If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I decided to take on the project of refinishing my hideous hand-me-down dining room set.

Here’s what you’ll need for a project like this (reupholstering chairs and refinishing the table):

At least six cans of really good quality high gloss spray paint. Spray paint is WAY easier for a job like this, it goes on smoothly and saves you literally days of work brushing paint into every little crevasse (total cost, $25):

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-I got one yard of fabric for each chair cover which was more than needed (total cost: $35)
-A staple gun for attaching the fabric
-Good quality fabric scissors for cutting the ends of the fabric once it was attached
-A power screwdriver to remove and reattach the cushions
-Drop clothes to spray paint on (the paint goes really far! also wear rubber Yugloves)

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And most importantly, a friend that knows what they’re doing (thanks Renee)!

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Renee’s parents helped us drag everything out in the garage to see what we would be dealing with:

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Yup, it was as bad as I feared–even uglier in the daylight:

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The spray painting itself was a little messy, therefore, no photos of the actual process. It was VERY easy though–it only took about two hours for all four chairs and the table. There’s an art to spray painting–don’t get too close, go slowly to avoid drips, and change paint cans when it starts to get drippy)

Once everything was painted, we started the upholstery. Basically, we had the fabric store cut the fabric into one yard pieces. You flip the cushion over and start pulling the fabric tight around the back, stapling as you go. Take VERY VERY SMALL pieces of the fabric at a time and do this, especially around the corners to avoid wrinkles.

We ended up calling for reinforcements–Renee’s mom Karee came by to help us with the finishing touches. She’s a pro!

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And…TADA! The finished result (Of course I color corrected the “after” photos. Everyone knows that you have to color correct the after photos to make the reveal better. Thanks all you weight loss ads for teaching me that!):

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It’s amazing what a coat of paint and some color can do:

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It took this dining room table from the sore spot in my house to something actually livable while I save for a new table! Since my total budget for this project was just about $50, I feel very good about the result. Next I’ll be getting a rug, some real table decor, better lighting, and some other unique touches for the walls. I’ll keep you posted on the progress!

So there you go–from fugly to not so bad!!