A while ago a friend challenged me to come up with an idea for her front porch where Holiday Greetings can be changed out. Well, I am still thinking about that but I have created a smaller version of the same idea. I decided to make a holiday sign from a broken chair.
While looking in my garage for a frame for the project, I saw an old broken chair I picked up a while ago. I instantly knew it would work for my idea. I have to say I had read Larissa of Prodigal Pieces post on how she repurposed a broken chair so I suspect that must have been on my mind and that is how I became inspired.
As you can see from the picture the chair was in rough shape and would never live life as a chair again. The broken rung was glued back and filled in with wood filler and the chair dismantled.
After the back was sawed to the length I decided on I knew it needed a base of some kind. I played around with the other chair pieces and selected the chair seat, actually a piece of the chair.
It was glued to the back and then I drilled a pilot hole and screwed the seat to the back. I also shot a nail in each side. I wanted to make sure the shelf wasn’t going anywhere.
The back of the shelf was uneven at the so I took the jig saw and evened it up. It was important to make sure it would lay flat on the wall.
I mixed up the favorite go to DIY Chalk Paint recipe, using a dark gray. The color is a nice transition color from the black to the white I was planning on. And it was. The white is also a DIY chalk paint. Before I painted on the white paint I used a little Vaseline here and there so when I distressed it the gray and black would really show up.
Now I needed to come up with a plan so the wood plaques could be hung. I decided to use a shaker peg and drilled a hole towards the top of the chair back and used wood glue. But I ended up drilling a small hole all the way through and putting a nail in it so the peg could hold the weight of the sign. If I ever make another one I will use a knob or buy the pegs with the built in screw instead. That is my recommendation to you if you decide to try this.
The chair was transformed into a Holiday Sign hanger. It got a coat of clear and then dark wax. Then I drilled a small pilot hole in the back to install eye hooks and picture wire so it can be hung on the wall.
But you are probably thinking where’s the sign. This is the fun part and I am only going to show you the Harvest sign for Fall into Thanksgiving.
Three pieces of pallet wood were cut to size and glued together so they hang vertical. When I was checking on it and one of the boards came off. But I decided I liked the 2 boards better. When the glue dried boards were sanded smooth. I used a fall harvest stencil and kept it simple. I blended the colors for depth. Once I pulled the stencil up I took a fine paintbrush and went over a few spots.
The sign also got a clear coat of wax and dark. Then I drilled pilot holes on either side of the top and dabbed a little bit of glue in the holes. Then screwed in eye hooks. I find it helps to use the awl and twist the screw eye until it is tight.
My rope was a little too thick so I unraveled some strands from it. The rope was threaded through the hooks and tied. I also used glue on the knot to make sure it would be secure.
That is how I make a holiday sign from a broken chair. I will be back with the Christmas plaque very soon, but first let’s enjoy our Thanksgiving sign for a little bit. And if you don’t have a chair that’s OK because you can still make the wood plaque and hang it up. By the way, if you like the Rustic Pumpkins you can get the instructions here.Make A Holiday Sign From A Broken Chair
Broken Chair Pallet Board
Jig Saw (similar) Compressor with nail gun
Miter Saw Drill with bits and screw driver
Mouse and sandpaper (similar) Nails (optional suggestion)
Wood screws (suggested) Vaseline
Wood Glue Plaster of Paris
Clear Wax Dark Wax
Fall Harvest Stencil (suggested) Craft Paint (suggestion)
Assorted Paint Brushes Shaker Peg or Knob (suggestion)
Rope Awl
Wood Filler Clamp (similar)
Picture Wire and Eye Screws (suggestion)
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