dining room chairs for under $60

that's a good lookin' chair

My friend Kate has been searching for the perfect pair of dining room chairs on Craigslist and in thrift stores for months. She entertains more than anyone I know and since the recession got Autumn laid off and Winter’s been picking up the extra hours, the picnic table in her backyard is no longer an option. Salvation Army on Clybourn in Chicago finally answered Kate’s call with four chairs for $8 each. She set to work sanding and spray painting last week and we finished up the seat covers on Thursday.

find your chairs at the thrift store

sand to get the shine off; apply spray paint

cut your fabric four inches wider than the seat on each side

pulling very tight, staple the middle of each side first

always staple in the middle of two other staples once your corners are done

cut the excess

and that's it! one hour, four seat covers

Breakdown
4 chairs form Salvation Army: $32.00
4 cans of white spray paint: $13.16
3 yds of fabric from Jo Ann: $12.00
Total: $57.16

The hardest part of this project for Kate was waiting five months for the perfect chairs. Moral of the story: if you thrift, you will find.