DIY painted cane chair

Loads of people have asked me how I refurbished my gorgeous turquoise cane chair, taking it from:  

This project was really really fun, not too difficult at all (save for needing just a little bit of patience) and I am in LOVE with the result.

The most difficult thing in the entire project was finding the chair! I missed out on so many on ebay. Ebay was my only real choice because taking the twinadoes shopping to vintage markets, second hand stores and recycling yards was absolutely NOT high on my agenda.

I had a budget for my chair in mind. I only wanted to spend $30. I saw lots of lovely settings, with tables, and some serious designer pieces as well, but I needed to keep the costs on this baby down.

Then I found her. She's definitely a her. She was under budget (just $20), close by, and in great condition.

I had to redo just one binding and did that very easily with some taut pulling, some tape to hold it in place while the glue dried, and some staples for good measure.

Next I had to clean what seemed like decades of dust off her. I did this really easily with a soft brush (just a brush from a dustpan and brush set) and a damp cloth. This is where my patience was tested. I had to wait for the chair to really properly dry. I just popped it out in the sun and went shopping for paint!

I [eventually] settled on this spray paint from Masters. Oh, there were so many colours to choose from! I definitely wanted to use spray paint as I don't have a paint gun and compressor and didn't fancy getting into it with a brush.

I bought two cans, and used nearly the whole lot. The paint was more expensive than the chair.

I did many light light layers, waiting only about 15 mins between each one for drying time. I started her one afternoon and had her finished the next morning. My finger was very sore! But I love her. LOVE.


I picked the cushions up from Spotlight for 50% off. I know. Get out. The base cushion is the perfect size and was originally $49.95. I got all three for that amount! I love me a bit of neon and I'm too scared to wear it, so this was perfect.

Here's the budget breakdown:

• $20 for the chair
• $28 for the paint
• $48 for the cushions

Bringing me to a grand total of $96 - slightly more than the $80 I've been quoting to T (sorry honey), but still an absolute bargain in my books.


A really easy project, and so satisfying.