Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Rockin' Rehab

So, I have an amazing friend I have that I have mentioned about to you all before.  Well, she is amazing for many reasons but the quality I will share with you today is that she will dumpster dive just for me!  I can't tell you how many times she has called me on the way to my house with a piece a funiture she jacked from someones trash.  That's where this story starts!

I get a call right after morning drop-off from Lauri.  She is camped out on someone's driveway guarding the most awesome broke-down rocking chair that someone tossed with the trash.  Knowing it was the perfect addition for my nursery she not only stayed guard in her car so no one would take our treasure, she helped me load it in my truck in her pjs!  It was quite a site... both in our pj's and me in my rollers loading a broken (yet amazing) rocking chair into my pick-up!


Fast forward 3 months and many cobwebs later and it was ready for rehab!  As you can see one of the arms had broken off and was missing two of the spindles.  There were also many cracks and pieces falling off......this chair was begging for some Gorilla Glue Wood Glue!

Because the spindles were missing from the broken arm rest, I sawed off the same spindles on the opposite side.

I then sanded the stubs down flush with the seat and filled the holes on the bad side with wood putty.  To attach the broken arm I predrilled a hole though the seat and then drove a long wood screw up from the bottom through the spindle.  I secured with Gorilla Wood Glue and it worked like a charm!

Because I have no clue who this chair came from or where it has been I opted for two coats of Killz (spray paint) before painting.  This also helped reduce the coats of colored spray paint!


I found the perfect spray paint to match the baby bedding...and it just so happens to be our fav Rust-Oleum! The color is Summer Squash and it is the prettiest yellow I have ever seen!

2 coats later.....

I distressed the edges with my 3M sanding block...


You can see cracks where I had to Gorilla Glue Wood Glue some pieces back on....I could have puttied over the cracks but I LOVE that you can see the cracks...adds to the worn look.



I love the seat!  It's solid wood and about 4" thick!

Pictures don't do the size of this chair justice!  It's a Grand Rocking Chair and solid wood!  It just hugs you when you sit in it!



Did I mention it was FREE!  Minus the $9 for spray paint!  I owe this find to Lauri!!!  This is the perfect rocker for my nursery and it's such a focal point in the room.  I can't believe someone put it out with the trash but I am very thankful they did!  Hope you all have a great week!

~Ashley

Stop by Kara's Party Ideas for great inspiration for your next shindig!

 




 
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40 comments:

Amanda @ Healthy House on the Block said...

Literally from Trash to Treasure! It turned out awesome! I love that color - and the distressing is perfect! Great job - as always! :)

Nikki@KreativeKnack said...

I love the chunky-ness of this rocker...and the color is great! Good Job!

Sarah said...

They just don't make em like they used to, right?!

My sister loaded up a humongus glider in her tiny car last summer, just for me. AND she did the re-staining herself. I LOVE that chair!

DeeDee said...

I love trash to treasures...they all come with a story that way...you have done a very nice job on this...so lovley...and oh the memories you will make in this chair...nice.

$9.00 great deal...nice color too..

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

The old castoff turned into a lovely rocker for the baby's room.
Love the color and how you sanded it in all the right places.

hugs
Sissie

Judy @ In His Grip said...

I love this the buttery yellow is to die for.

philben5 said...

it looks amazing! Thanks for sharing... Oh and love the color too!
Blessings
Roxanne

Blondie's Journal said...

Beautiful...if the original owners could only see it now!

xoxo
Jane

Danielle said...

OMG!! I am in love with this chair. 2 thumbs up for your amazing friend!! Fabulous work!!

Life in Rehab said...

Wow, that's where I shopped for our nursery! Very nicely done, and the Summer Squash is just divine.

- Kim said...

I love it! I just had a rocker redo this week too. Mine was $3 though. ;)
http://hippie-hugger.blogspot.com/2010/07/rocker-redo.html

Carmen @ Life with Sprinkles on Top said...

That IS the most prettiest color of yellow. I love it! If the people who threw it away saw it now, they'd be sorry.

Jeanette said...

I love the distressing. I am trying to get the courage to paint some bedroom furniture. Wouldn't that be a cool HGTV show, make a treasure out of trash and then let the people see what they threw away. How cool!

Brockett's said...

I just had a total AHA moment. Taking out the extra spindles on the other side so they match was genius!! When I saw the before picture I was thinking how are they going to match those up. Thanks for another awesome post!

