Save on furniture! Give an old chair new life

We're all looking for ways to cut back without sacrificing, and one way to do that is by recycling old items.  

Nikki Green Caprara is the owner of Project Home, an affordable design consulting company in the Valley. She has made it her mission to create a nice home on a budget. 

Caprara says she came upon the idea while remodeling her home with her husband, they started picking up thrift store pieces and refinishing them and before long she was helping friends.  After a while she decided it was time to turn her passion into her business.

If you want to recycle on your own, Caprara shares a few of her thrifting tips.

1.  Get there early and find the great items
2.  Look for clean lines
3.  Use your imagination, think about changing the paint color or adding new knobs

Here are Caprara's tips to make an old chair new again.

Simple Chair Refurbishing

1.  Start by dusting and chipping away any old paint with a high grit sand paper (about 200) and a wet cloth.
2.  Remove chair cushions and rotate chairs (upside down, side, ect). Spray paint, making sure to stay at least twelve inches away from the item, while keeping spray even. REMEMBER to wear a mask (preferably a respirator)
3.  Once the paint dries, rotate the chairs right side up, and continue to spray paint until evenly coated. Repeat once more.
4.  While the paint dries, go ahead and start to reupholster the cushion.
5.  Remove all hardware (staples, nails, etc) and then remove old fabric. Now staple on new batting.
6.  Add fabric of choice, making sure to rotate and staple into place. Remember to pull the fabric taught (while cushion is upside down).
7.  Once the cushions are recovered, give the dried chairs (3-4) coats of polyurethane spray. This will protect the chair from chipping.
8.  Screw seat cushion back onto chair and voila!

Caprara has partnered with Hill Creative Boutique in Tempe, you can find her there every week teaching classes on design and furniture refubishing.  You can also catch up with her at the Arcadia Edible Garden Tour on Saturday, May 12.  

Hill Creative
707 S Forest Ave, Suite D
Tempe, AZ 85281
(480) 228-0990
hillcreative@me.com

You can check out more of Caprara's design inspiration on her blog www.projectphxhome.com .  If you don't want to do the work yourself, she also has an Etsy shop .