Pottery Barn Knock Off

Pottery Barn

I have been waiting patiently for chairs in my breakfast area.  I need a pair that would not too bulky or too tall.  Last week, I stopped in at the Goodwill and there they were! 

I quickly went over and staked my claim while checking them out.  They were strong and sturdy.  Not too small, not too big.  Wasn't too crazy about the oak since I already have a lot of wood tones in my room anyway but that wasn't a deal breaker!  The seats were indented a little but that's easy to fix as well.  So, in the back of the truck they went.

Once I got them home, I was very happy with the size.  My little breakfast area isn't too big and to be honest it only seems to get used at holidays.  Everyone seemed to pile into that corner.  This past year we extended the banquet under the window so now this area seats quite a few people for the space!

Once my husband got home, he wasn't too enthused about them.  I started doubting myself but there was also this nagging thought in the back of my mind that I had seen a chair similar to this.  While thumbing though my Pottery Barn catalog for the 1000th time, this picture jumped out at me!  Except for the front legs, my chairs look almost just them!  My first thought was "why am I listening to my husband, men don't really know anything about decorating."  I mean, they're in the Pottery Barn catalog for goodness sake!  You can't go wrong with them!  The Pottery Barn chairs are $178, I paid $11.99 each!  I love a good deal!

Now, I needed to paint them!  I wasn't looking forward to sanding them and have seen a lot of great projects using chalk paint.  I read a few blogs, got a few ideas and decided to make my own.  I purchased my Plaster of Paris from Home Depot in the powder form.  I had heard that it will dry up on you and when I saw it in this powder form, I thought it would last longer.  I mixed one cup of blue paint, 2/3 cup Plaster of Paris, and 1/3 cup water.  I mixed it up really good and started painting.  Once the Plaster of Paris and water was mixed in, it seemed to change my blue more to a grayish blue.

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This is a chair after I finished painting!

The chalk paint was really easy to work with.  I had read where others had to add more water to get the right consistency but mine seemed to be fine.  It wasn't too thick, it actually brushed on really well with hardly no dripping.

After the chairs dried, I let them set over night.  The next day I started waxing.  Oh, I didn't enjoy this part at all!  I don't know if it was the Minwax paste wax I used or what.  After they were waxed, I started buffing and buffing.  Thankfully, it's finished!  and I am very pleased with the outcome.

So, how did I do?  I started by wanting a little more blue color but the grayish blue works well in this area.  Oh, I also forgot to mention that I attempted to stain the bottoms but it didn't work!  I tested it on the bottom side but it was a no go!  My mom is going to make cushions for the benches so I'm wondering if I should put a cushion on each chair?

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