“Wouldn’t it be great to restore these vintage 1930s Adirondack chairs?” she said. “It should only take a weekend,” she said. “Oh honey, they will be done soon,” she said. Three years later, it’s finally time to share the big reveal. This Adirondack chair pair was from the 1930s were headed to the landfill. Now they are a conversation piece and a proud addition to our front yard. The restoration is a must-see!
The Back Story
We thought some real wood Adirondack chairs would be a great addition to our yard. Rather than spending money on real wood chairs or buying those cheap and flimsy plastic chairs, we saw an ad in our local community email blast. One hundred dollars later, we were the proud owners of 4 broken down chairs and 2 tables. The woman was around my parents’ age, and she told us that she remembered sitting in them in her grandparent’s yard, and the chairs being passed down through the family. Her estimate was they were from the 1930s.
We certainly weren’t going to pass up such a cool piece of history. I promised my dear husband that I would restore them and it should only take a weekend or two. I mean… how hard could it possibly be?
Adirondack Chair History
The Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee while vacationing in the Adirondack Mountains in 1903. Traditional chairs are made with 11 flat boards. Since then, they have been the quintessential lake chair, resort chair, and official chair of the front yard everywhere.
The Before
Here are a few pictures of the before. They were in pretty rough shape.
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The During
I honestly and sincerely didn’t think it would take that long to restore the chairs. I had no clue what I was getting myself into. No clue. Between life, health issues, and chronic fatigue, everything else became a priority. And the chairs became an eyesore. Three years later, I made a commitment to finally finish the chairs. And Daddy Bob came to my rescue. Cuz that’s what Dad’s do. I took care of the stripping (snicker snicker) and painting, and Dad did all of the sanding and rebuilding. The most fun part of the restoration was getting out the leaf blower to get rid of all of the crud before painting.
Note #1: Yes, I assumed the paint was not safe and took as many precautions as I could.
Note #2: This project took so long, I went through 3 different hairstyles.
The Celebration
Once we finished, Daddy Bob and I sat down for a celebratory drink – his favorite wine and mine is sparkling water.
We still clinked.
Don’t you just love his t-shirt? #lifeisgood
The Adirondack Chair Restoration
Here is the long-awaited ta-da. We added some cute pillows and voila! We placed two of the chairs in the front yard in this conversation space that we carved out, and two on our back deck.
Are you Inspired?
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Love, hugs, and sitting pretty.
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