece of the past directly in our hands so that we know we didn’t just imagine it.

It’s the reason why I’ll never be able to scan pictures of my children’s artwork into digital files.

My kids’ little hands actually touched the page…You can’t see the bleed-through of the crayons and markers on a digital copy…

It’s just not the same.

And that’s why I also saved this chair from my grandmother’s nursing home the day before she died on New Year’s Eve.

No one else saw its beauty but me.

It’s not like I needed one more piece of furniture in my house.

It’s not like my mom needed one more piece of furniture, either.

But I knew this vintage chair that sat in her nursing home would be beautiful with a makeover and that our family would appreciate its memory.

This is what it looked like the day I lugged it out to my van, knowing this would be the last time I was visiting the nursing home.

My grandmother had passed the morning after.

BEFORE

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving2538

 

A few months later, after I got my hands on it, this is what it looked like the day I gave it to my mother.

AFTER!

 

Vintage chair gets a pretty makeover! | Thrift Diving Blog

 

 

Vintage chair makeover with new upholstered cushion with piping. | Thrift Diving Blog

 

I have recovered cushions before, but this one threw me for a loop because I had never done piping before.

In all my years of sewing and furniture makeovers, I steered clear of doing it because it looked too time consuming and easy to mess up.

But with this chair, it was practically unavoidable. I had to do the piping. The cushion just wouldn’t look the same without it.

In the end, although it was a little wonky, it turned out pretty awesome for a first-timer!

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1718

 

A Vintage Chair Makeover From the Nursing Home

When I first started working on this vintage chair makeover, I was confused about these holes.

It looked like wormwood holes, but I had never encountered wormwood holes so I didn’t know what do.

Silly me didn’t know if they were real or just fake ones that the chair manufacturer had made (wormwood is generally a desireable look).

 

 

But since I had already filled most of the holes with wood filler before even knowing it could be wormwood (and painted it!!), there wasn’t much I could do to keep the wormwood.

I sat it in the garage for a few weeks to see if I notice any weird worm-boring holes re-emerge (to see if there was an active infestation). Thankfully, there wasn’t!

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1502

 


Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1506

 

You can see here that I had filled as many of the holes that I could find, and then sanded them smooth with 220 fine grit sandpaper.

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1504

 

Next, I slathered on a few coats of Annie Sloan Pure White chalk paint.

(TIP: If you’re not sure which furniture paint to use on your projects, click here to read about the 12 Best Furniture Paints.


Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1512

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1517

When I say a few, I mean a few.

Usually, with chalk paint, you have to put two coats, but sometimes, you have to do more.

This was one of those cases.

No matter what I did, I couldn’t totally cover some areas; some of the brown kept peeking through.

This is what it looked like with just 1 coat. You see how spotty it is?

Don’t be afraid to add more paint as you go. Sometimes you just have to.

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1524

 

After painting, I took a fine-grit sandpaper and smoothed out the whole chair, then added a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax weeks later when I realized that no worms were coming out of the chair. Ugh….how disgusting! LOL

 

I Re-Used As Much as Possible!

The most amazing thing about this chair makeover is that it didn’t cost me a single penny.

Nada. Nil.

I reused everything, or already had things on hand (like the fabric, which I can’t remember where I had ordered it from years ago!).

Surprisingly, the inside cushion insert wasn’t as nasty as I thought.

Well, there was some nasty ickiness on the edge of the batting, so I just cut that off and kept it movin’.

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1531

 

After I trimmed off the yuckiness, I tossed the cushion in the dryer on high heat.

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1535

 

I also salvaged the dark brown zipper from the original cover.

Why buy a new zipper when the original would work just fine, you know?

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1542

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1547

 

I laid the cushion down on paper and traced out its pattern.

When doing this, though, you have to make sure that you add in 5/8″ up to 1″ for seam allowances when sewing the pieces together.

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1550

 

Then I cut it out.

(TIP: You can get those big rolls of brown builder’s paper from Amazon for under $12!) They’re great for making patterns or covering tables and workspaces when you’re painting!

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving2519

 

I also cut out the two long pieces of piping. Piping isn’t too expensive, but since I had some that was already good to go, no need to buy more. Looks like mine was a plastic, but piping today is cotton (and maybe easier to use??).

Cotton piping on Amazon

Since I had never used piping before, I didn’t realize that I should pay closer attention to using tape to secure the piping in place [insert palm slap to the face here]. 🙂

 

Recycled-piping-from-vintage-chair

 

I used my seam ripper to help tear apart the other pieces, and then used them as patterns on the new fabric, making sure I had enough seam allowances.

 

Making a pattern from the old pieces

 

Constructing This Vintage Chair Cushion

It’s been ages since I’ve sewn in a zipper, but I knew I could do it. I used to sew pants and skirts back in ‘da day before I had kids (and had alllllllll this free time on the weekends to do it, LOL).

