It was a lot of fun but my arms were so sore for days from all the sanding, that the two arm chairs that match it are tucked away downstairs, waiting for that time when I forget how hard it was and want another crack at it.
Anyway, it was relatively simple to do; the original varnish was so old it was crumbling on the wood.
- I started by sanding it down to the natural grain, first with a coarse sand-paper then finishing it off with a much finer one to make it nice and smooth.
- I used a dark stain on a cloth to cover the freshly sanded wood; I chose a dark one because my dining table, coffee table and TV cabinet are all quite dark so it makes it look as though it belongs a little better. I kept the rattan back the original colour, mainly because I couldn't sand it but I do like how it looks now.
- Finished it off with 2 coats of a satin matt varnish — anything gloss would make it look quite 'mock-antique' like
- Covers I made from black corduroy to match my other 3 seater couch (that also have large, black corduroy cushions) and some bright throw cushions for both to tie them together.
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| Before |
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| After (and in our new house too!) |
So what do you reckon?
