Vintage Colonial Manufacturing Company Accent Chairs Makeover

This quickie makeover features a set of vintage petite Colonial Manufacturing Company accent chairs I got - as I’m noting quite often as I work through my stash - before the pandemic when thrift stores stopped accepting and selling furniture - and prices were good.  I paid $1.99 apiece for them.  Unheard-of nowadays.

It’s a quickie makeover because they’re sturdy, they didn’t have a lot of cosmetic issues, and - probably most importantly - their upholstery was in relatively good condition.

The quirkiness of these chairs appealed to me. The design of the wood frame reminded me of one of my favorite movies - The Fifth Element…

You may be thinking - WHAT??!! But it’s the ears, and the shape of the face. I dunno - but, to this day, I still see it.

Ya just never know what’s going to draw you to a piece - right? Great movie.

Ok - before I lose you, let’s get to the makeover.

I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I used.

Supplies

TSP
Scrubbing Sponge
Spray Bottles
Painter’s Tape
Zinsser Extreme Adhesion Primer
Melange One Paint in Turtledove Taupe
Zibra Paintbrush
Artists’ Brushes

Prep

As usual, cleaning began with TSP and my fave Scrubbing Sponge for the wood. But the upholstery on these accent chairs also needed a deep clean. There were stains on the fabric, and I basically just wanted to make sure I cleaned everything as thoroughly as possible.

I didn’t have an upholstery cleaner, but knew I needed one, so I researched the best - yet affordable - products available online. And this Bissel Little Green cleaner came with such rave reviews, and was definitely within my price range. So I had to give it a try. It worked amazingly. I also used it on another upholstered chair in our house that we were quite afraid to clean the stains off of, and now the chair looks like new. I also used it to clean the blood off of my carpet from a furniture-flipping mishap coming to the blog soon - stay tuned for that!

(Note - right now, the Bissel Little Green is 30% off for Prime Day! Jump on it while you can!)

Here are some of the stains the  Bissel Little Green tackled on these accent chairs.

And now - stains are gone!

Here’s A First - Straight to Paint!

I figured these cute chairs weren’t going to be an incredible money-maker for me.  I also knew they wouldn’t be high-traffic pieces.  So a quick cleaning and makeover were all they needed.  One of the longest processes in this makeover was deciding on the right color for the wood frame.

Now, before some of you dear readers have palpitations about painting wood, these chairs did have a lot of ‘dings.’ And, although sturdy and well-made, they were not necessarily high-quality. In the end, I decided that their wear and tear were part of the charm, and fixing the dings wouldn’t make much difference to a buyer, so I left them as-is, rather than taking the time, effort and cost to fill all of the cosmetic issues.

I tucked painter’s tape underneath the chairs’ double welt piping to protect that original upholstery.

I also decided to trust my favorite primer to adhere to the curves of these chairs without a lot of sanding. So I grabbed this rounded Zibra paintbrush and Zinsser Extreme Adhesion Primer.

The rounded bristles of the Zibra paintbrush are perfect for getting into all those details, and around the curves of the chairs. After the first coat of primer dried overnight, I did the scratch test and the paint stuck! That primer is the best - no sanding this time! I applied a second coat of primer and then moved on to color.

Primed and waiting for some color!

After considering nearly every shade of off-white in the Melange Mineral Paint line, I decided that their Turtledove Taupe worked best with the light sage of the accent chair upholstery. Also, the petite size and charming style of these chairs nicely complemented the Lane Pie Crust Table I’d recently transformed. I thought they’d make a nice trio.

Pie table painted in Melange One Turtledove Taupe with the Natural Wonders transfer by Redesign With Prima

After applying two coats of Turtledove Taupe, I removed the painter’s tape and made a few touch-ups with an artist’s brush…

And voila!

All fresh and new.

And no more stains!

And that’s this quickie charming accent chair makeover! These cuties sold before they were even delivered to my booth!

Frustrations, Flubs & Fails

This project went off without a hitch, which I was incredibly grateful for, since I was tackling multiple projects at one time, and the others were giving me grief. Stay tuned for those stories!

The Bissel Little Green was a game-changer for tackling those upholstery stains! It’s 30% off for Prime Day - which ends TODAY! Jump on it while you can!

Catch you on the flip side!

Victoria