This chair was a little experiment for me. I was making a lamp out of a stump of wood and had just finished applying the varnish when the postman came with a delivery.  It turned out to be the mica powder that I had ordered to add to an epoxy resin project I had in mind. So excited with my delivery I had to open it straight away.  The sender had added so much tape to the package to keep it secure that I had to use a knife to get into it.  Well, the knife went through a packet of blue mica powder sending it everywhere.  The powder landed on my wet varnish, I quickly brushed it away and it spread all over my project.  This was one of those happy mistakes because the effect was beautiful.

If you have not used mica powder before, it is a super fine shimmer powder found in lots of products like makeup blusher and eyeshadow.    The only downside to this effect was it only looked great in the sun or under a light.  It lost its shimmer and went back to wood colour once inside the house. So, the idea behind this project was to see how the blue mica powder would look over blue chalk paint.  And it is safe to say I was not disappointed.

How to paint with Mica Powder

**This post may contain affiliate links. Which means I earn a small commission on links used at no extra cost to you. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.**

Strip the chair

I picked these chairs because there was not a large surface area, and I did not want to waste the mica powder.  From past experience, most of my projects turn out well so I still wanted something I would be able to use in the end. 

The chair was stripped down and sanded to get the smooth surface off, so the chalk paint would stick better.  I used 2 coats of Annie Sloan Napoleonic blue which was applied with a chalk paint brush.

Once the chalk paint was dry.  I added some blue mica powder to the water-based varnish that I would be using to seal the chalk paint. I added a small amount of the blue mica powder to the varnished and stirred it in well.  Having played around with this powder since this project, I believe I could have used a lot less powder for the same effect. This powder is fine like dust so goes a long way. I added 2 coats of the blue mica powder and varnish to the chair.

The end result was a shimmering blue a bit like metallic paint.  The photos don’t do this colour justice.  Because I was so happy with how the paint turned out I went ahead and finished off the chair.

Recovering the chair

The fabric from the old chair was used as a template to cut the new one. I used white rubber backed curtain fabric, only because that was what I had at home. The old fabric was placed on top of the new fabric and I cut around the seams and sewed up the sides on a sewing machine.  I left extra fabric at the top so that there would be enough excess to pull over the top.

A small amount of the excess was trimmed away so it would be easier to handle.  The back was folded over first and stapled in place using a staple gun.  The front was then pulled over and stapled into the wood and trimmed.

The bottom of the chair was as simple as cutting the fabric and stapling it to the bottom of the seat.  Fold in the corners and staple them in place. And screw the chair back together again. That should have been the end, but I felt the chair was to plain for my liking.  So, the chair sat for weeks until I could think of a way to jazz it up a bit.

Add the iron-on graphics

The idea popped into my head to add a picture to the back of the chair using my Cricut explore Air 2.  This machine is a vinyl cutting machine that can cut most designs.   I wanted to use heat transfer vinyl but ran into a problem with the fabric being rubber backed curtain. There was a possibility that the iron would melt the rubber backing or the foam.  I had some leftover fabric so made a new cover for the back. I would add the heat transfer vinyl image before putting it on the chair.  You can find the images on Etsy for a couple of dollars.

If you are looking to start a small business from home this vinyl cutter is the bomb, I made these Glitter wine glasses which were such a hit with the family. The Cricut is so simple to use, just add your SVG cut file into design space, resize, load vinyl on cutting mat and push the make it button.  Once the design is cut you will need to weed out the excess vinyl, so you are left with just the image you want to transfer. Position the vinyl where you want it.

Transfer the image

To solve the issue with the rubber backing. I put a pillowcase inside the cover to prevent the rubber backing melting together.  Another pillowcase is put between the iron and the vinyl.  If you want to do this as a business, you might want to buy the Cricut easy press machine which helps transfer the vinyl better.  This is just my hobby, so I used the old-fashioned way, a household iron and pushed down firmly until the image transfers.  Peel back the carrier film and your image is done.

I added saran wrap/clingfilm to the sides of the foam so that it would slide in easier and not damage the rubber backing.

It was stapled back together again like I did the first time.  And put the chair back together. And TA-Da the chair was finished.

This picture is a close up of the paint with the blue mica powder.  Mica powder is available in many stunning colours which I will be using in more projects in the future.

Back view of the chair.

Close up view of the gorgeous Marilyn Monroe.  

More painted furniture ideas

Dresser gets a geometric makeover

How to Make a Barn Quilt Headboard

If you are looking for any of the items used in this project, please consider using our links. By clicking on the links we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Which helps us come up with new and exciting ideas to share with you.