DIY Upcycled Cane Bench

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The alternate title of this post could be, “How My FinishMax Pro Paint Sprayer Changed How I Paint.” I’ve painted cane before–with a brush–and it’s no fun. {These} pretty cane chairs are an example. Stay tuned at the end of this post, since we’re giving away a FinishMax Pro to one lucky reader that will change the way you paint, too!

When I found this gorgeous settee at the thrift store, I knew that I did not want to tackle that cane back with a brush! I also knew that I wanted to use a gloss paint, which I’ve never used in a sprayer before. This was definitely going to be an experiment; fortunately I think it worked out perfectly. Here’s the before:

Someone had done a very amateurish reupholstery job on the seat, and since I am an amateur, you know that when I say that, it was really bad {you can see my tutorial on reupholstering a loveseat here and here}. They decided to add an extra layer of padding to the seat cushion, which was completely and awkwardly visible through the light-colored fabric they used:

I liked the fabric that I uncovered, but it was horribly stained. I decided to leave it in place and simply cover it with new fabric. The seat was fine without that extra layer of padding–no sags or dips, and it’s quite comfortable.

I used painter’s tape to protect the fabric from the overspray. Even though I was going to cover it, I didn’t want it to be stiff or let patches of black show through the white background. I loosely draped a towel over the cushion, too, while I was spraying, but there was such minimal overspray that it wasn’t really a concern.

I use my HomeRight FinishMax Pro paint sprayer all. the. time. and for a wide variety of projects. It sprays latex, oil (although I haven’t used enamel paint in a few years), stain, chalk paint, and all the different finishes. I usually use flat or eggshell, but today I used gloss black paint because I wanted to give this girl a glamorous makeover.

Can you tell I’ve used this sprayer a lot?!

I used a gloss (latex) black paint and thinned it with water, just as I always do. One coat gave me perfect coverage, but I gave it a second just to be sure. The cleanup is a snap with the Pro, too.

I used a faux fur fabric (say that three times fast!) in a dalmation print. I often can’t find exactly what I want locally, so I usually order my fabric from Online Fabric Store. {This} is the link to the exact material that I used. The fabric is very stretchy and soft, and inexpensive. Can’t beat that! I used my handheld staple gun to secure the fabric in place; this didn’t seem to be a big enough (or heavy-duty enough) job for my pneumatic staple gun.

The finishing touch was to add brass nailhead trim. I am a big fan of nailhead trim as “jewelry” for a reupholstery project, and this didn’t disappoint. I used the same roll of trim that I used for my daughter’s loveseat redo. If you can’t find it locally, here it is on Amazon.

I really love how this project turned out. We always need extra seating, and this will fit perfectly in our living room.

I will confess that I tried it at the kitchen table, too, and it looked great there, but then I thought that maybe faux fur won’t be very easy to clean if the kids drop food on it. 🙂

Not bad, for about $60 and a few hours’ worth of work!

Now it’s your turn. Enter to win your own HomeRight FinishMax Pro paint sprayer here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Sources:

Cane bench–Salvation Army

White Dalmation Velboa Faux Fur Fabric–Online Fabric Store

Brass Nailhead trim–Amazon (see below)

HomeRight FinishMax Pro–Amazon (see below)

ScotchBlue ™ Painter’s Tape

Garden Stool–Michael’s (I painted it gold here)

Coral pillow–Stein-Mart (I added the gold monogram myself; we sell them in our Etsy shop)

DIY Gold Striped Vase–tutorial is here

Mirrors–HomeGoods

Chinoiserie Plates–thrift store

Black and white fleur de lis cigar box–Marshall’s

{Some of the links we use are affiliate links, so if you purchase items by clicking through these links we will receive a small commission. You don’t pay a penny more than you would otherwise, because that would just be tacky!}

I am thrilled to be a HomeRight Brand Ambassador, and every month they give me a product to try (and one to give away). While they sponsored this post, all opinions are my own.

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Linking up to: DIY Showoff, Canary Street Crafts

And as always, thanks for stopping by.