Meet: Brittany, a fierce accountant by day, zealous DIY’er by night who recently score a thrift store chair for $5. Check out this before and stunning after:

I love her post – a lot of DIY with a little bit of “haha!” Here are some of the close-ups…

And just a pretty shot of Brittany’s decorative accents…love!

How does one gild a chair? With gold leaf!  But before we jump to that step, let’s review the basics of restoring an old chair…

1) remove the seat

2) sand with fine grit sanding paper, she used 400 grit just to get the dirt and grime off the wood

3) wipe away the dust left behind from sanding with a damp cloth or baby wipe

4) reupholster the seat, but first, remove all old staples and tacks, then follow the same steps Brittany shared when she recovered 4 antique dining chairs.

5) cover the chair with tacky spray adhesive

6) apply the gold leaf*

*here’s where it gets tricky, you can choose to follow the directions on the gold leaf package by applying piece by piece – OR – you can follow this tutorial by applying the leaf in what seems like a hap-hazard manner, then buffing it in place with a soft artist brush.  Whatever you decide, Brittany strongly recommend using a SOFT ARTIST BRUSH, and not the cheapo foam brush pictured in the gold leaf instructions.

7) after your first layer of gold leaf, fill in the gaps with more adhesive and excess flakes of gold leaf that fell off from the first layer.  She sprayed some adhesive into the cap, applied it with a small artist brush, and then applied the gold leaf using the same method as step 6

8) next, seal the chair with spray acrylic.  Some people will say to skip this step, but Brittany thinks this step is very important.  It will not dull the shine of the gold leaf, it will protect it from flaking off or getting damaged.  Let the sealant dry overnight.

Lastly, mount your seat, and enjoy!

Do you like the pink-ish red striped pillow? Brittany shares a tutorial on how to make a no-zipper pillow cover.  Check it out!

Gorgeous! I’ve been loving gold lately too and can’t wait to give this a try. How about you?

See more from Brittany at Brittany Makes.