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Recaning a Vintage Chair

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Morning on the Porch - Rocker“I guess we should just throw it away.”

Hard words to utter, especially coming from a fixer upper kinda gal like me, but the cost of moving cross country was enormous and we were trying to lighten the load.

IRocking Chair Before 008

“Absolutely NOT!”, Mr. OTN stated emphatically.  “This is a family treasure and we can fix it.”

Rocking Chair Before 007

This?  A treasure?

Rocking Chair Before 012

A big hole in the seat, water damage from being left out on the porch, joints coming apart where the screws had rusted through.  But he was right, it is a treasure to me.  As I shared in a previous POST, this was the chair where I spent many hours as a young girl, rocking and dreaming about places far away.  The rocker was in the old lake cabin my parents purchased over a half century ago, and it was old even then.

So at hubby’s insistence, along she came with us on our journey to the South.

Rocking chair, 074

These are Mr. OTN’s step-by-step instructions for Recaning a Vintage Chair.  Though I had my doubts  (the hubby has never showed much interest in being involved in my furniture hobby) he ended up having a lot of fun bringing this old girl back to life.

Materials used with links to purchase are shown at the end of this post.  I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase through my links.

Step 1:  Remove old caning

Mr. OTN began by cutting away as much of the old caning as possible, followed by tucking hot water soaked rags down into the crevices to soften the old glue and allow for easier removal of the rest of the caning and the old wooden stays.

Rocking Chair Makeover 001

  In this picture you can see that Mr. OTN used clothespins to tuck the rags down into the channels.

Once the glue was very soft he used a caning chisel to scrape away remaining glue, caning, and stray bits of wood.  This required persistence and continued hot water soaks. To speed up the process we found my portable garment steamer to be quite helpful!

Rocking chair, 063

 After allowing the chair to dry Mr. OTN cleaned up the remaining glue with his Dremel tool.  Using the correct attachment for the Dremel is critical if you as you do not want to change the width of the grooves.

Step 2:  Repairing the chair

Rocking chair,070

This chair was coming apart at the seams due to heavy water damage . . .

Rocking Chair 005

. . . and we quickly realized that the screws that held the arms in place were rusted through completely.

Rocking Chair 003a

Mr. OTN decided to use a wooden dowel instead of another screw for the repair.  First he drilled a hole large enough for the dowel, drilling from the back of the chair all the way through into the arm.

Rocking Chair 012

Then he painted some wood glue on the end of the arm where it would attach to the back and also inside the hole.

Rocking Chair 014

Wood glue is your best friend on any woodworking project!

Rocking Chair 018

He inserted the dowel from the back of the chair through into the arm, trimmed the dowel flush to the back of the chair, added a little wood putty and sanded it smooth once it dried.

Rocking Chair 029

I stepped in here and cleaned things up a bit, using bleach on the black stained areas before painting the chair with two layers of paint.  I used a Behr (Home Depot) clearance paint that we found in the garage of our new home (a no name paint) followed by a Behr knock-off of Annie Sloan’s Provence mixed according to my recipe for Home Made Chalk Paint.

Step 3: Caning

Rocking Chair 003

Mr. OTN began by cutting the caning to size plus 2-3″ of overlap.   He then soaked the piece in hot water for approximately 30 minutes.

Caning rocker 006

The tools he used for this part were clothes pins (a substitute for caning wedges) and a rubber mallet.

Caning rocker 012

He pounded the halved clothes pins into the grooves in the chair, being careful to keep the cane as straight as possible.

Caning rocker 010

Just like stretching a tapestry he put a couple of clothes pins on one side (back), stretched the cane taught, and put a couple of clothes pins on the other side (front).  He did the two sides in the same manner.

Caning rocker 015

Strips of wood spline are used to hold the cane in place.  Mr. OTN cut four lengths to size, angling the cuts so they would match at the corners.  Then he soaked the strips in hot water for 15 minutes to make them easier to work with.

Caning rocker 013

He applied a generous amount of wood glue in the channel and laid the first piece of spline in place.

Caning rocker 017

Next he pounded it down with a rubber mallet.  Once the strip was firmly in place he removed the clothes pins.  Make sure and remove the wedges before the glue dries.

