Scavenger Chic

Bar Stool Makeover, Painting with Wax

• By Joan
• January 15, 2020
• 9 Comments

Bar Stool Makeover

Last week I showed you a table makeover using an iron base I got from my oldest son.  Well on the same trip that he brought over the table base he also brought over a set of 4 bar stools (and a couple other goodies still waiting their turn in the spotlight).  These were restaurant quality stools but they did show a little wear.

After a month of sitting in my garage, I finally decided to tackle the set and gift them to my nephew for Christmas.  He bought a house less than a year ago and I believe he has 3 bars and no bar stools.  A breakfast bar in the kitchen, one in the basement and one on his deck.  I don’t know if he is going to keep all three bars but I’m sure he’ll keep at least one and with that he needs some stools.

I took lots of pictures of the stools in process but no official set of the 4 stools sitting in all their glory ready for their makeover.

The stools started out with a red mahogany stain.  Three of the stools had your normal scratches and dings that would occur after years of heavy bar usage.  The fourth, the stool on the right, had a bit more wear and tear and appeared to have sat in water somewhere.  

The wood was separating and had become slightly uneven.

The stools were all super sturdy but were still in need of a makeover to make them look brand new.  Use a sander to remove all the pitted rust on the legs and rungs.

I used a sanding disk on my grinder to remove the rust on the feet. An electric sander would work just as well, and as a last resort, and if you want to use a little muscle, hand sanding.  

The feet could use a clear coat of varnish to help prevent the rust from returning. 

And yes, the foot on the left did look like the foot on the right before sanding.

Spray Painting Tips

This is Rustoleum Canyon Black in a Satin Finish paint and primer combo…not too glossy, not too flat.

A few little spray paint hints:

• If at all possible do all your spray painting outside.
• Prepare your surface and use a lint free rag or wipe with a damp rag to get rid of any dust
• Tape off any areas you do not want sprayed.
• Use a drop cloth to catch overspray.
• Use a face mask.
• Do several light coats instead of one heavy coat.
• I like to start spraying my chairs upside down
• Use plastic gloves or have paint thinner available for finger clean up

When finished spray painting the underside, turn your chair over and get any areas that were missed.  Let dry.

The chair with the water damage needed the most sanding to even out the wood.

But all the seats had their share of scratches, so while the water damaged seat needed the most work, the remaining stools also got hit with the sander.

Now for the finish on the seat.  I wanted to see how much a dark stain would penetrate the wood.  It didn’t.  The stool in the foreground has one coat of dark walnut on it.  In my mind the new walnut stain would be blending seamlessly with the old red mahogany.  Well that didn’t work.

Painting with Wax

And now for my second attempt. I really didn’t want to take off all of the old stain.  It was still a nice hard finish and it was still protecting the stool, I just didn’t want to see it anymore. 

Out came my Waverly Vintage Wax which I use for so many projects. It’s fairly inexpensive ($6.54 for 8 oz) and readily available at the local Walmart.

Some waxes are thick and you would dab on, the Waverly wax goes on like a thick paint. Normally you would paint the wax on and rub off the excess.  This time I’m painting it on, adding a couple brush strokes of black chalk paint (use sparingly) painted in the direction of the grain and left to dry overnight.  The black paint gives it a nice black/brown finish.  I used the same technique for my faux railroad tie fireplace mantel.

Once dry, add a second coat of the the vintage wax.  Let dry completely then buff with fine steel wool.

Note:  This finish may scratch, so if you think you’ll be using this technique in a high traffic area, start with a layer of chalk paint, either dark brown or black.

The tops were all dry and buffed but for added protection I gave them one more coat of clear wax.  Once again, painted on, rub off any excess, let dry, then buff.

Can you tell how smooth the tops are?  As good as new.

By the time I took my after pictures, two of the stools had already made their way to my nephews house.  What can I say?  Christmas was busy.  I was just glad I remembered to take a picture of these two before they were also delivered.

Stay inspired.

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