3. Sand the chair lightly with the fine sandpaper; you just want to rough up the paint a little, not take it off completely. Then, wipe all dust off the chair with a clean, damp rag or paper towel (squeeze out any excess water).

4. Paint the chair from the top down with a thin coat of paint. After your first brushstroke down, start the next stroke in an unpainted area and brush up and into the previously painted area. (This painting method will ensure a consistent finish on your chair, with no obvious DIY-newbie brush strokes.) Paint entire chair, then set aside to let dry. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as needed until you’re happy with the finish.

5. If the chair you're refurbishing has a padded seat, strip off the old cloth and padding and throw them out. Cut a piece of the polyester batting (available at any fabric store—looks like a blanket of snow) in the shape of the chair pad, so that it hangs over the sides and wraps around to the back by about 2 inches. Using the staple gun or the upholstery tacks, keep the batting in place with a few tacks. Cut a piece of cloth so that it wraps around the chair pad slightly more than the batting, then staple or tack all round the fabric.

6. When the chair is dry, screw the chair pad back into place, and you’re done!

Savvy Tip: If you choose a darker shade of paint, one coat might be enough to paint the chair. The more coats of paint with sanding in between, the nicer the finish you’ll get. But just remember, sometimes good enough is good enough… the chair WAS free.