Caning rocker 018

Here is the second strip in place.  Notice the nicely mitred corners 🙂

Caning a rocker 001

After adding spline to all four sides, Mr. OTN trimmed off the excess caning as closely as he could with sharp scissors . . .

Caning a rocker 002

. . . followed up with a box knife to trim off stragglers, and a sand paper block to smooth off rough edges.

And now, here are a few pictures of the final reveal!

Rocking Chair After

Rocking Chair After

Rocking Chair AfterEdges distressed to reveal the first color of paint.

Rocking Chair After

Rocking Chair 016

Thank you Mr. OTN Cutie, for the wonderful job you did on restoring this family treasure.  YOU are my treasure 😉

Blessings y’all,

My Signature

Links to caning supplies (not linked are common supplies such as scissors, rags, small paintbrush, rubber mallet, drill, sandpaper, etc.):

Step-by-Step-Chair-Recaning-Tutorial

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I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

 TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace

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My Friends Like Flowers

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“I HATE women!”  Those were the words . . . MY words . . . stated to a former Pastor’s wife many years ago.  Words laced with venom but also hurt at the betrayal I’d felt from some of the women in my life.  Women who were supposed to be my closest friends.

“You’ll be ministering to women one day then,” she replied calmly.

The Ugliest Mirror Makeover 009

Looking back on that day and the incredible healing journey that began there and continues in my life today (it is a process you know), I stand amazed.  God not only healed my brokenness but He also made a complete change in my heart and brought me full circle to a place of not only loving women, but desiring to offer them hope and healing in their own lives.

Doesn’t our God have a great sense of humor?

Patio Courtyard 055

Here is my tribute to the circle of women in my life. 

No, it isn’t Mother’s Day or Glorify the Goddess That You Are Day.  Haha!  But lately, as I’ve tended to the flowers in my yard I’ve been reminded of the women in my life.  Daily watering, picking off old blooms, pruning back those that grow out of control, and simply enjoying their fragrance and beauty.

Flowers 2Each woman who has crossed my path in this life journey holds an important place in my heart and has in some way shaped who I am.

Flowers 4 Some have been my friends for ages and we know each other to the core of our beings.  These are those with whom I’ve shared secrets that I had vowed to take to the grave!  You listened and did not judge.  You accepted me, imperfections and all.

Flowers 3Some are brand new friends that I’m still getting acquainted with.  We have a lot to share with one another and I look forward to more time spent in your presence.  I’m excited to hear your stories.

Flowers 5Some of you came into my life for a short season and are now gone.  Gone but never forgotten.

Flowers 6Some of you hold different beliefs than I do but we’ve agreed to disagree in love.

 Peeking out my window 2

Some of you may have left my life wounded.  You by me and me by you.  I promise you that along my healing journey God has healed all those hurts in me and I pray that He will do the same for you.

Flowers 7Some of you dear girls are boisterous and funny.

Flowers 8Some quiet and introspective.

Flowers 1Some of you I’ve never met face-to-face but I know that if we did have the chance to sit together we would know each other instantly and find ourselves chatting for hours.  I’m pretty sure that will actually happen with some of you and I’m holding a spot for you here at my table.

Joyous times, funny times, silly times.  Sad times, tearful times, holding each other close times.  Angry times and wounded times.  Times of working together side-by-side or relaxing and playing almost as hard as we worked!

Patio Courtyard 088

No matter what role you have played in my life I value you deeply.  I would not be who I am today without the experiences we’ve had together.  I look forward too to new friendships and the richness to be gleaned from them.  I hope I can enrich your life in some way also. 

Girlfriends . . . I am incredibly thankful to Father God to have you in my life.

Blessings,

My Signature

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

 TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace

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Freedom Friday – Tribute to a Less Than Perfect Dad

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My Dad.  He was a tough man, sometimes very tough on us kids.  He was a perfectionist but not perfect.  Perfectionists never are and this failure to “measure up” frustrates them which often overflows in anger.  This I know.  That anger is rooted in fear of never being “enough.” 

My dad’s own upbringing was pretty rough and he wanted better for his kids than what he’d experienced, so when we screwed up, and he blew up, it was because he was afraid that we would settle for less than the best.  No matter what, we all knew that he loved us deeply.