But I knew it wouldn’t be too hard to do again.

In a nutshell, how you sew in this type of zipper (which I believe is called a lapped zipper…??), is to sew a seam with a baste stitch (which is just a long, temporary stitch).

Then lay your zipper down on top of the seam.

I actually like to use hot glue to help zippers stay in place (this fabric adhesive didn’t work well).

 

sewing-in-a-zipper

 

Flip it right-side over and sew about 3/8″ from that temporary seam, on both sides, which secures the zipper in place.


Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1674

 

Afterward, the seam ripper opens up those temporary stitches to reveal the zipper.

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1677

 

Ta-da!

Now there’s a zipper! 🙂

Mine came out okay. It was a little wonky in some places because the fabric adhesive I used didn’t keep the zipper in place while sewing, so it slide around a little. But overall, not bad at all for being the first lapped zipper I’ve done in years!

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1678

 

Sewing the Piping–GULP!

When sewing piping, you should use fabric cut on the bias (which means using strips of fabric cut at a 45-degree angle). But I was working with a limited amount of fabric, so I just used strips not cut on the bias.

Silly me forgot to use tape to make sure the cord didn’t move while sewing, so there was a lot of adjusting. Plus, it was a plastic piping, which has to be harder to sew than cotton piping!

Next time, I’ll be all the wiser! LOL

 

Sewing the Piping

 

The Hardest Part

I’m skipping some of the steps.

I mean, this post is already wayyyy too long. LOL.

But to sum up, I sandwiched the piping in between the top fabric and fabric holding the zipper, and sewed as close to the piping as possible.

Getting around the tight corners was the hardest part.

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1682

 

It was looking pretty good by the time I was done!

 

how-do-Reupholster-cushion

 

Squeezing the cushion in was tough because–oh no!–it was a little too small.

And all that adjusting of the piping creating some wonky twisting of the piping in the final cover.

But overall, it still looks much better than when I started!

BEFORE

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving2540

 

AFTER!

 

Vintage chair makeover with new upholstered cushion with piping. | Thrift Diving Blog

 

Kojo, my 4-year-old, wanted to take a pic in the chair before we delivered it to my mom this weekend.

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1707

 

And before you know it, he and Ohene (his 6-year-old brother) were fighting over who would get to take a picture in it. LOL

Don’t you love the elbow to the cheek?

Silly boys….

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1711

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1715

 

BEFORE

 

Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving2539

 

AFTER!

Vintage chair makeover with new upholstered cushion with piping. | Thrift Diving Blog

 


Vintage-chair-makeover-from-the-nursing-home-ThriftDiving1737

When I took it home to my Mom this weekend (an early Mother’s Day present), she absolutely loved it!

 

Me and the chair

 

She said she had already cleared out space in her bedroom for it, right here:


Vintage chair makeover with new upholstered cushion with piping. | Thrift Diving Blog


And although my mom clearly didn’t need any more furniture in her house, this is one piece that belongs.

She says it’s going to be her new reading chair. 

I hope that when she looks at it or sits in it that she thinks about the fond memories she had with her mom during the last year of Nanny’s life in the nursing home.

Times like this, it’s okay to hold on to “memory clutter.”

Sometimes it’s exactly what is needed.

So what do you think of this vintage chair makeover? Leave a comment below and let’s chat about it!

Signature

 

Download the 5 freebies!

Thrift Diving inspires women to decorate, improve, and maintain their home themselves...using paint, power tools, and thrift stores! Use these 5 printables, checklists, and ebooks to get started!

Now go check your email for those freebies! Powered by ConvertKit

Love this post? Share it! :)

Similar Posts

91 Comments

  1. Another beautiful job! And it looks so great in your Mom’s bedroom. How special for her that she will think about her mother when she sits there and also about her loving daughter who gave her such a wonderful gift! I love that you make memories with your projects. Having connections and loving the things we have is what life is all about!

    You are right about the cotton piping being easier to work than plastic. Much more forgiving when easing around corners. And the great thing about making your own piping is that you can make it skinny or fat, contrasting, or matching, depending on your project and what you like!

    Another thing I love about what you do is that you TRY even if you aren’t sure about what you are doing. And that is the key for all of us. The only way we learn is to try and practice. Sure, we like things to be perfect, but making mistakes is how we learn. After all, we don’t go to college when we’re 6 years old–we start in first grade and work our way through, learning as we go. I love that you encourage that in all of us! Can’t wait to see what you do next!

