If you want to start repurposing furniture, it’s always a good idea to practice on cheap thrift items first. I decided to use a ladder back chair for this furniture makeover. I wanted to try a DIY homemade chalk paint method and needed a cheap chair to practice on.

When I purchased the chair, I knew the front rail was broke. A little glue would fix that! But after further inspection, part of the end peg is missing. Darn. A little bit of glue will not fix this. I need to create a brand new rail. Bummer. I might be regretting my decision on buying this ladder back chair. Argh!

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After taking off the old rail, it is placed onto a scrap piece of wood and traced with a pencil to get the pattern. I used a band-saw to cut the pattern and the peg ends.

The peg ends are sanded by hand to round the edges to fit in the existing holes. Easy fix! I decided to keep the new rail straight on the top. Less work!

The replacement piece was wood glued into the existing leg peg holes and pipe clamped until dried.

I wasn’t sure if the wicker seat would absorb wood stain but to my surprise it did. Another easy fix! Ok, this ladder back chair makeover is working out so far.

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After researching various homemade chalk paint methods online, I picked one using plaster of paris and paint combination.

After mixing them together (more like guessing), I painted it on but the consistency was odd. It went on thick and took awhile to dry. I think it’s because I used old yellow paint. After the paint dried, I overly distressed the chair with my palm sander and 100 grit sandpaper.

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The homemade caulk paint method is not my thing but at least I tried it. This DIY project cost more than the cheap ladder back chair. Bummer again!

The chair looks good with yellow distressed paint and a refreshed wicker seat. But, I’ll stick to my usual way of spray painting next time. It will save me time and money!

My DIY ladder back chair makeover is a great example to practice new painting methods on a cheap furniture item first.

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