Poppy's Tea Cart 4

Welcome to FREEDOM FRIDAY – A devotional, emotional, spiritual and sometimes hysterical series that I will be sharing on occasional Fridays, in addition to my regular Old Things New posts. Why?  Because though once bound in chains Christ has set me free –  FREE to live, to love, to dance, to sing, to be who God created me to be!

Late in life the tough dad became the soft-hearted dad.  Mesothelioma, the result of years in the construction field working with asbestos, tried to claim his life.  It did in fact claim the lives of every single friend and co-worker that received the same diagnosis.  My dad though . . . he had a praying wife . . . and praying friends.

Surgery, chemo, loss of hair, skin and bones, we entered church that day and sat to listen to the speaker.  I don’t recall what the message was about but I do remember afterwards standing in the church foyer, waiting in line with all the others to shake the hand of the guest preacher.  I was probably anxious to get out of there because in my late teens church was the most boring place I could spend one of my precious weekend days.

Poppy's Tea Cart 2

This day.  It was different.  When my dad’s turn came to shake this preacher’s hand the man asked him the simple question, “Can I pray for your healing?”

Now my dad had received lots of prayers before and during surgery and chemo but this was different.  I wasn’t raised in a charismatic church so it wasn’t the norm for me to see hand-laying healing prayers.  My dad was ready.

The Preacher prayed.  My Father received what was offered.  The Heaven’s shifted.  My dad walked away from church that day believing that he was completely healed of cancer.

Popppy's Tea Cart 3

From that time forward my dad grew stronger.  He eventually returned to a healthy weight, his hair grew back black, not the gray color it had been prior to the cancer.  After a couple of years he became so much stronger that he and my mom bought a mini farm where they tended a large garden and raised beef for the family.  There he also took up woodworking in his little shop out back and learned to build beautiful furniture from sticks of wood.

My dad’s harsh heart became soft like a child’s after this very personal encounter with God.  Jesus’ touch that healed his body also healed the wounded places of his heart and for that he was forever grateful. He had such a special relationship with his Lord in fact, that he would stand at his workbench praying and blow kisses to Jesus.  I believe that in working with wood my dad identified with Jesus the carpenter and that seeing a block of wood transformed into a beautiful creation reminded him of what Jesus had done in his own life.

Poppy's Tea Cart 6

After that time, I never saw my dad sit through church without tears spilling from his eyes and down onto his cheeks.  He was forever grateful that God had restored the wasted years of his life and Joel 2:25 became one of his favorite verses of Scripture.  He lived fifteen more years and saw the birth of all of his grandchildren.  He loved his family with a passion and prayed that all would understand the transforming power of Jesus in their lives.  It wasn’t about following rules, or being good.  It was ALL about a personal, kiss-blowing relationship with the Creator.  Experiencing firsthand His healing power then loving Him because He first loved us.

My dad’s relationship with Jesus and the fullness of his life after his healing is the greatest legacy he could have bestowed upon his family.  Now as I work with my hands, just like my father, making broken things beautiful, I have decided that I will take up my dad’s torch.  As I see transformation taking place beneath my hands I too will lift my fingers to my mouth, stretch my hands toward the Heavens, and blow kisses of gratefulness toward the Redeemer of my soul.

Lord, thank You for the life changing transformation I was allowed to witness in my earthly Father.  Thank you that his and my mom’s prayers were answered as you also redeemed, set free and delivered me.  Thank you that you are at work in the hearts of all my father’s children, grands, and great grands, to bring them to a place of KNOWING you in the deepest places of their hearts.

Poppy's Tea Cart 1

Poppy’s Tea Cart

“Our children will serve Him; future generations will hear the story of how God rescued us.”  Ps. 22:30 The Voice

“The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.”  Ps. 16:6 NKJV

My Dad

Happy Father’s Day dad,

My Signature

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

 TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace

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10 Steps to a Perfectly Painted Exterior Door

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Painted Door 018

Today I’m pondering the fact that one never really knows one’s friends.  They can seem to be on the straight and narrow, even a little straighter and narrower than you, when something is said or done that reveals their true natures.

Front Door Before 002

Case in point:  A couple of weeks ago I posted on Facebook that I was feeling rather rebellious.  I’ve been wanting to paint my front door ever since moving into our neighborhood and several months back I mentioned it to a neighbor who happens to be a member of the architectural committee.  He told me point blank that I shouldn’t paint my door without getting the committee’s permission.  This was a little discouraging, given the neighborhood gossip that said that the committee was painfully slow at approving anything.  So after stewing for awhile over the unfairness of it all I put the idea aside.  That is until Spring sprang once again, and my black door continued to hide in the shadows, making my porch seem like an entrance into a black hole.  With encouragement from a few friends (who I already knew were rebellious types) I decided to go for it!

