Rocking chair

Turn an old rocking chair into a subtle piece of furniture with a little bit of help from Resene.

Fun with furniture with Mark Rayner - Project 20

Difficulty level: Moderate

You will need: a wooden rocking chair (ours was previously varnished), sandpaper, clean cloths and paintbrushes (including a medium artists’ brush). Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer and Resene Lustacryl tinted to Resene Quarter Tea.

To get the look: Mark painted the background wall with Resene SpaceCote Flat tinted to Resene Envy.

Other ideas: For a brilliant bright red effect use Resene Lustacryl tinted to Resene Guardsman Red.

Step one
Remove any dust and dirt from the rocking chair with a damp cloth and allow to dry.

Step two
Lightly sand the old varnish of the rocking chair to provide a ‘key’.

Step three
Wipe off any sanding dust with a clean cloth.

Step four

Turn the rocking chair on its side and apply one coat of Resene Smooth Surface sealer to the legs, rockers and underside.

Step five
Stand the chair the right way up and continue to apply one coat of Resene Smooth Surface sealer to the back, arms and seat. Allow two hours to dry.

Step six
Use a medium artists’ brush to work Resene Quarter Tea into any of the smaller carved areas on the back of the chair.

Step seven
Apply one coat of Resene Quarter Tea to the legs, rockers and underside of the rocking chair.

Step eight

Apply one coat of Resene Quarter Tea to the back, arms and seat of the rocking chair. Allow two hours to dry and apply a second coat of Resene Quarter Tea to the entire chair. Leave two hours to dry.