This Year's First Trash Pick

     Most trash pickers would say no to my latest project - a chair.  It wasn't very old.  It wasn't very pretty.  It wasn't even completely made of wood.  The chair back, including what looked like a caned insert, was molded plastic.  I was going to make this sad thing look better, and I wasn't going to spend a cent doing it.

It was solid - not a wobble.

I call it plastic, but what is this strange stuff from which cheap 1960's furniture was molded?

I started out with some nippers.  When I got the hole big enough, I switched to pliers.  I broke away all the fake cane.

I was left with ragged edges.  I achieved the best result smoothing things out by sawing (by hand) with a hack saw blade.  I followed up with sand paper.

Here's the new look - an open back.

A Closer View

   

I primed and painted with left over paint.

I went over the chair with some ancient left over antiquing stain.

 

I begged a piece of scrap plywood and asked my nephew to cut a seat.  Thanks Chuck.  Thanks Dave.

Seat Attached

Seat Painted and Stained.

I originally planned to upholster the seat, but I wasn't sure I had the skills.  Also, my fifty year old, inherited staple gun doesn't work very well.  Oh, how I covet an electric staple gun.  I went through the stash in the attic and found a piece of foam and some girly, pink printed fabric for making a cushion.  I didn't have enough left over cording to do the top and bottom of the cushion, so I used cording only on the top.