Tag: Windsor chair

#44 Windsor chair #2

I got this chair off the curb across the street from my house. Something about it drew my attention so I felt very validated when I discovered it is a solid maple, mid-20th-century, Windsor desk chair, possibly made by Ethan Allen; definitely a piece worth rescuing. As usual the design evolved throughout the process and I think the final result is a perfect blend of several influences.

Materials used: Minwax Furniture Refinisher, Peel-Tek masking fluid, Designer Stencils bamboo lattice stencil (c328), Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Cover in Coastal sage ultra matte, Varathane oil-based polyurethane in semi-gloss finish.

One of the first things that struck me about the chair is the bamboo-style legs, spindles, and stretchers. Since bamboo furniture often has a mid-century vibe to it, and because the existing finish was badly scuffed in places, I decided to first of all remove the dark brown glaze finish. At this point I was thinking I would maybe just restore it to its lighter, natural color.

After cleaning the chair with a weak solution of Simple Green, I removed the glaze finish using Minwax Furniture Refinisher. It came off nicely and I was happy to find beautiful maple wood underneath.

When I started sanding I quickly realized I wasn’t going to be able to prep every nook and cranny to a standard that would have merited a clear polyurethane finish. This was when I decided to go with a Hitchcock-inspired design which includes a stenciled top back rail, some paint, and some clear topcoat. When they were sufficiently sanded, I masked off the chair parts that would stay unpainted.

At this point I had decided to use a bamboo stencil and knew that I wanted the pattern to be in the natural, maple color. So I had to find a way for the pattern to be masked off while I painted the rest of the chair parts. I found Peel-Tek masking fluid on-line and applied it to the top back rail using the stencil and a stencil brush.

Now I was ready to apply 2 cans of Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Cover in Coastal Sage ultra matte finish. I chose this color because it is in the mid-century color palette.

It took a long time to peel off the Peel-Tek masking fluid but it worked perfectly! Once all the masking tape was also removed, the chair just needed its finishing coats of Varathane polyurethane in semi-gloss finish. The semi-gloss finish really brings out the warm glow and the chatoyance of the maple.

#40 Windsor chair

If a chair could look like a hug then I think it would be this chair. As usual I hesitated when I first saw it because I already had a garage full of projects. I just couldn’t resist its charm.

Materials used: Rust-Oleum 2X spray paint (black, flat), Varathane oil-based polyurethane (satin).

In my research I learned a lot about Windsor chairs, but I never found out the provenance of this particular one. I only know it is a low-back Windsor chair with a shield seat and front legs that are turned and tapered. At the same time as learning that Windsor chairs were often painted dark green, brown, or black (to disguise mixed use of woods) I saw a chair in House & Garden that became my inspiration piece (bottom right). After cleaning, I sanded the chair a little to smooth out a few lumps and bumps. I didn’t want to paint over the markings so I covered them with a piece of contact paper.

One can of Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Cover in flat black formed the base coat.

When the base coat was dry I used 220 then 400 grit sandpaper to give it the distressed look I wanted.

I finished the piece with three coats of Varathane oil-based polyurethane in a satin finish, lightly sanding the whole chair before the third and final coat. I could also have finished it with some clear wax but… spindles! Spraying spindles is a lot easier than brushing them.