What surprised me about my FB post was that ALL my friends (save two who commented that they are rule followers and had heart palpitations even thinking about what I was intent on doing) agreed wholeheartedly that I should, “Just do it!”  Like I said, one never really knows one’s friends.

Ten Steps to a Perfectly Painted Exterior Door

I am extremely pleased with how my door turned out so today I will share with you my 10 Steps to a Perfectly Painted Exterior Door (tips borrowed from online door painting tutorials).  Before you begin, do choose a mild weather day for painting as you will need to keep your door open for an extended period.  Mid morning to early afternoon is best.

1. Gather your supplies: 1 quart of good quality latex exterior paint (I used Valspar because it was here waiting for me when we bought our house – sorry, it was a custom mix and there isn’t a color on the can), a dropcloth, a damp rag, a good quality 2-3″ acrylic bristled paint brush, a smaller paint brush for painting around hardware and in tight places, painter’s tape, and a small stepstool or ladder.

Front door paint color 001

UPDATE:  After several requests I took my paint can to Lowe’s and this is the color match formula they gave me. You can print this formula and take it to any Lowe’s Hardware and they will be able to mix this same exterior paint for you.

2. Prep your door and painting area:  Wash off any dirt and wipe dry.  If mold is present, use a mold retardant and allow to dry thoroughly.  If your door is in rough shape you may need to sand it smooth before painting (be sure to wear a protective mask when sanding loose paint).  If your door has oil paint on it, is a new unprimed door, or if you are applying light colored paint over dark, prime with bonding primer. Lay a drop cloth under the door. Cover anything you’ll have trouble painting around with painter’s tape.  Stir paint well and begin. 

Note:  If you aren’t sure if your door is painted with oil or latex paint a simple test is to dip a cotton ball in a small amount of denatured alcohol and rub it over the door’s surface.  It the paint does not come off on the cotton ball it is oil paint and must be primed with a bonding primer prior to painting. 

3. If you are only painting the outside of the door begin by painting the door edge first. If your door swings inward the hinged edge gets the outside color.  If the door swings outward just the opposite is true.

4. Paint hinges if already painted. Otherwise leave them unpainted.

5. Paint around door windows or hardware (or remove them first for ease of painting).The Proper Way to Paint a Door 0046. With a raised panel door, paint the reveals first (this is the frame around the center panel).

The Proper Way to Paint a Door 0057. Paint the panels inside the reveals next.

The Proper Way to Paint a Door 0108. Paint the rails (these are the horizontal cross pieces) working from the top down and painting horizontally, left to right.

The Proper Way to Paint a Door 0149. Paint the stiles last (the vertical parts of the door) from top to bottom.

10. Wait an hour or follow directions on paint can and repeat these steps.

Front Door Before 001Before Painting

Painted Door 016

After Painting

Sometimes a third coat of paint is necessary for good coverage, especially if painting light over dark.  Leave your door open 2-3 hours to dry.  Remove any tape and you are done!

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Another post I put out to my friends on Facebook was what color hardware should I use on my newly painted door?  The brass deadbolt wasn’t working properly so we needed to replace it anyway.

Painted Door 007

I had votes for virtually every color but oil rubbed bronze was by far the favorite.  I liked that choice too because it matches nicely with my urns and the shutters on the windows.

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It was also a good choice because we only had to replace the door handle and everything else was able to be sprayed with Rustoleum’s Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint, thus saving additional expense.

Painted Door 008

From a distance my door isn’t bright enough to catch the attention of the architectural committee which, by the way,  I found out has no jurisdiction over door color.  Sheesh!

Painted Door 013

But it no longer looks like one is entering into a black hole.

Painted Door 001

Now it opens right in to the colors I’ve used throughout my home.

Painted Door 014

So whatcha’ think?  Should I paint the inside of the door the same color?  I’m pretty sure it would make my hallway feel happy. 😉 

Blessings (you may need them if you too are rebellious) friends,

My Signature

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

 TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome,RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:

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