$1 Chair Makeover: How To Spray Paint A Cane Chair WITHOUT Painting the Cane

Check this incredibly easy way for how to spray paint a cane chair, without painting the cane! It took me minutes to prep and the results are beautiful!

I love a quick update, what about you? Last week I was dropping off some things at the Salvation Army and I saw this pretty ratty looking chair, but it was a great size and had a cane back.

Growing up my Memaw always had caned chairs, so they bring back a lot of memories. I couldn’t get the chair out of my mind, so I went back a few days to check if it was still there (thinking there’s no way it’s still there)… AND it was!

This cutie came home with me for a whopping $1.  She was the perfect size for my office and I’ve been on the hunt for a chair for this space.

I wanted to paint it black but keep the cane the original color, so I pulled out my trusty Frog Tape.  If you don’t already use this tape, you need to start.  It’s honestly the BEST for painting and getting crisp lines.  You can see some of my project that I use it for, HERE.

How To Spray Paint A Cane Chair WITHOUT Painting the Cane

Here’s how you can paint the chair without getting any paint on the caning…

1. Start by removing the seat, if it’s not caned, and give the frame a light sanding.  (The seat should come off with a few screws.)

2. Clean the entire chair well with soap and water.

3.  Cover the entire area of cane with Frog Tape…front and back.  It should overlap onto the frame, like the below picture.

4. Use your nail to press the tape in around the edge of the cane spine. (The spine is the reed that holds the cane in place.)

5.  Next, use a sharp craft knife to carefully cut the tape from the outside of the spine.  (I like this Fiskars craft knife.) You don’t want to apply too much pressure, just enough to cut through the tape.

It should like this ↓

6. Run your nail around the edge again to make sure the tape is pressed down around the entire spine.

7.  Spray paint the frame your desired color and let completely dry.  (This might take a couple of coats, so just leave the tape on until you’re finished.)

8. Once the paint is dry, carefully remove the tape.

Tips:  There should be little to no bleeding, but if there is, just use your nail to scrape off the paint immediately.  It will come off easily before the paint completely cures.

9.  If you removed the seat, you can either reupholster or just add it back to the frame.   (HERE are 9 different ways to Reupholster a seat.)

This entire project cost around $10 and took around an hour total to complete.  I had the paint and supplies but I bought the chair and new fabric.