How to Paint Wood Chairs in 3 Simple Steps

Give your wooden dining chairs an easy and fun makeover! Learn how to paint wood chairs in three easy steps for a beachy blue ombre effect.

You’ll be inspired to give your wooden dining chairs a gorgeous makeover when you see how easy it is to paint wood chairs. These blue beauties were given an ombre vibe but the same easy technique applies to any color you’d like!

Four wood chairs painted blue lined up side-by-side against a white wall.

Today is one of the most exciting posts I’ve ever written.  Can you hear me squealing in the background.  Now this is something I don’t do in real life, but since I’m on the internet I’ll allow myself some liberties.  

Today I am going to talk about – actually fangirl over –  KariAnne of Thistlewood farms. She is one of my all time favorite bloggers and she does it all. She is a decorator, a DiYer and a photographer.  But most of all KariAnne knows how to tell a story.  Boy, can she tell a story!  She can take the most mundane chore, like painting a door, and turn it into a monumental lesson in life. And with lots of chuckles to boot!

Now you are all probably wondering why I’m going on and on about KeriAnne. Obviously she inspires me!  And I know I could never hope to reach her level of perfection. But I thought I would give it a humble try after  seeing these chairs of hers.

After all chairs can be inspiring, right?  This is the tale of the happy chairs.

There was nothing wrong with them really.  In fact I have one in the bedroom here.

But I wanted to have blue chairs. Like KariAnne’s!  In more than one shade!​

Materials Needed to Paint Wood Chairs:

Disclosure: We have not received any compensation for this post. However, we have (and continue to) receive products from DecoArt. This post also contains affiliate links. Should you choose to purchase items through these links we will make a small commission – at no expense to you.

How to Paint Wood Chairs (So Easy!)

Step 1: Wash and Degrease

If your chairs are particularly dirty give them a good wash down with warm soapy water and let dry completely.

Step 2: Paint with Chalky Finish Paint

​And so it began.  I started out with DecoArt’s Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint in Escape. But I added a bit of Everlasting, which is a white color.  You may remember this photo from my behind the scenes sneak peek. Nothing like a messy work space to inspire you!

Here is what the chair looked like after one coat of the paint mixture. 

And after the second coat!  I should mention that painting chairs is nothing to sneeze about.  It takes time and work. 

But I was not to be deterred!  I wanted blue chairs!  Happy Chairs!

Now for the next two chairs I wanted a lighter look so I added more white paint to the mixture I already had. And this is how they came out.

Step 3: Seal with Clear Wax

Finally to seal in the paint I used DecoArt’s Clear Americana Cream Wax. Just add it on with a clean cloth and after it has dried rub it off.  It is that simple. 

There you have it! Beautifully painted wooden chairs. Don’t you just love them?

​They are so happy, they are practically line dancing!​

These shades of blue are a bit brighter than the Serene blue used to paint this bedroom dresser using the same method (no sanding needed!).

And here they are indoors.  With the beach table. Don’t they look great together?  I think I did a pretty good job, and I wasn’t even going for a matchy look.

The room is small, with a window on one side and it needs light colored furniture so that it can feel happy and bright.

We close the shutters in the summertime because of all that Greek sunlight. But even when the shutters are closed we still want the room to look bright!

That’s why I chose to paint the wood chairs.  I wanted to create the look of a Greek tavern here. And keep things fun and happy!

I should point out that the way the light hits the chairs alters the color.  Trust me, there are only two colors for the chairs here. The table is a shade different but it’s hard to tell, and we will keep that secret to ourselves. 

Now that my chairs are happy… I’m happy!

You can never estimate the power of paint. It can totally transform furniture! You can see how I used paint to create this beautiful cubby storage unit. And explore a different method I used for this chair makeover!

And that was the tale of the happy chairs. Did I succeed in creating happiness in those chairs?  Did I make you all happy?

Chairs painted in shades of blue with chalky type paint, to make them ombre happy, #ombreeffect #paintedombre #furnituremakeover #upcycle #chalkyfinishpaint #paintedchairs #bluechairs #DIYproject The tale of the Happy Chairs

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Additional Furniture Painting Ideas to Explore:

This blog is for entertainment purposes only; my DIY tutorials are not professional advice. Read my full disclaimer here.​
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Hello, we're Jane & Sonja, sisters, moms and lifelong crafters.

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153 Comments

  2. The title of this blog post along was enough to make me want to read it. Those chairs are GORGEOUS and they really are happy. 🙂

  3. These chairs turned out great with their Greek Isle blue makeover, Mary!!! I am a fan of KariAnne’s too. She makes you feel happy when you visit and her decorating is fun farmhouse beautiful! Pinned to my Perfect Paint and Finishes for you and our readers.
    Happy Monday,
    Hugs,
    Barb <3

    1. KariAnne is the best and she is so smart about her decorating, and full of so many great ideas!

    1. Thank you Susan. I had been wanting to do this for the longest time and now it is complete with the table.

    1. Lynn we still have the house in Greece so I just left all the furniture there for when we go in the summer. I wish I could have bought all that sunshine here.

  10. I love the color of these chairs and the transformation is amazing! Great job! Thanks so much for sharing this transformation at the Make Life Pretty Monday link party. You’re one of the features this week! Hope to see you Sunday at 8 pm!

  11. They are amazing Mary! And they fit perfectly around your table. You are right, they remind me a small tavern besides the sea. Oh my God this greek light! Like here nowhere don’t you agree?

    1. Thank you Nancy, you above everyone else know just how important the right color can be.

  13. Those are beautiful! They make me smile for sure as blue is my favorite color.

    1. Ahh another fellow blue lover. It is the best color and has so many different hues and tones.

    1. I really need to do this one again in NY. It will add so much fun to the house decor.

  15. You gave these chairs new life, Mary! They look fantastic…and I LOVE the colors you chose! What a beautiful transformation! Thanks for linking up with us on Inspiration Monday this week and sharing your fun ideas!

  16. These are VERY happy chairs. I love how they turned out. And the two shards of blue is perfect. Good job!

    1. They are actually kind of soft but look brighter outdoors. Either way they are striking. Thank you Cindy.

  17. I love blue, and I love these chairs, Mary! The definitely do look happy. I’m glad KariAnn inspired you. She really is talented – as are you! Pinning. Thank you for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party!

  18. Loving these colors. How can one not feel good sitting in these pretty chairs. Thanks for sharing on the Classy Flamingos party. Come visit us again this week we enjoyed your post.

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