How to Paint a Cane Chair

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Cane or wicker furniture is made from stiff, woven material such as willow, rattan, reed, or wire wrapped with paper. Wicker furniture can be used on patios and decks as well as inside. The paint on cane chairs that have been outside may begin to peel and flake off. You may refinish cane furniture by removing the old finish and painting it with an oil base or latex paint.

Steps

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  1. When you paint a wicker chair, select an area that is well ventilated to protect you from paint fumes and set the chair on a drop cloth to protect your floor from paint. [1]
  2. Before painting wicker chairs, you need to strip the old finish, otherwise the new paint won't stick.
    • Clean your cane chair with a mild detergent, water and a bristle brush.
    • Put on safety equipment, such as goggles, gloves and a face mask before you refinish cane furniture. Paint and stripper may contain chemicals that can cause skin rashes, and paint chips may get in your eyes or lungs, creating health problems.
    • Apply paint stripper to the cane chair with a brush if paint chips still remain after you have washed the chair. When you refinish cane furniture, be sure to follow the paint stripper manufacturer's instructions.
    • Let the stripper stay on the chair the correct amount of time so that it will liquefy the old paint. Remove the stripper with a wire brush.
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  3. When you refinish cane furniture, you need to coarsen up the cane so that the paint will stick.
  4. [2]
  5. [3]
    • Use a compressor sprayer, spray paint or a brush to paint on wood primer. When you paint a cane chair, the primer will ensure that the new paint adheres, and if you selected a much darker or lighter color, the primer will help with the hue transition.
    • Let the chair dry for 8 hours.
    • Turn the chair over and apply another coat of primer to the chair. When painting wicker chairs, you want to make sure to paint all the weaves. Upending the chair and adding an additional coat ensures you cover the entire surface.
  6. When you paint a cane chair, you want the final coat of primer to completely dry before adding the final coats of paint.
  7. [4]
    • Use oil-base indoor/outdoor or latex paint on your wicker chair. Oil base paint sticks to cane, lasts a long time, provides good coverage, and flexes with the chair. Latex paint is made with water and plastic resins, and is easier to work with because it dries faster than oil base paint and you can clean brushes with water instead of paint thinner.
    • Follow the procedure for applying primer, and apply 2 coats of your finish paint.
  8. You want your cane chair to absorb all the paint and completely dry before you use it.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Can I paint letters on the chair for some decoration?
    Diane Henkler
    Crafting and Home DIY Specialist
    Diane Henkler is a Crafting and Home DIY Specialist based in Lexington, South Carolina. She is the owner and creator of InMyOwnStyle.com, a crafting, DIY, and home design blog. She started her blog in 2009, and has now been blogging about affordable decorating, creative DIYs, and lifestyle tips for 15 years. Her career background was in retail display curation, which led her into the world of DIY decorating and home design. In her blog, she features pieces on decorating inspiration, seasonal holiday decor projects, organization strategies, room makeover guides, painting tutorials, furniture restoration tips, and more. Diane’s blog demonstrates how decorating a home does not have to be hard, expensive or time consuming. Through her posts, she shares decorating advice, ideas, project how-to’s, and more, furthering her mission to help her readers create beautiful homes, especially on a budget. She also creates tutorials and educates followers on her social media crafting channels.
    Diane Henkler
    Crafting and Home DIY Specialist
    Expert Answer
    Yes, you can! If you already have a base coat down, let it fully dry before starting on your lettering. Write your lettering first on a piece of paper to figure out the layout and make sure everything is centered. For example, if your word is “CHAIR,” find the middle letter (in this case, “A”) and align it with the center of the chair to keep things balanced. Lightly sketch your letters in pencil before painting. When it’s time to paint, use a flat brush that suits the size of your letters and go for acrylic or craft paint, which works well on wood. Apply a light coat first, let it dry, and then add more layers if you want a bolder look. Finally, after everything’s completely dry (after a day or two), seal your work with a matte polyurethane. Doing this will protect your design without adding a shine, keeping the look classic and durable!
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  • Question
    How do I take old paint off wicker chairs?
    Community Answer
    Paint stripper and a wire brush will get everything bare. Re-apply the stripper instead of brushing hard - you're just using the brush to get the paint off or out of the nooks and crannies, not for any actual abrasion. Then, very lightly sand and repaint or polyurethane.
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      Tips

      • Use good quality paint when you refinish wicker furniture. It may cost more than a lower grade of paint, but will last longer.
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      • If you are painting wicker chairs outside, do not paint on a windy day. The wind may blow dust and debris on your project, which will stick to the paint.
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      Things You'll Need

      • Drop cloth
      • Mild detergent
      • Water
      • Bristle brush
      • Safety goggles
      • Gloves
      • Face mask
      • Paint stripper
      • Paint brushes
      • Light-grit sandpaper
      • Vacuum cleaner
      • Wood primer
      • Compressor sprayer or spray can
      • Oil-based or latex indoor/outdoor paint


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      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about crafting, check out our in-depth interview with Diane Henkler .

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.bhg.com/decorating/makeovers/furniture-makeovers/painting-wicker/
      2. ↑ https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-paint-wicker-furniture/
      3. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/28/nyregion/home-clinic-working-on-wicker.html
      4. ↑ https://www.wickerwoman.com/articles/painting-wicker
      5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicker

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