He Started With A Chair Held Together With Tape. Wait ‘Til You See the End Result!
Sometimes when I’m shopping, I’ll buy something just because of the name on the label.
Just yesterday I was shopping and almost bought a Coach wallet because it was marked down. I finally passed on the offer, because I was only considering it for the name. I have a perfectly acceptable wallet already in my pocket, I remembered.
In the DIY world, there are ways to achieve that name brand quality without breaking the bank. Take Reddit user rk5n, who found a replica Herman Miller Eames lounge chair and transformed it into something almost indifferent to an Eames original.
He started with this $50 replica that he found on Craigslist.
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Buying a brand-new Herman Miller Eames lounge chair similar to this would cost almost $5,000 and a new replica would start out at around $500.
He began the redesign by stripping off the wood’s old finish.
Next, he sanded the wood with 120-grit sandpaper.
The refurbisher decided on using a Danish oil finish. He first applied a flood coat, followed by two wipe-away coats before letting the finish dry.
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Taping off the chrome, he sanded and painted the leg base black.
Then the time came to reassemble the chair’s shell.
After he got the first cushion down, he decided it just didn’t look right.
He learned that for this type of chair, the buttons had to be attached first, then he could staple the edges.
He began stapling the sides.
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He pulled the corners over and quickly attached them to the seat.
Adding piping to the underside is an easy way to avoid wrinkles.
Two cushions finished, now onto the headboard and arms!
Rk5n found adding leather to the arms to be quite difficult.
Nevertheless, the finished product looks professional enough that I almost couldn’t tell it wasn’t an original!
By the end, rk5n spent only $269 on the project (including the chair, leather, paint, and finish). That’s almost half the cost of a brand-new Eames replica!
Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/total-chair-overhaul/
