I love a good furniture flip, and when I found these dining chairs on Offer Up for just $10 each, I knew I had to snatch them up! They had potential but needed a major makeover to fit the vibe I wanted. So, I decided to paint them black for a gothic farmhouse look, and you guys, I’m OBSESSED with how they turned out! If you’ve been wondering how to refinish dining chairs, I’m here to show you how I did it, step by step.
Not only did I paint them, but I also reupholstered the cushions with the cutest dark woodland fabric that gives them so much personality. I love that I took these basic thrifted chairs and turned them into one of a kind statement pieces. So, let’s dive into how to refinish dining chairs and give them a totally new life.
Materials You’ll Need
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For the chair frames:
- 220 grit sandpaper
- Enamel Paint in Satin (I used “BLACK”!) (I used Behr Premium Plus)
- Paint sprayer (highly recommended)
- Spray tent (optional, but helps with overspray)
- Water-based polyurethane in satin (optional—I’ll explain later)
For the cushions:
- Upholstery fabric (I used this dark woodland print I found on Amazon)
- Batting
- Upholstery foam
- Staple gun
How to Refinish Dining Chairs: The Process
First, I removed the cushions from the chairs. It makes the process so much easier when you’re working with just the frames. Then, it was time to get sanding! I used 220 grit sandpaper to scuff up the surface of the chairs and remove the old finish. It’s important to get rid of any shiny top coat so the paint can stick better. Once I was done sanding, I wiped the chairs down to get rid of all the dust—trust me, you don’t want dust mixing with your paint!
Now, here’s where the magic happens: painting! I chose Behr Premium Plus Paint in Satin, and I highly recommend using a paint sprayer if you have one. A brush totally works, but a sprayer makes the job so much faster and gives you a smoother finish. I set up a spray tent (optional, but super handy for containing the paint) and started spraying. If you’re wondering how to refinish dining chairs quickly, this is it!
Wait a few hours between coats to let the paint dry properly. I ended up doing two coats to get that rich black color, and the chairs looked amazing. I also added a coat of water-based polyurethane in satin for extra protection, but honestly? I wish I had skipped this step! The paint already had a satin enamel finish, so it would have sealed just fine on its own. Skipping the polyurethane would have saved me $20, so take it from me—just do a third coat of paint instead!
Once the chairs were painted, I let them sit in my garage for a week to fully harden. With my wild children, I didn’t want to take any chances of them scratching up my freshly painted, refinished wooden dining chairs too soon!
Reupholstering the Cushions
While the chairs were drying, I got to work on reupholstering the cushions. I have a whole separate blog post that goes into detail on how to reupholster dining chair cushions, but I’ll give you the quick version here.
I removed the old fabric by pulling out all the staples—definitely the most tedious part of the process! Then, I replaced the foam with fresh upholstery foam and added batting for extra cushioning. I chose a cute dark woodland fabric to give the chairs that fun yet subtle gothic farmhouse vibe. Once the fabric was stapled securely onto the cushions, I screwed them back onto the freshly painted frames, and voila! My refinished wooden dining chairs were complete.
Final Thoughts
I’m so in love with how these refinished wooden dining chairs turned out. For just $10 a chair and some supplies, I have a gorgeous set of gothic farmhouse chairs that totally fit my style. If you’re wondering how to refinish dining chairs for your own home, trust me—it’s easier than you think! Plus, there’s something so satisfying about taking thrifted furniture and giving it a brand-new look.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve tackled any chair refinishing projects, or if you have any questions!
Check out my other post on how to reupholster dining chair cushions if you want more detailed tips on that part of the process. I also have a post about how I refinished the dining table in the picture above!
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