Kelli said...

Wow! that is a beautiful addition to a nursery! You did a great job fixing it up, and I love the color. thank you for sharing.

Pam said...

It looks awesome! I love the color and the distressing. Love. love.

Gail Griner Golden at Gail-Friends said...

What a beauty! I laughed out loud at the pic in my mind of you in pj's and rollers putting that chair in the truck!

Sew a Fine Seam said...

found you through a friend on fb who said you were one of her favorite blogs. And I just had to comment and tell you that chair is absolutely magnificent!!! LOVE IT:) you did an awesome job and I really like the way you left the cracks show and distressed it. That color looks wonderful with the worn look too. you deserve a WOOT!WOOT! for this one!!

Tales From My Empty Nest said...

What an awesome chair to rock that new sweet baby in. I love it!! And the color is so beautiful. Such a pretty shade of yellow. I love those freebies! Love & blessings from NC!

Infarrantly Creative said...

Have you hooked this up to the CSI Project this week? The theme is Roadkill Rescue and this totally qualifies. I love the color you used. It is totally unexpected!

Heidi said...

I have a rocking chair that is so similar to this one, and I was about to sell it in our garage sale in a month! Now I'm super excited to transform it, because yours looks so great!

Kathy@theshebearofeleven said...

How resourceful! The chair turned out beautiful, love the yellow color. It will always remind you of the day you and your good friend rescued it in your pajamas.

Leigh Ann said...

Ashley, it is just beautiful! Isn't it a blessing to have such good friends!?

KirkKrew said...

You're right, the pictures don't do it justice! It is so perfect for Tenley's room! I can't wait to see it all put together!

Amber said...

I love how thick it is! It's almost like a Disney chair--how everything is so over exaggerated. The seat, the curves, the rolls of the arms! Love it!

Erin A said...

This is GORGEOUS!! I typically don't do yellow, but I think you may have just introduced me to my new best friend!!

Okay, not really, but that yellow color rocks.

B Turnbull said...

You girls rock!! I can just see you curled up in that "new old treasure" cuddling your little wee one in the not too distant future! Well done.

B Turnbull said...

You girls rock!! I can just see you curled up in this "new old treasure" cuddling your wee one in the not-too-distant-future! (I can also see you in your pj's loading stuff from the side of the road...lol!) Well done!

Shelly @Crafty Creative Studio said...

Fantastic! Perfect idea to take out the "extra" spindles. Great outside-the-box thinking. :) Love the end result!!

3LittleByrds said...

Love the rocker. My mom used to rock me in one similar to this when I was a baby. I can't believe someone was going to throw it out. BTW don't worry about the email I sent days ago. I got my questions answered by other girls in the area. It's nice to know of places to check out and take the kids. Do yall still sale on etsy?

Amy {The Idea Room} said...

Love it!

Lolly said...

I love it!!!! Looks even better in person. Really cute addition to the room. We need to find one for Whit.

Anonymous said...

Great job!!! Love the color!
lifeofperks.blogspot.com

Debra said...

I love it! The color is perfect, great job!

Unknown said...

What a beautiful transformation! I wish my husband understood the whole distressing thing... he doesn't understand why you would paint something and then scuff it up!! I think it is just gorgeous and adds so much character!

Hannah
http://youngancrafty.blogspot.com/

I {heart} Nap Time said...

oh this is soo so cute! what a great find! I love curbside trash days! Some people don't know the value of their trash. LOL

miss Yelpington said...

That chair is so adorable, I love your blog its my fave its the 1st blog i visit everytime,so theres an award for you over at http://missyelpington.blogspot.com/

From Miss Yelpington xxx

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

Nine dollars!?! Wow! It looks fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing, I'll be linking in an upcoming Revamp Roundup.

Unknown said...

I just recieved a hand-me-down family rocker from my mother-in-law for my little guy due in January.

I've been trying to figure out what I could do with it. I just have a couple of q's for you:
Did you have to strip off any of the previous finish?
Did you do any sanding before you painted?
How many coats of paint did you end up using?

Thanks for your help and all the great ideas!

DIY Trials and Triumphs said...

Thanks for all your great tips and for sharing your tools of the trade! I'm new at furniture redos, but now that I've tried it I think I've caught the fever. You girls have some really great ideas. You girls are so talented.

 
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