I think these painted cane back chairs in the french provincial style have got to be one of my favourites!! I found them in East Hamilton on “Edgemont” Street from a young mom that simply did not have the time to update them herself. They have those lovely curvy front legs and high back support with of course that caning…. which I so so love.
I first had to get that old gold fabric off asap. I knew from the colour they had to have been original from the seventies. Structurally they are in really good shape and needed a good clean down with TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate) that naturally degreases and deglosses the surface of the chairs.
I then went to my go to paint Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old Ochre. After 2 coats of paint, done by hand, I clear waxed them with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Soft Clear Wax with my wonderful ASCP Waxing brush that I purchased over a year ago and still have.
I then decided to apply dark wax to give it a more aged patina. I like to add some mineral spirits to about a tablespoonful of dark wax giving me a “slurry” to work with. Using my dark wax brush (I have one for both applications and don’t want to cross-contaminate my clear brush) I lightly dipped my brush into the dark wax, patted it off with some Scott’s paper towels and began to apply the dark wax to the piece. I typically don’t like “a lot” of dark wax so I begin to remove some of it with clear wax until I get my desired look.
I then reupholstered the seats, including new foam, batting, and fabric in this lovely Paris theme. It’s the first time I attempted this and I think it turned out great…. I hope you approve Jenn!! I sprayed each seat with scotch guard to make it easier for cleaning and making it much more durable.
So there we have the painted cane back chairs for a chic and shabby dining room, kitchen or even sunroom.
Please let us know if you have any questions about this particular set of chairs or any other piece we have completed.
Before and After: