When one of her boys finally asked her why she kept walking into the kitchen to look at this chair, she knew what needed to be done and moved it into the family room where she could more thoroughly enjoy the fruit of her labor.

Of course, Susanna’s $5 Goodwill chair didn’t really begin its life with their family as much of a show piece.

But taking inspiration from an Ikea print, she decided to create an aqua-over-tan weathered look on the chair.

She took this vase to the hardware store to choose a paint color (it was too big to digitally color match, but she found a great match in the paint swatches).

Here’s how the transformation went:

1. Lightly sand and prime with Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3 primer.

2. The first coat of paint is tan, left over from when she painted her boys’ rooms.

3. Next, she coated the chair with this delicious shade of aqua using a sponge brush. It is Olympic Aqua Bay in a satin finish.

4. She (and her young assistant) distressed the chair using a sandblock. Her tip for sanding is to hit the spots that would naturally get the most wear, and if you are painting a used piece, take note of where the finish is worn before you begin.

5. The sanding reveals the layers in such a lovely way: some aqua, then tan, then dark wood of the original stain, then bare wood even in spots.

6. And here it is in its current home! Not too shabby for a $5 Goodwill find, huzzah! Perfection!! Susanna is thinking about adding a coat of poly… but I say let it ride!

Did you know that one well-executed piece can change the whole feel and energy of a room? And it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to create a lovely focal point accent piece like this.

{Well done, Susanna! And many thanks to you for letting me share your lovely chair transformation today!}

So is anyone else now thinking of shopping her house or the thrift shops to find a paintable treasure? Do tell!

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