DIY Whimsical Painted Teacher’s Chair

This DIY Whimsical Painted Teacher’s Chair is a fun and easy upcycle project that’s perfect for a back-to-school or teacher appreciation gift.

I am partnering with Dixie Belle Paint Company for this post. Paint and supplies were generously provided by Dixie Belle, but all ideas and creations are my own. This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

I still had a couple of these old oak dining chairs from my circa 1990s kitchen table. They were solid and sturdy, so I’d been holding onto them for a few years waiting for creativity to strike.

With back-to-school time approaching, I decided that a pretty chair decorated for the classroom would be the perfect use for one of them.

Sturdy, solid, and colorful is the perfect combination for any teacher’s classroom.

How to Make a DIY Whimsical Painted Teacher’s Chair

If you don’t have any old chairs hanging around your house, check out your local thrift stores. Chairs like this can almost always be found for just a few bucks.

Prep

I started by giving the chair a good clean with White Lightning Cleaner, and then a nice, even coat of Dixie Belle’s clear BOSS to block any bleed-through.

Paint

Next, I gave the entire chair two coats of Dixie Belle’s Chalk Mineral Paint in the color Caviar.

It’s a gorgeous rich shade of black, which served as the perfect backdrop for the primary crayon colors.

Crayon Primary Colors

It was fun to dig into my Dixie Belle stash to select some pretty and bright primary colors for the “crayons”.

I love collecting colors so that I have paint at the ready for projects like this. Dixie Belle’s 4-ounce size jars are perfect for projects like this!

I used Honky Tonk Red, Florida Orange, Colonel Mustard, Evergreen, and Cobalt Blue. I blended my own colors together to get the shade of purple I wanted.

With the paint blending and Dixie Belle’s Artist’s brushes, I felt like a professional artist!

I used blue painter’s tape across the bottom of the chair rungs to create an even line for the bottom of the “crayons”, and then just hand-painted the pointed top of the crayons in the narrowing part of the rung.

The crayon shape was already built-in to the shape of these rungs, so this was super simple to do!

It doesn’t have to be perfect! You’re going for a whimsical, hand-painted look.

After 2 coats were dry on each “crayon”, I went back with a narrow artist brush and painted in the whimsical crayon details on the back of the chair.

Protect

Since this is meant for a classroom where it will get wear and tear from lots of kiddos, I applied two coats of Dixie Belle’s strongest clear coat– Gator Hide.

Optional Personalization

If you’re creating this for yourself, or gifting it to your favorite teacher, the black seat is the perfect place to personalize with a teacher’s name. You could hand paint it, or you could create a stencil using a Cricut.

Personalizing truly makes this a one-of-a-kind piece.

Since I won’t be going back to the classroom this fall, this particular chair is for sale. If you’re local and interested, send me a message to inquire. I’d be happy to add personalization!

Wouldn’t this make an adorable addition to any classroom? If you have a teacher in your life, this would make such a memorable back-to-school gift!

Or, gift it to your own child’s new teacher this year. Classroom budgets are tight and teachers always spend way too much of their own money outfitting their classrooms. What a great way to make a meaningful contribution to your child’s room.

Happy Back-to-School time,

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This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

• White Lightning Cleaner
• BOSS in clear
• Artist’s Brushes
• Mini Brush
• Chalk Mineral Paint:
  • Caviar
  • Honky Tonk Red
  • Florida Orange
  • Colonel Mustard
  • Evergreen
  • Cobalt Blue
  • Aubergine
  • Peony
• Gator Hide

More Dixie Belle Paint Projects:

• Vintage Butterfly Decoupage Art
• DIY Thrift Store Home Decor Makeovers

• DIY Decoupage Art for Beginners
• Odds & Ends with Dixie Belle Paint