Silver Chair

These old brown chairs, picked up for a song, have been hanging around in my studio for quite some time now so I thought a sparkly makeover with silver leaf and new fabric was in order.

I started by removing the old seat fabric and used it as a template for the new. With that done I lightly sanded the frame then applied 'Jo Sonja's Tannin Blocking Sealer' a little at a time – it's a good substitute for gold leaf size and easy to find in most good art shops where you can also find gold and silver leaf. The leaf can be tricky to apply but is very forgiving as any chips can be overlaid with more leaf - so long as the size is still tacky.

Varnish the leaf to prevent discolouration, I like Cabots CFP or else Jo Sonja's polyurethane in a satin finish. Once that's dry, new fabric can be stapled on and some braid glued over to hide the staples.