How to Paint Cafe Chairs

Cafe chairs offer functional seating with a quaint, stylish aesthetic. These small chairs are usually made out of wood or metal for lasting durability. However, wood and metal surfaces require some specialized preparation before you can paint over them. If you want to paint cafe chairs, you'll need to approach the task with the right background knowledge. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Sand sleek surfaces with 220-grit sandpaper. While some cafe chairs have a matte finish, many are glossy and smooth. Sandpaper helps rough-up the surface a little bit before better paint adhesion.

2

Scrub off any rust with a wire brush and scouring pad.

3

Clean the cafe chairs with a trisodium phosphate cleanser. If you're painting a new chair, cleaning isn't necessary. Old cafe chairs, on the other hand, likely contain a layer of dirt, even if this grime isn't easily visible.

4

Spray metal cafe chairs with rust-inhibitive primer, and spray wood chairs with stain-blocking primer. Rust can quickly discolor paint if you don't seal the chairs in rust-inhibitive primer. Many types of wood, including cedar, cypress, redwood and maple, gradually stain unprimed paint over time. Wait for the primer to dry before proceeding.

5

Spray the chairs with oil-based paint. Use any sheen you want, but glossy finishes are easier to keep clean, making high-gloss a good choice for heavily used and abused chair surfaces. Hold the spray can about 12-to-14 inches away from the chair. Spray back and forth, and keep the nozzle moving to ensure a finer misting. It's better to have two thin coats than one thick coat. Allow 50-percent overlap with each pass of the spray nozzle.

6

Apply extras coat of paint if you notice any bare patches after the first coat dries. Don't sit on the chairs until the final coat has dried for at least 24 hours.