As you know, I’m in the process of revamping my living room.  I was pleased with how the Love Seat Replacement – Part 1 had turned out and apparently drunk with enthusiasm when I decided to purchase Love Seat Replacement – Part 2 (above).  This little beauty was on Craigslist and I took it home for only $25.  Initially, I was thrilled about this piece.  I love the style and it goes well with our other pieces of furniture.  I felt confident that not only would I be able to turn this chair from a fire hydrant (see pee stain below) into a show-stopping centerpiece; I had visions of how I would soon be starting my own re-upholstering business which would, of course, bring in millions.

It started out with this odd orange-y stain on the wood that was speckled with black spots, as if someone had dipped a toothbrush in black paint and then spritzed it all over the chair.  The fabric was, to say the least, shot.  The only thing I was really able to salvage was the inner springs.  It needed new cotton batting, cushions, trim, wood stain and, of course, fabric.

Taking the chair apart wasn’t difficult at all.  The trim was just glued on and since there was no need to save the fabric, I just pulled it out from around the staples.  I stripped and sanded down the wood and then gave it a very dark stain.  I wanted to get it as dark as possible without actually painting it black.  I then gave it 3 coats of deft and left it to dry on the patio.

That night, my love affair with the chair started to come undone.  It looked like it might rain that night, so I went out to bring “my pride and joy” into the garage.  I tripped over a toy, fell backwards into the sandbox, and landed on the firepit; all the while trying (and failing) to protect the chair.  No longer did it have that perfect finish.  But my bruised knee and ego were in too much pain to fix it.

Next task was finding new batting and cushions.  This wasn’t difficult either, just a bit shocking at how quickly costs were adding up.  But the chair was so cheap, I figured things would average out.  Finally, I was ready for fabric.  I had looked and looked online but really couldn’t find anything that was “right”.  Then, I randomly hit a 50% off sale at JoAnn’s and bought this perfect smokey light blue faux suede.  It had great texture!  I was falling back in love.

I took everything home, whipped up some cushions, and sewed pieces for the front and back of the chair.  Things were going smoothly and I was excited to use my brand new pneumatic stapler.  However, the more I stapled, the more I realized my career as an upholsterer might be short-lived slash non-existent.  My new blue fabric was not nearly as “stretchy” as the old gold.  Only with much pulling, cursing under my breath, and extra hands and finger strength from Kyle did we miraculously get it to fit.  Then came the problem of the trim.  The combination of fabric glue and suede texture does not leave ANY room for error.  As I’m sure you could have guessed, I am not error-proof.  My fabulous texture was quickly marred, over and over again.

In the end, the chair is finished and in my living room.  I still love like it and I will sit in it; however, I’ve learned some valuable lessons:

• Pride goes before a fall
• Pick up toys BEFORE nightfall
• Never combine glue with suede type materials
• It’s only a chair…not the end of the world.  This project did not deserve as much frustration as I heaped upon it
• Even a scuffed chair with marred trim will hold you up of the ground