Restoring a Timber Adirondack Chair

DAY 1:

I have been in the market for a timber adirondack chair for a while now. They retail for around $300+ ($600 at a local store!), and even a second hand one on ebay can fetch upto $100.

I couldn't belive my luck when my husband spotted this one at the "Buy Back" centre at our local tip.
Even better when I scored it for $15 including the table!

It needs some TLC, but the timber is in quite good condition, apart from the armrests which have had to bear most of the weather.

To scrape back most of the paint I used a hand paint stripper tool, around $6.00 from the hardware store. I then used some coarse sandpaper (and a sanding block) to smooth any other bits.

My husband noted that the armrests were fairly damaged so assisted in replacing them.

DAY 2:

I let the timber dry out for a day or so (as the chair had been outdoor in the rain). Once the timber was dry, I gave it a final good sand, and brushed the timber using a dustpan-broom. I also used a slightly dampened chux to remove any remaining bits of dust, so it doesn't get in the paint.

DAY 3:

Now I will be priming the Chair & Table with my favourite undercoat: Taubmans 2 in 1 Sealer, Primer & Undercoat

This stuff sticks to anything! I have even used it on my bathroom cabinets which were varnished timber - gave them a light sand (hand) and it stuck!

It isn't the nicest to paint with (it's quite think), but it will provide an excellent base, and will prime our timber.

Crackle-Effect Bedside Tables

After moving into our new home, I was in need of some (matching!) bedside tables, but couldn't really justify the $300ea ones that I loved at Freedom.

My mum then picked up the set of these from our local Tip for $5...knowing that I wasn't afraid of a restoration project!

I gave them a good hand sanding, and then painted them with my favourite undercoat & primer: Taubmans 3 in 1.

I decided that I wanted to achieve a crackle-effect, and that I wanted the main colour to be antique white, and the colour that shows through should be a dark colour. I decided on a mocha colour, and painted the tables with a good two coats.

You will need to get your hands on a good crackle medium. Porters sell one (although this could be quite pricey), but I used one that I purchased in Bunnings in the Craft Paint section - but you may also be able to get this at Spotlight or Lincraft.

This one is called "Jo Sonja's Decor Crackle", and was about $15. The bottle is 250ml, and I used about half a bottle for these two bedside tables.

Tip:

Paint another piece of timber, and test out the crackle before you apply it to your furniture!

You paint a layer of this over your base coat paint, and wait until it is touch dry. Once it is touch-dry (or within 6 hours of applying) you can paint your top coat. The trick with the top coat is not to let the brush drag over the same place twice! The crackle medium makes the paint  go a bit rubbery, so trying to paint over the same area twice (or even dragging the edge of the brush) will produce an undesirable effect.

As the top coat dries, it separates to create a crackle effect. The crackle will follow the direction of the brushstrokes. To get a more grid-like crackle effect, you will need to paint the crackle-medium on on one direction, and paint the topcoat in a (90degree) different direction.

And Voila!