How To Spray Paint Bamboo Barstools And Recover The Seats

Spray paint bamboo bar stools using Rustoleum Spray Paint and then recover the padded fabric seats.

Today is Furniture Fixer Upper Day, and the bamboo bar stools I painted are bold and beautiful. They are staying at the Owen house too.

I purchased the bar stools at an online auction for $70. I thought the price was high, but after searching for bamboo bar stools online, I found the prices ranged from $285 to over $400 for one bar stool. I guess I got a deal. 

I was planning to use the bar stools at our counter in the kitchen, but the stools with the thick padded seats are just a bit too tall. So I decided to paint them and sell them in my booth. Then the plan changed again.

We have a tall bar-like table on our deck and no stools for the table. We were cooking out a couple of weeks ago, and I brought the chairs up from the workshop so we could sit at the table. Then I had the ah-ha moment. The new plan was to paint and use the bar stools on the deck. I went to Walmart and selected a brightly colored indoor/outdoor fabric with a cool design. 

Then I headed to the paint department and selected this beautiful magenta color spray paint. I did not want to brush-paint the bar stools. I really dislike painting chairs.

The bar stools were in great shape; all I had to do was clean them up before painting them. 

I turned the bar stool upside down, getting ready to remove the padded seat. Then I saw all the screws. I was worried that I had to remove them all, and then I would have to remove the rotating piece too. Well, luckily, I didn’t have to do that. After studying the chair for a while, I removed four screws, which did the trick. 

The seat came off easily, and the photo above shows what the bottom of the padded seat looked like.

Next, it was time to paint the stool. The JTS (aka hubby, aka Junktion Technical Specialist) built a handy dandy stand that I can use when working on my projects. I can lay a board across the stand when working on smaller projects or use it as I did in the photo above and sit chairs and other furniture pieces on it to paint.

When painting chairs and stools, I always turn them upside down to paint the bottom first. That way, I don’t miss any of the surface areas…usually. I have to turn the chairs every which way to be sure I cover everything. 

I like to use the handy dandy spray handle from Rustoleum. It is much easier than pushing the small nozzle and maybe getting paint on my hands.

While the spray paint was drying, I recovered the chair seats. I have a full tutorial with a video on covering chair seats here…How To Paint Cane Back Chairs And Cover Seats With Drop Cloths

The spray paint is indoor/outdoor, but I wanted to ensure the chairs would last for a long time in the weather. I brushed three coats of Behr Premium Water-Based SPAR Urethane on the chairs.

And even though the fabric was indoor/outdoor, I ordered this fabric protectant from Amazon and sprayed the fabric three times. 

I bought one can of spray paint to start with, and I should have known better. Each chair took almost one full can of spray paint. The spray paint covered really well; that wasn’t the problem. Looking at the chairs, you can see there was a lot of area to cover. 

The colors in the fabric and the magenta spray paint color work well together. I could have used blue or yellow, but as you can see, the table is blue, and it would be hard to match the color. Yellow would have been a little much.

Our granddaughter Sofi spends a lot of time with us in the Summer when she is out of school. Well, she wanted in on the photo shoot. 

I moved the bar stools inside to take a few photos at the counter/bar. As you can see, there is not a lot of lap or leg room between the seats and the counter.

I really like the fabric, and I hope it holds up outdoors. I think the chairs will be okay with all the extra fabric protector and the extra sealer for the paint. I did forget to mention that the instructions on the Spar Urethane can say it is not suited for painted surfaces. But you guys know I don’t pay any attention to that stuff.

Another photo of Sofi. She is my sweetheart. Now it’s time to see what the other Furniture Fixer Upper girls have for us today. Just click the text links below the “before” makeovers photo collage….

Furniture Fixer Upper Tour
Vintage Sewing Notions Table Makeover – Confessions of a Serial DIY’er
Faux Stone Table Top – Salvaged Inspirations
Small Drop Leaf Table Makeover – My Repurposed Life
How To Paint Bamboo Bar Stools – Petticoat Junktion (you are here)

Leave a comment if you have time, and as always, thanks for being here, Kathy

Kathy Owen

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Author: Kathy Owen
Kathy Owen is the founder of the home decor blog Petticoat Junktion where she shares tutorials on painting furniture and upcycling thrifty finds into unique home décor. Her DIY projects have been featured on the Home Depot Blog, Plaid Crafts, Behr Designer Series, and in numerous magazines. Kathy’s newest website is HappyHomeDIY.com