Rescue The Bar Stool That Suffers From Horrible Color Combinations

Let’s say you found the perfect set of bar stools at a yard sale and you’re eager to place them in your home. You might have a countertop that would make a perfect coffee bar or lunch table, and a set of the right kind of high stools will make it work. Perhaps you like to entertain guests, and you have a bar set up in our den, living room or entertainment room, and you’d like to have the proper kind of seating where guests can relax and enjoy a drink.

So, now you have the perfect set of bar stool. They fit your countertop or bar perfectly, and best of all you got them at a really good price. It’s a real stroke of luck that the gods of casual dining furniture were smiling upon you when you set out on your quest to complete your seating arrangement. But there’s one rub: You can’t stand the color that someone had the bad taste to paint of stain your used bar stools with.

That’s an understandable reaction. Lord knows that these stools were probably rescued from a bachelor pad with orange shag rugs on the floor, beaded curtains in the doorways and lava lamps on every flat surface in the room. We’re talking living nightmare here, people. So, it’s no wonder that your bar stools are psychedelic purple with green leather upholstery. It’s a lucky thing that you have an open mind and can see past the hideous color clash that makes these otherwise fine pieces of furniture look like something out of an acid head’s nightmare.

Clearly, it’s time to get the paintbrush out – as if anyone needed to tell you that. But you may be wondering how you can be sure to cover every square inch of this explosion in nauseating pigment, so that it can be restored to something more tame. As it is, if you stare at the day-glow purple too long the stools seem to pulsate with a life of their own. And that’s not a good look to have in your breakfast nook.

Sand down your bar stools with 200 grit sandpaper, which will leave the surface a bit rough. That’s a good thing because paint will adhere better to the surface because of it. Wipe down the sanded stool with a rag dampened with equal parts water and white vinegar. Dry it with a clean rag.

Next, cover the wood with an alcohol-based primer, which you can buy in the hardware store. Once it’s completely dry, wet sand the surface with 200 grit sandpaper.  Wipe down the surface again, and this time apply several coats of latex paint in any color of your choice. Remember, latex paint can be tinted to any shade that you desire. Let each coat dry completely before applying the next.

The combination of priming, sanding and painting will give your bar seats a solid, opaque coating that will wear well, and, best of all, will cover up the ugly color that you couldn’t wait to get rid of. Display your new bar seating with pride, and tell guests about your adventure rescuing your furnishings from an out-of-control bachelor pad. They’ll appreciate the details, and admire your furnishings all the more.