Update: Dining Room Chairs

i'm really excited about today's post! earlier i wrote about the new chairs in my life and they have since undergone a transformation. i bought these chairs for their chinoiserie style but had other plans for the finish and color. just a little reminder of the "before":

image via ballard designs

first i set about determining the best way to paint these to achieve the lacquer-look i was going for. after reading some posts on other blogs and diy forums, i decided spray paint was the best option for me. i feel like i really lucked out by finding a krylon spray paint in a perfect bright green, "emerald green," with a high gloss finish. plus other necessary supplies:

i made the mistake of not buying a spray gun to start out and 3 cans of paint in and i thought my pointer finger was going to fall off. so if you're going to try something like this, get the gun! before going directly to the chairs, i tested the color out first on a piece of foam board.

glorious! next step, the chairs. some people said to sand, some people said to prime, and some people said to do both. i did neither. just being honest. and if it chips i only have myself to blame.

and now the "after":

!!! i can barely contain my excitement! i love them so :)  one tip - spray paint drips so if you want to try this idea out, i'd say paint in sections and also keep the spray moving all the time. painting a desk or dresser might be easier than something like these chairs that have a lot of detail. *i may or may not have painted the driveway green during this project even with canvas down underneath. paint on the grass!

next step is to recover the boring seat cushions that they came with. stay tuned for the finished look!