Friday, November 7, 2014

Highchair Makeover {Using the HomeRight Paint Sprayer}

My youngest daughter just celebrated her first birthday and I really wanted to do a fun photo shoot with a cake smash and a colorful highchair to commemorate her big day. I found a fantastic photographer and was planning on making a pink cake for my girly girl {only a year old and she already loves walking around the house with bracelets on, her purse over her arm, and her baby doll in the crook of her other arm}. I just needed a fantastic, colored highchair.


For my first two kids, we used an old wooden highchair that we picked up at a consignment sale for $20. But since my dad had made a highchair for my third child, the old highchair was put out in the shed and suffered some water damage. It was in really sad shape.




So I decided to spruce it up and use it for my youngest's photo session.


After we glued the seat back together, I sanded the beejeezus out of it. I started with 80 grit sandpaper to work out the really rough spots, then worked my way to 120 grit and finally 220 grit to give it a nice, smooth finish. Then I wiped it down with a degreaser and let it dry before the painting.

I was only planning on using the highchair for a prop and not actually letting my daughter eat directly off the tray, so I used Glidden's Premium Interior Paint with Paint + Primer in a satin finish. I settled on the color True Turquoise which I  LOOOOOVE. It is the perfect shade of blue. So beautiful and exactly what I wanted for my colorful photo session. 



Since the highchair had a lot of nooks and crannies, I decided to use our HomeRight Finish Max Fine Finish Sprayer to do the job. I had debated using chalk paint but am sooo glad that I changed my mind.

Using the sprayer was so easy, and it covered all the edges and spindles with no problem. It also left a nice, professional finish. No brush strokes!



We added 15 tablespoons of water to about 10 ounces of paint to get it to the proper consistency to spray.


 My husband has this nifty little mixer that attaches to the end of his drill to help combine the paint and water.

 

 I think it could really be useful in the kitchen too, but my husband disagrees.

Once the paint was ready, we assembled the sprayer and went to town. There is something you may or may not know about my husband. He HATES to paint. I mean it. He really loathes the act. Oh, but give him a modified gun-type object that shoots paint? He was ALL over this paint sprayer.

 

It was kind of like a grown-up water gun, but with a purpose.


After only two coats of paint {with only 30 minutes of drying in between}, the chair was done!

 

I am in love with her cake smash pictures and am so happy with how the highchair turned out.

Copyright SEEM Photography

I always love a good makeover!

Copyright SEEM Photography

My younger sister has already asked me to borrow the highchair for her daughter's photo shoot next summer.


Copyright SEEM Photography

Copyright SEEM  Photography

And because we all love a good before/after picture, here is the transformation:


Isn't it awesome what a little paint can do?


 Happy birthday, sweet baby girl!!

 

5 comments:

  1. Looks great! I found a doll high chair and did the same thing with a can of spray paint for my grand daughters dolls. Turned out really cute! Yours would make a really cute decoration in this little girls room when she grows up...perfect chair for stuffed animals and her dolls!

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    1. Thank you, Cheri! And what a fabulous idea to use it as decoration! I love that idea! :)

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  2. The end result is fabulous!

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  3. Thanks for your post, I stumbled across it. Was looking at paint sprayer today at my local store and decided to do some research before buying.

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