Sometimes we see an old piece of furniture and immediately think, It could be perfect if…
And that is where the magic of thrifting really begins.
I’m passionate about rescuing old furniture and giving it another life, and one of my favorite recent examples is this set of four vintage dining chairs. Great shape. Wonderful details. Quality construction.
The factory yellow-orange speckled finish and dated upholstery? Not so wonderful.
If you’ve been wondering how to refinish dining chairs—or you simply love a satisfying furniture before-and-after—this project covers the entire transformation, from prepping and painting the wooden frames to replacing the seat upholstery.
And, because no furniture makeover ever goes exactly according to plan, I also unexpectedly learned how to replace damaged cane chair backs with upholstery.
Before You Refinish: Choose Your Project Pieces Carefully
Not every thrifted chair is a good candidate for a makeover.
Before I commit to buying a piece of furniture, one of the first questions I ask is:
Is it sturdy?
If you’re shopping in person, this is easy enough to determine. Give the chair a little push. Sit in it if possible. Check for movement at the joints and make sure the legs feel stable.
If you’re shopping from photos online, ask the seller directly whether the chairs wobble or have any structural damage.
Most things can be repaired, but it’s much nicer to know what you’re getting into before you buy. No one wants to sit in an uneven or rickety dining chair.
For upholstered pieces, also be realistic about your skill level.
I am not a reupholstery expert. I generally look for furniture with upholstered sections that can be unscrewed from the frame and recovered relatively easily.
That was the plan with these chairs.
The chairs, however, had another idea.
Two damaged cane backs meant I ended up learning an entirely new skill along the way: replacing the cane with upholstered chair backs.
Look Past the Existing Finish
When considering a furniture makeover, try to mentally remove the finish and fabric from the equation.
How does the actual shape of the item strike you?
These chairs have wonderful turned-wood bobbin details and a Jacobean Revival influence. I knew that in almost any finish other than the existing yellow-orange speckled wood, the beautiful shape of the frames would become the focus.
The stained, dated upholstery was even easier to overlook.
Fabric can change.
Finish can change.
Good bones are the thing worth buying.
How to Refinish Dining Chairs: Materials Needed
Your exact supplies will depend on the condition and construction of your chairs, but here’s what I used for this four-chair makeover:
For the chair frames:
- TSP or furniture-safe degreasing cleaner
- Warm water
- Lint-free rags or tack cloth
- Fine-grit sandpaper—I used 320-grit
- Stain-blocking bonding spray primer
- Spray paint in your chosen color and finish
- Clear protective spray topcoat
- Spray-can trigger handle or spray grip
- Safety goggles
- Respirator or appropriate painting mask
- Screwdriver/drill and original chair hardware
For the upholstered seats:
- Upholstery-grade fabric
- High-density upholstery foam, if replacing existing foam
- Polyester batting
- Heavy-duty staple gun or pneumatic upholstery stapler
- Staples appropriate for your chair base
- Thin flat-head screwdriver
- Needle-nose pliers
- Fabric scissors
- Electric carving knife or sharp serrated knife for cutting foam
For replacing cane with upholstered chair backs, if needed:
- Upholstery fabric
- Approximately 1-inch polyfoam
- Cotton batting or Dacron
- Spray adhesive
- Pneumatic staple gun and air compressor
- Upholstery webbing, optional
- Single or double welt cord or decorative nailhead trim
- Hot glue gun, if using welt cord
A note on quantities: These turned frames have a lot of surface area. I used almost one can of primer per chair. For four similarly detailed chairs, I’d purchase approximately six cans each of spray primer and paint rather than risk running out halfway through.
How to Refinish Dining Chairs: Start With The Frames
1 | Disassemble the Chairs and Check for Damage
Before doing anything else, carefully remove the seat cushions from the chair frames.
Keep the screws and other original hardware together somewhere safe. Future you does not want to spend an afternoon trying to figure out which random screw in the garage belongs to a dining chair.
This is also the time for a thorough inspection.
One thing I hadn’t caught in the listing photos was that the cane backing on both armchairs was damaged. The previous owner had actually woven matching brown ribbon through the broken areas, and I didn’t notice until the seller pointed it out when I picked them up.
Oops.
But. I was committed at that point.
If your chairs have damaged cane that you plan to replace with upholstery, cut the old cane away from the frame now and lightly sand any remaining rough edges.
2 | Clean the Chair Frames
Never underestimate this step.
Old furniture accumulates years of dust, furniture polish, cooking residue, oils from hands and who knows what else. Paint will only perform as well as the surface beneath it.
I like TSP and warm water for cleaning furniture before refinishing.
Give every part of the frame a thorough scrub, paying particular attention to carved or turned details where grime can collect.
