Alright folks, let me tell you about this little project I tackled the other day – a captain’s folding chair. Sounds simple, right? Well, let me walk you through it, and you can be the judge.
It all started when I saw this old, beat-up folding chair at a garage sale. It was one of those classic wooden ones, the kind you see on old boats or in vintage photos. The wood was faded, the canvas was ripped, and it was generally looking sad. But something about it screamed potential, so I snagged it for a few bucks.
First things first, I stripped it down. I mean, completely. Took off the old canvas, unscrewed every single screw, and separated all the wooden pieces. This was probably the most tedious part, especially dealing with some rusty, stripped screws. Had to use a penetrating oil and some serious elbow grease to get those suckers out.
Next up was sanding. Oh boy, sanding. The wood was rough, and there were layers of old varnish and paint. I started with a coarse grit sandpaper to knock off the big stuff, then moved to finer grits to smooth everything out. My arms were aching by the end of it, but the wood looked so much better. You could actually see the grain again!
Once the sanding was done, I moved on to staining. I wanted to keep a bit of that vintage feel, so I went with a dark walnut stain. Gave each piece two coats, letting it dry completely between coats. The stain really brought out the beauty of the wood, and it started to look like a proper captain’s chair already.
Now, for the canvas. The old canvas was beyond saving, so I had to buy some new stuff. I went with a heavy-duty navy blue canvas – seemed like the perfect nautical color. Cutting the canvas to the right size and shape was tricky, especially getting the curves right. I used the old canvas as a template, but it was still a bit of a guessing game.
Then came the sewing. I’m no expert sewer, but I managed to get the canvas sewn onto the wooden frame. This involved a lot of measuring, pinning, and cursing. My sewing machine was protesting the thick canvas, but we got through it. I reinforced all the seams with extra stitching to make sure it wouldn’t rip anytime soon.
Finally, it was time to reassemble the chair. This was surprisingly straightforward, as long as I remembered where all the screws went. I replaced all the old screws with new stainless steel ones to prevent future rusting. Tightened everything up, and voila! A captain’s folding chair, reborn!
The Result:
- A fully restored, sturdy folding chair.
- New navy blue canvas that looks fantastic.
- A satisfying feeling of accomplishment.
It wasn’t perfect, mind you. There are a few minor imperfections, like a slightly crooked seam here and there. But hey, that’s part of the charm, right? It’s now sitting proudly on my porch, ready for some serious relaxing and sea stories (even though I live nowhere near the sea). Definitely worth the effort. Give it a try yourself if you find an old chair needing some love!
