Makeover an old wooden chair into a a comic book chair complete with custom make comic book fabric!
Disclosure: This post is a sponsored post paid for by 3M DIY, but the ideas and tutorial are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
My son was lucky enough to receive an old schoolhouse chair as a gift from his great grandmother a couple of years ago.
He’s getting old enough to want to sit at his desk to color and read so I decided we needed to really make it fit his room, his likes, and his personality with a little makeover.
And right now he is ALL about all things superhero so it only make since to make a comic book chair!
This fun tutorial will walk you through safely painting a wooden chair AND how to custom make your own superhero comic book fabric.
You can see the chair in this photo from his room makeover a couple of years ago.
Back then we had the fireman theme going strong.
For this project you will need the following supplies:
Wooden chair
3M TEKK Protection (eye & respiratory)
Spray primer
Spray paint in your color of choice
Fabric
Spray sealer
My wooden chair only had a light coat of stain so I used the 80 grit sandpaper to give it a good all over rub down.
This will give the primer something to stick to.
If there had been a heavier stain or paint I would have used a lower number grit sandpaper to remove it.
Remember, with sandpaper, the lower the number the more coarse the paper.
After wiping the chair down with a damp rag, it’s time to paint!
Start with a coat of spray primer.
After it dries, sand lightly with the fine 180 grit sandpaper and apply a second coat of primer if necessary.
Be sure you are working outside or in a well ventilated area.
I tend to do a lot of my spray painting in my potting shed because of the amount of wind we have around our house.
So I am always careful to take the proper protection.
Eye and respiratory safety are a must for this project.
Once the primer has dried completely, lightly sand it again with the 180 grit so you will be working on a smooth surface.
Spray a light coat of paint.
Applying several thin coats of paint rather than 1 or 2 heavier coats will prevent dripping of the paint.
Be sure to lightly sand between each coat of paint.
While the paint is drying, prepare your fabric to go on the chair.
I decided to create my own fabric using an image from RLHyde on Flickr of a pile of assorted Spider-man comic books.
I used the freezer paper printing process to run muslin fabric through my home printer.
I measured and trimmed the fabric to fit on my chair.
Once the paint is 100% dry, use decoupage to attach the fabric to the chair.
Apply another coat of the decoupage on top of the fabric to seal it.
Add a coat of spray sealer all over the chair and you’re done!
Comic book chair video tutrial
I’ll show you how to make the comic book chair start to finish in this video tutorial.
The best part about the comic book chair is, of course, that my son adores it!
For a little something extra about working smart when you create watch this video where I’ll show you some products that will help see your projects to completion.
This was such a fun project to collaborate with 3M for!
I hope you’ll use these tips and tricks in your next DIY project.
>> See where I party! <<
This post was originally shared September, 2012.
Jenny
Monday 5th of August 2019
The chair is adorable. My kids love comic books and that's a great idea to add fabric. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday.
Julie Briones
Sunday 28th of July 2019
My son loves comic books... Though this may not be a good fit for his 28-year-old bottom, I'm thinking I'm going to put my own twist on it for his man-cave! Thanks for sharing at Tuesday Turn About!
Lisa
Sunday 28th of July 2019
You had me at Spiderman! Adorable updycle ! You did a great job. xo Lisa S
Sarah @ The DIY Mommy
Saturday 27th of July 2019
This chair turned out great! I'm sure any little boy would love this chair.
MichellE
Wednesday 24th of July 2019
What a cute upcycle! I can see why your son adores it.