Allow the chairs to dry completely before moving on.
3 | Prime the Chair Frames
Because these chairs have so much turned-wood detail, spraying was the obvious choice for me. It was much faster than brushing and gave me even coverage around all those curves and crevices.
I used Valspar Stain Blocking Bonding Primer/Sealer. I wanted both strong adhesion and stain-blocking protection.
That second quality becomes particularly important if you’re painting older wood a light color. Tannins and old stains can bleed through paint and discolor your new finish.
Work outside if possible, or in a very well-ventilated area, and wear appropriate eye and respiratory protection.
One inexpensive tool I highly recommend is a spray-can trigger handle, sometimes called a can gun or spray grip. It snaps over a standard aerosol can and turns the push-button mechanism into a pistol-style trigger.
Your index finger will thank you somewhere around chair number two.
Apply the primer in light, even passes, allowing each coat to dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Once dry, lightly sand the frames with fine-grit sandpaper. I used 320-grit—just enough to knock down any dust or particle nibs without removing the primer.
Wipe everything thoroughly with a damp lint-free rag or tack cloth.
Can You Use Paint + Primer Instead?
Potentially, yes.
If you’re refinishing chairs in a darker color and the existing finish is sound, a combination product such as Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Cover Paint + Primer can eliminate the separate priming step and save both time and money.
For a lighter paint color, however, I would still use a dedicated stain-blocking primer first.
I’d rather spend the extra time priming than discover wood bleed-through after I’ve finished painting four chairs.
4 | Paint the Chair Frames
Now for the satisfying part.
Hold the spray can approximately eight inches from the chair and spray in smooth, even back-and-forth motions.
Begin each pass slightly before the chair and release slightly after you’ve passed it rather than starting and stopping directly on the furniture. This helps prevent heavy spots and drips.
With highly detailed chairs like these, work methodically.
I painted the same side or angle of every chair, allowed them to dry enough to handle, repositioned them and moved on to the next angle.
Don’t try to achieve complete coverage with one heavy coat.
Several lighter coats will produce a much smoother finish.
Once the chairs are completely painted and dry, lightly sand again with 320-grit paper to remove any remaining surface imperfections. Wipe them completely clean before applying the protective finish.
5 | Protect the Painted Chair Frames
Dining chairs work hard.
Hands grab their backs. Legs get bumped. Vacuum cleaners attack their feet. They’re pulled in and out from the table constantly.
A protective topcoat is worth the extra step.
Once the paint has dried completely and the surface is smooth and dust-free, apply a clear protective finish according to the manufacturer’s directions.
I used Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Cover clear sealer and chose a matte finish for these chairs.
Let the finish cure properly before reassembling and putting the chairs into regular use.
How to Refinish Dining Chairs: Reupholstering the Seats
With the frames finished, it’s time for fabric.
Choose a fabric rated for upholstery. Dining chairs see spills, friction and regular use, so this isn’t where I’d substitute a lightweight decorative fabric simply because the pattern is pretty.
For these chairs, I chose PK Lifestyles Heriz Medallions in Terracotta.
The pattern brought warmth and history back into the chairs while creating a striking contrast against the newly darkened frames.
Before purchasing fabric, remove one of the existing covers and measure it while laid flat. Remember to account for the additional fabric needed to wrap around the sides and staple underneath the seat.
And when in doubt, buy a little extra.
Running out of fabric is significantly more annoying than having leftovers.
1 | Remove the Old Upholstery
Carefully remove the staples holding the existing fabric to the seat base.
I use a thin flat-head screwdriver to work underneath stubborn staples and needle-nose pliers to pull them free.
Try to remove the old fabric intact.
It becomes your pattern for cutting the new upholstery.
My set included both armchairs and armless side chairs, and their seat dimensions were slightly different. Rather than assuming every seat was identical, I used the appropriate old fabric for each chair style as my cutting template.
2 | Replace the Foam and Add Batting, If Needed
If your existing cushions are still supportive and in good condition, you may be able to reuse them (as I did).
If they’re flattened, crumbling or uncomfortable, this is the time to replace them.
Trace the wooden seat base onto a piece of high-density upholstery foam and cut the foam with an electric carving knife or sharp serrated blade.
Next, cut polyester batting slightly larger than the foam. The batting wraps over the foam and softens the edges so your finished cushion doesn’t look boxy.
Lay the batting flat, place the foam on top and position the wooden seat base over both.
Pull the batting snugly over opposite sides of the wood and secure it with a few starter staples.
Continue around the seat, then trim excess batting near the staple line.
3 | Staple the New Upholstery Fabric
For the seat cushions, I used an Arrow Heavy Duty T50 Staple Gun.
