How to Paint Wood Chairs in 3 Simple Steps

ByJane & Sonja

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:

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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

  1. OMG! Send those over here asap! I need these happy chairs and they would look great around my dining room table! I love the two tones and yes, they really made me happy cause they look like summer and beach! Mary you did an amazing job!
    I love KariAnne too btw… she’s awesome!

    1. Thank you Katrin. I was tickled pink, er, blue when I finished them. They bring such happiness to the whole room!

  2. Love your upcycle of these chairs. Bright and happy. I’m of Greek descent and am interested in your approach.

    1. Thank you Helen, then you understand me. I need to work with the environment I’m in and not pretend that I live somewhere else. It gets really hot here and we have to open end close the shutters depending on where the sun is. This solution keeps the room bright and cheery even when the shutters are closed.

    1. That Patricia is the greek blue. You will see it all over Greece especially on the islands. We really love our blue!

  4. I’d be squealing too if these were my chairs! So pretty, and love the different shades of pretty blues. Looks very cheerful and beach, perfect for the gorgeous climate in your neck of the woods.
    xxx

    1. Doreen this is such a prevalent color here especially on the islands. My mother in law had all her shutters painted in these bright colors.

  5. Oh wow!!! They turned out really nice. I love the color. Painting them in two different shades of blue really worked.

    1. Krista, they are so pretty. The color that you see in the interior shots is closer to the actual. Soft and pretty. Thanks for dropping by, I hope you are well.

  6. These are definitely the happiest chairs in Greece, for sure – or maybe almost anywhere! Love the shades of blue. I really, really love the chair seats. I’ve never seen ones quite like yours and I love them. My chairs have cane seats that I also love, but yours are divine! Could I ask what they are called? Thank-you for sharing your beautiful chairs. P.S. I too enjoy Kari’s blog and her stories, but your blog is also terrific.

    1. Ellen I think they are made of rope. But it is very strong. I just checked google and it must be either seagrass or danish cord. I really don’t know the difference. Thanks for your sweet comment.

  7. Oh my goodness, what a huge transformation! I love your happy chairs. It is amazing what paint can do. Dang, you did match the colors up so good to go with the table. And just so you know…I thought I heard someone squealing. LOL! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

    1. Cindy, I am always screaming from the mountaintops about the power of paint. Squeal!! 😉

  10. Wowza Mary, I can hearing the chairs dancing from here. They look abSooooLutely fabulous. That blue is gorgeous, like a sunny cloudless day. Beautiful

    1. Thanks Michelle, they really make me so happy, and I love how the room is starting to come together.

  11. Wow they look great now, I love the ombre effect when they are together. And of course blue is my favourite colour especially the lovely summery shades you have chosen.

    1. Thanks Claire. I think they really brighten up the room. There is no way you can be anything but happy in a room like this.

  12. Mary, I love your Happy Chairs! I’ve bought many chairs over the years only because I love how I can paint them and play around with how they look. Karianne is one of my all-time favorite bloggers, I love her and her blog! Now that my six week challenge is over, and things are settling down a tiny bit with life on my end, I’m really hoping to finally visit more of my favorite blogs, including yours, my friend!

    1. Thank you so much Carol. That was quite a busy schedule you’ve had with the one room challenge. But it really does push you to make the room over and wow, what a great job you did. I am also redoing this apartment but in my own slow pace. No six weeks for me.

    1. Thanks Carolann. It seems to be everyone’s favorite color. I guess it is one of those colors that touches our happy place.

    1. Everything in that apartment is getting a makeover Marie. I need to make it as bright and happy as possible. Ism’t it interesting how our decorating style changes over time and now I feel as if I am coming full circle. When we first moved here I was in love with blue but they did not have the soft blue I wanted. And now here we are with blue again.

  17. These colors is what I love about Greece… I’m looking at your chairs and I see the sea and the sky of Greece, which I miss so much…

    1. After I saw KariAnne’s idea I knew I had to try it but with the Greek colors of the sky and sea. Thanks Jeannee!

  19. Mary, I love the blue! They are indeed happy chairs! Very impressed with how those turned out & it gives me inspiration for the lone chair I need to do. I’ll have to go have a look at Thistlewood Farms too.

    1. I hope you had a chance to go to Thistlewood Farms. Her blog is sheer perfection!

    1. I think getting rid of all the wood is making a huge difference in this space. The room is starting to really pop. And of course Blue is a reflection of the sky outside. 🙂

  21. Oh I love these chairs! They turned out awesome. I like that you did two different shades of the same colour! Great transformation

    1. Thanks to KariAnne’s inspired chairs I was able to make them similar but with the colors of the Greek sky.

    1. I think that’s what makes them special Debra. The two shades make you look twice. 🙂

  24. Oh, I love them! They go so well with your table! I can’t believe that wasn’t totally planned. I also love the two different shades. I don’t think I would have ever thought to do that, but it looks great!

    1. Amy the table was done a year ago. I just decided to do the chairs now because I couldn’t stand to look at them anymore. It makes for a more interesting look. 🙂

  25. Hi Mary, I have the exact same chair is our kitchen, but they aren’t half as happy as yours. I love those blues, very Greek! My husband was going to paint ours to match the kitchen, but I thought as our kitchen is small it may be a colour overload. I may have to think again!
    xx

    1. My room is small too Debbie but the color makes it look cleaner than just the plain wood chair. Wait till I finish the room and you’ll be able to see what I mean. So much prettier than the plain wood. 🙂

  26. Absolutely amazing! These chairs look so wonderful now! I do love blues but that’s not the only reason why I love them! And together with the beach table it looks just perfect and bright and happy! Amazing!
    BTW: Showed your post to my husband. Lacking paint he took the chalk paint I used for the desk for a doorframe of the guest room and he was impressed (next time I will use wax instead of varnish for the final coat though).
    Brilliant job!
    Marjan
    P.S.: You definitely need some crochet cushions in different shades of blue to go along with the chairs 😉

    1. Yay!! I’m so glad I was able to convert you over to chalk paint… and now your husband!
      Marjan I agree with you I will have to add something to those chairs because although they may be pretty we also have to look out for our bottoms! 😉

  27. Lovely happy chairs! I really like the blue colours that you have used and they go really well with the bird fabric screen in the background. You have done a very neat job with the painting!

