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in Blog· Paint with Me· Upcycling

Antique Rocking Chair Upcycle

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"before" and "after photos of antique rocking chair

My mother picked up this rocking chair from an antique shop in South Dakota. When I first saw it I knew instantly it would make an amazing upcycle project. I loved everything about it. It was so very old, and for the most part, untouched. Even the hardware was antique. I knew I wanted to keep the antique look, but definitely wanted to paint it a different color and replace the cushion. This project is perfect for anyone wanting to spruce up an old piece of furniture and it’s budget and time friendly which is a HUGE bonus! It only required a little paint, a new cushion, a fabric remnant, and a staple gun. SO EASY. I also have a video on my YouTube Channel if you want to check it out!

Let’s Get Started!

This was the chair before I did anything to it.

antique rocking chair

The first thing I needed to do was take the cushion off. I started by checking out how it was attached. The fabric held the cushion to a piece of plywood with staples. The plywood had been cut to sit in the frame and was held in place by furniture nails on the front. Removal was easy breezy!

Stephanie Ray inspecting antique rocking chair
removing furniture nails with screw driver
I used a screw driver to remove the furniture nails

Time to Paint!

Once I got the cushion off, I began painting! I LOVE painting furniture so this was definitely my favorite part. I used Sherwin Williams Antique White in their Cashmere paint. I used a brush to apply the paint because the brush strokes (even though they are not very pronounced) add to the old feel of the chair.

Stephanie Ray painting antique rocking chair

Let’s Do Some Sanding!

I let the paint dry for a day and then sanded the edges very lightly where it would naturally wear with age. I used 120 grit sand paper. I couldn’t find my sanding block so I used sand paper from my electric sander. The thing to focus on here is sanding lightly and building up to the look you are going for. It’s easier than starting too heavy handed and having to repaint it and start over.

Stephanie Ray sands antique rocking chair to achieve worn look
I lightly sanded the edges of the chair where it would naturally wear over time.

Time to Tackle the Cushion!

When I finished sanding and was happy with the look, I moved on to working on the cushion. The old cushion was covered with fabric. The edges of the fabric were stapled to a piece of plywood that had been cut to fit into the rocking chair frame. I pulled all the staples out and removed the old fabric and cushion from the plywood. It definitely had seen better days! haha.

Stephanie Ray recovers seat of antique rocking chair

I wish I would’ve taken a photo of the cushion before I put it on the chair, but I forgot. This foam cushion I picked up from the fabric department at Walmart. It was a perfect fit so I didn’t even have to cut it. If you do, however, need to cut a foam cushion to size, an electric knife does the job beautifully.

I had a remnant piece of fabric from my camper remodel that I used. The pattern was visible through the fabric as I laid the foam cushion on it. This made it easy to make sure the pattern would be where I wanted it when the cushion was on the chair. I then laid the plywood on the cushion and pulled the fabric around the edges of the plywood and stapled it.

Stephanie Ray recovers the seat of an antique rocking chair

The cushion fit perfectly in the frame and didn’t need any further attaching.

It is Finished!

This rocking chair is finished and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out! It is PERFECT.

white painted antique rocking chair

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Stephanie Ray

I'm Stephanie Ray. Artist. Mother. Designer. Business Owner. DIY Enthusiast. My passion is empowering you to create beautiful things. I'm so glad you're here!

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