    1. Hey, Teckla! Sorry, I was behind in comments and just seeing your comments here! You know…you are so right. DIY…just like LIFE…is a process. And what you said is profound: “you TRY even if you aren’t sure what you’re doing.” DIY is more than DIY, you see. And I’m just realizing this as I type this after reading your words. The fact that I am willing to try something without the security of knowing whether it will work says a lot about how I’m living my life: fearless…with curiosity…experimentation… And I’m understanding now that those people who are afraid to try new projects also live their life the same way….uncertain…worried about mistakes….etc. The lightbulb just went off that how we approach DIY is an indication of how we live our lives! So just imagine for a moment if every woman decided to be a bit more daring with trying new projects…not worried about succeeding or failing but doing them for the pure joy and learning experience and trial and error, I wonder if she would begin to live her life in more of the same way: experimenting, trying new things, unafraid of outcomes that may not work…..???

      Okay, I might be feeling a bit philosophical this morning, but you sparked this idea in me!! I feel like the need to write a blog post about this!!!! 🙂

      Thank you, Teckla!!

  2. Sentimental piece and great job on the piping Serena! Looks amazing! x

  3. Kristina Servin says:

    Serena,

    That turned out great! When I saw the first photo, I thought you had purchased the cushion, it totally looks professionally made. As I said before, you keep uping your game! It looks beautiful and it looks like your mom liked it too. Happy mothers day to her and to you as well.

    1. I’m glad you like it, Kristina! This is the second time I’ve given my mom furniture for her Mother’s Day! HA!

  4. Wow! What a beautiful chair, beautiful memory and beautiful gift! I love following your projects and you never disappoint. I love how you can see the possibilities in an object that some would just discard. This project is my all time favorite! You are my thrift hero!

    1. Mad Margaret says:

      Ditto, Juanita. Everything you said. I love that chair now and I’m grateful for the piping tutorial. I have a couple of project that will need piping and now think I could do it. Another thing I find encouraging about Serena: “Part of the piping is a little wonky.” If Serena’s can be a little wonky, no problem if mine is as well!

      1. LOL, Margaret!! Yes, if mine can be wonky, so can yours!! I mean, the only time something has to be perfect is when someone is PAYING for it! 🙂 If I were doing a chair makeover for someone who paid me money, I would have ripped that stuff out and did it again until it was P-E-R-F-E-C-T. Otherwise, “good enough” is good enough for me (and Mom!). LOL. You could totally do the piping. Try the cotton one. I think it would be easier than plastic ones that don’t bind easily!

  5. Oh my gosh that turned out amazing! Great job!
    I’m keeping my eye out for an ugly chair to redo!

    1. Ooohh….the uglier, the better!! 😉 Good luck! Send me your pics when you’ve found one!

  6. Wow, what a beautiful job! Love the finished chair!

  7. Donna Marie says:

    Great chair!!!

    Your instructions & pictures are fabulous!! Thank you!

    I’ll keep watching for more 🙂

    1. I wish I could have posted even MORE instructions! Maybe I’ll have to do another tutorial on piping. I’d love to try the cotton one to see if it really IS easier to work with. I think it just takes some practice, but overall, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be Thank you, Donna!

  8. Janice Farnsworth says:

    Wow! I can’t think of any other word but wow! You did such an awesome job on this! And while I run the other way when the word “sewing” is mentioned, I am so impressed at your skills…wonky or not! Gorgeous, just gorgeous! I noticed that after you redid the cushion, it fit better too! I LOVE this blog!!!

    1. You always make me smile, Janice! 🙂 Okay–since you’re so afraid of sewing, we’ve got to get you a machine! I LOVE sewing! I don’t do it as much as I should. But I’ve got a great computerize machine, plus an embroidery attachment. And it’s just sitting and collecting dust! Time to break out the sewing tutorials! 🙂

  9. Serena,

    I LOVE this blog and even if I don’t have all the skills to replicate what you do, it gives me the aspiration that some day, maybe, just maybe, I can get through that pile of salvaged stuff in the garage and make some beauty! I’m only at the step of covering dining room chair cushions with fabric and staples, but this gives me something to dream about.

    I love the colors and the finished chair. No doubt, your mom was thrilled.

    BTW, your boys are so handsome! Made the chair look all the better for their posing like models on it!
    Keep these posts coming! Thanks, Pam

    1. Pam, you are AWESOME. Thank you! You have summed up with this blog is about: inspiring people to keep creating, keep learning, keep making ugly things beautiful–all for just a few bucks! 🙂 Eventually, we get better, we become more creative, and we are HAPPY. The key to happiness is focusing on the things that make us happy. If creating makes us happy, then we just have to keep learning. Makes life fun. 🙂

  10. Great job! Have one boy do the before picture and one do the after, might save on the fighting.
    Take care and thanks again for keeping it real!

    1. Ahhhh…..great idea! But then the fight becomes, which boy gets to sit in the nasty chair? HAHAHA!!! Usually, when they argue over something, I tell them to pick a number between 1 – 10. My 4-year-old says, “14.” lol

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *