Blue Green Painted Rocking Chair

Rocking Chair Makeover

Furniture refinishing 18 comments

Have I mentioned before that I dislike painting chairs? I think I have, but if not I’ll tell you why… they take FOR-EV-ER! All those little spindles to paint, distress, wax and buff… very time consuming. I haven’t painted any chairs in a while but I have a TON coming up, 2 dining sets worth! Before I get to those chairs though I had a client of mine bring me this really nice Windsor style rocking chair to update for her baby’s room. So here we go…

BEFORE

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Lucky for me she fell in love with and purchased the chest below which will coordinate with her vintage walnut bed that will be in the bedroom eventually.

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She wanted the rocking chair to be finished the same as the drawers on the chest. So first I sprayed the chair with a white primer, not because I needed to but because we wanted a secondary color to show through when the chair was distressed. The top coat formula is a 50/50 mix of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Provence and Florence, such a pretty color!

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This is what the color looks like after I distressed and oiled it with Watco Rejuvenating Oil.

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Here is the same arm after an application of Briwax dark wax, it changes the color to a very pretty soft green-blue. You can clearly see the difference when compared to the seat.

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WOW! I just think this rocking chair is a stunner now!

Painted rocking chair with ASCP Provence and Florence

All these great lines accentuated with the distressing!

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This chair has the look of a much used and loved antique now!

Distressed and refinished rocking chair

Even though this rocking chair is going in the baby’s room it would look great anywhere… even in my Sunroom Winking smile

Distressed and refinished rocking chair

Hopefully this chair will get to enjoy lots of rocking time with the baby!

Hope you enjoyed this makeover!

My Signature

18 comments

  1. That chair is a stunner Susan! I love the custom color and the white showing through! How sweet for a nursery! … So you used the oil, then the dark wax? I’m intrigued, tell me more!

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    1. Thanks Sharon! Sometimes I use oil to seal the paint on instead of wax, works great! I chose to use oil on the rocker because it’s so easy to wipe on and I didn’t want a super shiny or slick look. I will use oil instead of wax on very old pieces sometimes too, it just gives a different look tithe finish. The wax on top was for changing the color and providing a little more sheen.

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  3. very pretty! love the color. i’m wondering, do you prefer the briwax over the annie sloan wax? how do they compare? thanks!

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    1. Thank you! The oil seals the paint, the wax was mostly for color and some sheen. I used the oil vs wax because of the easy application, I don’t do it all of the time, but pick and choose depending on the piece. Oil is great for really dry, old wood though!

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  6. I have been wondering where to get colored wax…good to know brand name, the rocker is beautiful, just like all your projects, you are inspiring.

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  8. So cute! I’m about to tackle an old glider with lots of spindle work for the nursery, and I’m a smidge intimidated (plus it’s my first piece of furniture to refinish – yikes). Did you use a spray gun for painting or was it all by hand? Looking forward to reading more from your blog 🙂

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