Actually, It's Pronounced "Yerlie": First Furniture Project

Last week, I took an old metal folding chair I had in the garage and used it as a guinea pig for my furniture updating ambitions. It ended up being about $10 (plus the cost of my new shiny staple gun, which I don't count because I'll use it again and again).

My old blue folding chair from my computer desk in college.

Walmart special, circa 2000.

Complete with my initials in Sharpie.

First step, unscrewing upholstered pads from back and seat.

Fabric and pad are stapled on. Easily removed! (Notice the holes were the screws attach it to chair? Yep, didn't think those through later on.)

Same on seat.

Chair without pads.

Spray paint of choice, Rustoleum Textured Metallic in black. Has little flecks of silver in it. More interesting than regular black? Yes. Do the little flecks of silver clog the spray nozzle? Absolutely.

First light coat. Notice uneven spraying? Thanks, clogged nozzle. Followed up with infinity more coats. Used almost two whole cans of spray paint. Why do I never just go ahead and buy two cans? I always run out!

A girl's new best friend. Stanley Heavy Duty Staple gun. The husband only had the scary plug in kind that also works as a nail gun. Way too complicated for me. I like the basics. I used the small "tack" staples so they won't poke through the cushion.

I got one yard of upholstery fabric. I used a 50% off coupon. Good deals all around!

I chose a lime-ish green print with white swirls. Lime green is clearly my new favorite these days.

I reused the same chair pads. Center the pad and wood face down on the fabric and then just stretch and staple around the edges as you go. Remember those little holes? I stapled over them and had to redo it. To be safe, I trimmed the fabric AFTER I stapled to make sure I had enough. The corners were a bit tricky, but folding and stapling a little bit at a time ended up with a pleated corner, and it worked really well.