    1. Thank you so much Kate. I’m hoping when I’m done with this room that it will be comfortable and a happy place to relax!

  28. That’s exactly what I thought of them when they were done: ‘Greek Taverna’! They’re bright and cheery and complement your existing table perfectly!
    Enjoy!
    Poppy

    1. I’ll turn the whole house into a Taverna Poppy! I am embracing my greekness and adding all the colors I see outside the window!

  29. Mary, I love the colors ~ like the Caribbean or the Greek Isles. I know Karianne ~we’ve met a couple of times ~ so I know exactly what you mean. You described her quite well. Have a happy dance with your pretty chairs.

    1. Carol, I live in Greece so all I had to do was look out the window and there was my color. KariAnne is a world of inspiration!!

  32. Look how beautiful they are with the table! Beautiful choice of color, so serene and…happy.
    You are so right about how tough is to hand paint chairs (without a sprayer) – all those nooks and crannies.
    I bet your table with these chairs will be a talking point for anyone who visits!

    1. After I’m done with this room I’ll be so tired I will not invite anyone. Haha! 😉

  33. You did a great job on the chairs Mary, they look great! Very pretty blue, and yes you got happy chairs 😊 They look great with your table! A new paint job really can make a big difference.

  34. I would say you succeeded! The blue color you chose is very pretty- even though the colors of chairs and table are all different, it all hangs together in a harmonious way. Definitely happy and cheery!

    1. They do work together and are all subtle variations of each other. Plus this room really needed to have some life. All that brown was killing me.

  35. I can understand why you wanted blue chairs. They are so beautiful! I love those shades of blue, they`re so summer like .

    1. Exactly! They look like the sky outside my window. And the funny thing is I have never been drawn to this color before.

  37. Mary, they are indeed happy chairs and I must agree with the others that they are simply delightful and would be great too out in the garden against a stark whitewashed wall!

    1. I really lucked out Bev in that the chairs look good with the table which was done a year ago!

  39. I love the happy chairs and the table. I would not have thought to do the chairs in different blues, but I sure like it.
    🙂 gwingal

  40. Mary, these chairs are beautiful!! I like how you did 2 different shades of blue and they look fabulous around the table! Beautiful makeover!!

    1. I love the two shade idea. Thank goodness for KariAnne’s blog which gave me the inspiration.

  41. I love them! What a fun color.
    I am thinking that I want to paint my dining chairs as well, but I can’t decide on the color and if I want to mismatch or dip dye. Pinterest really makes a decision so hard 😀

  42. I think your happy chairs look fantastic! I love the turquoise colors with the neutral woven seats. They look beach-y or, maybe, Mediterranean.

    1. Mediterranean is the correct word Carol. I was going for the blue sky I see every day when I look out the window.

    1. You got me Jeanie! I am very, very happy. Getting rid of the wood tones is just what this room needed.

    1. That is exactly the look I was going for Katerina. You see these chairs all over Greece.

    1. Sarah those shutters are aluminum so I try not to mess with them. If they were wood they would not have escaped my paint brush for sure.

  47. They are gorgeous, what a well named post! And they look so good along side your beautiful bird fabric screen.

    1. Yes that one was done a few years ago when I first started having a vision for this space. I liked the blue and orange idea but since have chucked the orange for the most part. We will see how it goes.

  49. Yes, Mary, you succeeded in creating “happy chairs!!” What a fun project–thanks so much for sharing it with us all at Vintage Charm 🙂

  50. I am all about happy and especially in your decor. These are fabtastic! Love the color choice. Looks awesome with your beach table. Thank you for sharing them at TADA! Thursdays

    1. Everything is slowly coming together Debbie. And I’m doing the happy dance along with my chairs.

    1. Maria I got my inspiration for the 2 shades from KariAnne’s blog but the colors came from outside my window – the Greek sky!

  52. Mary! These are the cutest chairs! If I accidentally posted twice, I goofed. I thought it didn’t work… Anyway, all pinned and shared for you, and me. I wonder if my hubby would let me paint our new chairs in our fifth-wheel…??? 😆🌷 Then I could recover the fabric on the chairs, too!
    I’m thinking that every time you walk into your kitchen, these chairs WILL make you happy!!!
    Hugs, Barb 💕😊💙

    1. Sounds like a great idea Barb! I know that since painting them I am always walking around with a great big smile on my face. They are infectious!

    1. These chairs turned out beautiful. The shades of blue are perfect. Now they seem to be happy in that pretty dining area.
      Janet
      rosemary-thyme.blogspot.com

    2. Thank you Eilis. The shade is more accurate on the indoor shots so you can see it is very soothing.

    1. The color is what makes them so much fun and the subtle variation. Thank you Holly!

    1. It was actually lots of work with all those nooks and crannies but well worth it for the smile on my face.

  59. The perfect shades of blue to incite happiness everywhere Mary. I love them and have pinned them!
    Thank you for sharing your happy chairs at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week.
    Hugs,
    Kerryanne

  62. 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. 🙂

  63. 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.

  70. 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!

  71. 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.

  73. 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.

  75. 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!

  76. 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.

  77. 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!

  78. 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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