before and after junk store chair

BEFORE

I recently purchased the above chair at a local junk store.  I say junk because the presentation is poor one must be a true junk lover to even venture inside.  But for those of us that are so brave, there are a few rare beauties in the mist.  This chair was on "sale" for $4.  I couldn't pass it up since it was solid oak, cute, and had just the right amount of creak when you sit in it--not too much that it's going to topple over, but enough to speak its age. 

So, it came home with me.

For a while, I considered leaving it as is, but its age really showed; so, I decided to give it a nice clean coat of white paint, well two coats actually.

 

 AFTER

Isn't it pretty? 

I'm using it as a desk chair in my "mini office" that I have created for my living room.  Basically, just a place to sit with my laptop during the few spare moments I have during the day to work.  It's perfect for such use. 

I love the scalloped detail on the back.  It adds a little elegance to a plain student chair. 

The first-floor office nook. 

In case you are interested: 

First, I rough sanded the finish off the chair with a medium grit sand paper.  There was a lacquer-like layer on the chair that needed to be removed before painting.  

Then, I painted two coats of Behr's Polar Bear using Martha Stewart's new Home Depot paint (I wanted to give it a try.).  

Lastly, I put on one coat of water-based polyurethane to make it easy to clean off small-hand residue.