If you have an air compressor, however, a pneumatic upholstery stapler makes this considerably easier. I eventually switched to an Arrow PT50 Pneumatic Staple Gun for the chair backs and immediately wished I’d used it sooner.
Lay your new upholstery fabric face down on a clean work surface.
If you’re using patterned fabric, stop here and check the alignment. Make sure the motif is centered and running in the direction you want before placing a single staple.
Set your padded seat face down over the fabric.
Pull one side of the fabric snugly over the wooden base and place a staple in the center.
Move to the opposite side, pull the fabric taut and place another center staple.
Repeat with the remaining two sides.
From those anchor points, work gradually from the center toward the corners, alternating sides as you go. Keep the fabric taut and periodically turn the cushion over to make sure the pattern remains straight.
At the corners, pull the fabric toward the center and create small, neat folds or pleats to distribute the bulk. Secure them with additional staples.
Trim excess fabric from the underside when you’re finished.
Then line the completed seat back up with the chair frame and reinstall it using the original hardware.
And if that’s all your chairs need—congratulations. You’re done.
Unless, of course, you discover broken cane.
Welcome to the bonus round.
How to Refinish Dining Chairs: Bonus Round—Replacing Cane Backs With Fabric
This wasn’t part of my original plan.
But because the cane on my two armchairs was damaged, I decided to replace it with upholstered backs rather than attempting to re-cane the chairs.
It turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the transformation.
If you have a damaged cane chair—or simply want to replace an existing upholstered back—here’s the basic process I used. And this is the video I watched before I attempted.
1 | Add the Outer-Back Fabric and Support
Start with the fabric that will be visible from the back of the chair.
Cut your fabric slightly larger than the opening. Position it so the finished side will face outward, then staple it securely into the existing groove or as close to the original cane channel as your chair allows.
Trim the excess.
A pneumatic stapler is enormously helpful here. Chair frames are typically much harder than the material used for removable seat bottoms, and driving staples into the frame manually can become difficult.
If your chair back requires additional structural support, you can also weave nylon or rubber upholstery webbing across the opening and staple it tightly to the frame.
I used a heavy-duty upholstery fabric and chose not to add webbing to mine.
2 | Add the Padding and Front Fabric
Cut a thin piece of polyfoam—approximately one inch thick—to fit inside the chair-back opening.
Attach it lightly with spray adhesive.
Add a layer of cotton batting or Dacron over the foam to soften the edges and create a smooth, rounded surface beneath the upholstery.
Position your front upholstery fabric over the padding, again checking the pattern placement before stapling.
Pull the fabric taut and staple it securely, working gradually from top to bottom and side to side so the tension remains even.
Trim the excess fabric.
3 | Finish the Edges
Now you have to hide your handiwork.
The staples and upholstery edge can be concealed with single or double welt cord, hot-glued carefully around the perimeter of the upholstered panel.
Or you can use decorative nailhead trim.
I found a particularly clever version that creates the appearance of individually installed upholstery tacks but only requires an actual nail at regular intervals.
Much easier.
The trick is planning the spacing before you begin. You want each run of nailhead trim to end cleanly with an actual nail rather than stopping awkwardly between attachment points.
Measure first.
Future you will once again be grateful.
The Finished Vintage Dining Chairs
This is exactly why I love furniture revival projects.
The bones of these chairs were always good. Their turned details, proportions and Jacobean-inspired shape didn’t need reinventing—they simply needed to stop competing with a finish and fabric that were keeping them stuck in another era.
A matte black frame brought the architecture forward. The terracotta medallion fabric added pattern, warmth and personality. And what initially looked like an unfortunate surprise—the broken cane—gave me an opportunity to make the two armchairs even more distinctive.
And then came the ultimate compliment: they sold.
I listed the set locally, and they found a new home with a couple who purchased them for the sunroom of their Meridian-Kessler home. I love knowing that four chairs that could easily have been dismissed as dated are beginning another chapter in a completely different space.
That’s really the point of furniture revival for me.
It’s not about making an old piece look new. It’s about recognizing good bones, preserving what makes a piece interesting, and reimagining it so someone wants to live with it for another generation.
These chairs became something that could live comfortably in a traditional room, a modern heritage interior, or a newer home that needs something old to give it character.
Don’t dismiss good furniture because you dislike its current finish.
Look at the shape, the construction, and the details.
Sometimes the piece you’re imagining is already there.
You just have to uncover it.
KEEP THE TRANSFORMATION GOING
How to Add Character to a New Build
10 ways to use architecture, vintage pieces and collected details to give a newer home soul.
Thrifting Tips for Successful Shopping
What to look for—and what to look past—when hunting for vintage furniture and décor.
Vintage Floor Lamp Makeover
Another before-and-after showing just how dramatically an outdated piece can change with the right finish.
