As a member of royalty (ha!), it's only right that I have a throne handy. Labor Day 2012, I bought this chair at auction for $80. Totally overspent, but I was in love.
Gorgeous, isn't it. Well, school started...my first as a professor...so the chair sat in my home office holding my jackets, bags, and whatever else I could hang on it. I live in an apartment, so my projects are prone to the weather and space. I needed warmth and room. Then summer arrived, and my summer course did not make (boo!), leaving me with time and warm weather to devote to the chair.
First, I sanded by hand and with my newly purchased Rigid multi-tool (more on that later). A good day spent sanding and removing rusted tacks.....
...and I was exhausted. A few more weeks passed, during which I attended several professional events and think and think and think about what color to stain this project. Also, I sanded and stained a set of four wood crates to make a bookshelf for my campus office (more on that later too) during this time.
Finally, I decided on a cherry. I liked the richness of the red tones but figured it wouldn't be too dark. Well, it was darker than expected, and I worried I'd ruined the chair.
It looked really dark. Also note the blocks the previous owner added to stabilize the back and sides did not stain the same as the chair. I think this happened because the blocks are made of pressure treated wood and the chair is not. Here's a closer picture:
Next, I made a pattern of the seat with craft paper and cut it out of two pieces of 1/2 inch craft board:
I glued the two pieces together after they'd been cut out.
A brief note on why I decided to use an affixed wood seat instead of restoring the traditional coil seating. When I noticed that the stabilizing blocks weren't matching, I realized they'd be a huge detraction. Plus, I wanted this chair to be solid structurally and figured the wooden seat would support even my heaviest visitor. So, I abandoned the traditional, original seat configuration and went the wood structure route.
When I went to dry-fit the seat, I quickly realized that it wouldn't work because the seat was rigid where my paper was not. Total "duh" moment. So, I cut the pieces down the middle, placed them into the chair, connected them using metal braces and screwed them into the frame. Because of the cut, I also inserted a brace for additional seat support.
You can see the cut in this picture, which I took before securing the seat together and to the frame. I must crow: I have mad jigsawing skills. Look at that fit!
Now that I was making progress and nearing the finish, I neglected to take photos. Sorry. However, I used the seat template to cut the 4-inch dense foam padding to cushion the seat. And then used staples to affix the fabric to the chair, along the same area the tacks had been used. The places where the blocks are were very tricky, and my upholstering isn't the tightest--or the straightest--in the world. However, for a first attempt, I think it looks pretty good.
So, the day after Labor Day 2013, I installed the throne in my campus office. Although this project took a year, I appreciate the symmetry, the feeling of closure.
Rebecca
Welcome to Dear King's Projects!
I've recently begun taking on projects to restore furniture or to try my hand at making some small things. I intend this blog as an artifact of my projects. If someone actually reads it, awesome. I'll be posting as I complete projects, so posts will have no set schedule.
And, in case you wondered: the title of the blog is a pun on my last name.
Thanks for visiting, and I'll see you soon!
Rebecca
