Desk Chair Upgrade – Swapping Legs For An Antique Wood Swivel Caster Base

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Per week or so in the past, my mother and I reupholstered my desk chair in a wonderful darkish purple velvet cloth. The chair began off trying like this after I purchased it and added the casters to show it from a eating chair to a rolling desk chair…

chair makeover - from dining chair to rolling desk chair - 1

After we reupholstered it, it appeared like this. The material was so attractive, however these legs simply weren’t working for me.

After going to all that bother to reupholster the chair, and after ending up with such a wonderful end result, I simply couldn’t stand these legs. I didn’t actually like them within the first place, however they had been tolerable with the black cloth. With the darkish purple velvet, they appeared so misplaced. So I searched on-line for a alternative wooden swivel base for a desk chair.

Nicely, these issues are very exhausting to search out, and the couple of sources I did discover had been EXPENSIVE! One supply offered the elements individually, and if I added every little thing up, it might have come to a number of hundred {dollars}. In fact, you should buy the plastic ones low-cost on Amazon, however I had my coronary heart set on a darkish wooden for my darkish purple velvet chair.

So I began maintaining a tally of Fb Market for a desk chair with a wooden swivel base with casters. After a number of days with no luck, I nearly settled for one which was form of mid-century (straight traces) in type. It wasn’t what I wished, however at the least it was wooden. However then…JACKPOT! A girl in a neighboring city posted a number of desk chairs with wooden bases, and about three of them appeared precisely like what I used to be searching for.

My mother and I had deliberate to go yesterday afternoon to have a look at them, however then Matt ended up having a horrible day, and I couldn’t depart him alone. So my mother requested a buddy to go along with her, and so they headed to that neighboring city to choose up a chair with a swivel base. My mother mentioned it was a really fascinating place. The lady promoting them has principally stuffed her again yard and her three-car storage with stuff. Stuff piled upon stuff, stuffed with extra stuff, and buried beneath much more stuff. On the telephone, the lady described it as “a hoarder’s place” the place she has to dig and climb for stuff. I believed she was most likely exaggerating, however in accordance with my mother, the lady is evidently very self-aware and exact in her description.

It was fairly the journey, however she got here away with this magnificence for $65.

The chair was in nice situation, however lined in just a few layers of mud. The bottom swivels, can modify up and down, and likewise tilts.

The bottom was connected to the chair with simply 4 massive screws.

I discovered this fascinating little steel stamp on the chair displaying that it’s by The Marble & Shattuck Chair Firm in Cleveland.

I googled that out of curiosity, and one thing tells me that I acquired this chair at fairly a steal. I don’t know something about antiques in any respect, however I feel if this chair had been cleaned up and polished, it may truly be offered for a complete lot greater than the $65 that I paid for it.

I received’t be throwing any a part of this chair away. However for now, I solely wanted the bottom. I eliminated these 4 massive screws holding it to the chair seat, after which began cleansing.

The steel on the bottom can also be stamped with the corporate title and placement.

It appeared very nice after I acquired all of it cleaned up! I feel it may use an excellent oiling or waxing. The wooden was attractive when it was damp, however it had a hazy look when it dried. However I didn’t have any good oil or wax available that I may use on it, so I left it like this for now.

I don’t know what any of those markings imply, however I took photos of them in case a few of you antiques consultants could know.

That is what was stamped on the underside of the seat.

Anyway, I wanted to determine learn how to connect this to my chair. As you possibly can see, this base is sort of a bit taller than the unique legs that had been on the chair.

So I wanted this base to be recessed within the body of the chair seat as a lot as attainable. I flipped the chair onto its again in order that the seat body was uncovered, after which I reduce and connected some scrap lumber, reduce to about 1 inch sq. on my desk noticed. I positioned these items as far to the highest of the body as attainable, attaching them with wooden glue and 16-gauge nails.

Right here’s what it appeared like with all 4 of them connected.

Subsequent, I used brown craft paper to make a template that I may use to chop out plywood. I simply folded and taped it with packing tape till it match. My candy Cooper was the proper supervisor.

After which utilizing that template, I traced the sample onto a scrap piece of plywood, reduce it out with my jigsaw, after which nailed it to these items I had beforehand connected to the body.

I needed to enable for these steel items that protrude previous the highest of the bottom…

So after taking a number of measurements and marking the place the bottom would connect, the place the screwholes would go, and the place these two steel items would land, I used a 1 3/8-inch spade bit to drill out holes for these protruding steel items.

Then I drilled 4 pilot holes and connected the bottom with the 4 authentic screws.

After which I turned the chair proper facet up for the second of fact. I used to be so excited to see the way it appeared!!!

It’s every little thing I had hoped for!! Listed below are just a few totally different views with out commentary.

Isn’t that PERFECT?! I simply love the way it turned out! So right here’s another view of the chair earlier than…

And right here it’s now with its new cloth and new base.

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and enhance the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.

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