Trash to Treasure: Little Girl’s Rocking Chair

Please note that this post contains affiliate links. Click here to learn more.

While I’m hesitant to call it trash, this rocking chair I bought off Facebook Marketplace was in really rough shape. It was dirty, the wood was rough, the paint chipping, and nail heads were popping out in some places. But like any good project piece, it had one important thing: potential.

This was actually my first Marketplace purchase ever! I am sure I overpaid and drove entirely too far in rush hour traffic to get it, but it was a learning experience and of course I got this great little chair out of the deal.

Tip: Keep small bills around so that you have exact change for marketplace transactions. I had absolutely no change in the house, nor the time to get change, and ended up giving the seller $5 over her asking price. Ugh, thrifter fail.

And then it sat in our garage for a few months because, you know, life happened.

Then the other day during nap time, I ventured out into the sticky sauna we call August in the Midwest and decided to clean this baby up. First I gave the whole thing a good wipe down, then went at it with some course sandpaper to smooth out all the rough wood and get off any chipping paint. I followed that up with a fine grit sandpaper and lastly tapped in any nail heads that were sticking out. Don’t want any little fingers or legs catching on those! By now it was feeling nice and smooth.

I purchased this little chair to go in my daughter’s nursery, so I thought blush pink would be the perfect color to paint it! I had really considered trying out Fusion Mineral Paint’s “English Rose,” because it looks absolutely gorgeous, but cringed at the thought of the expense for such a small project, especially when I probably wouldn’t end up using the extra paint for anything. I decided to give Rustoleum’s “Chalked” series a try. I purchased a can of “Chalked” in Blush Pink. It was less than $8 and was eligible for Amazon Prime. Sweet deal!

It took the entire can (two coats) to complete this little chair, but it covered very well. There are no hints of that vibrant red popping through, in spite of not priming, and I love how it turned out!

It really is such a lovely color. Very feminine and vintage, which is totally what I was going for.

I stumbled upon this little pillow on clearance at Joann Fabric a few weeks before redoing this chair. Perfect fit and oh so sweet! (Rug is from Pier1, in case you were wondering.)

So if you’re looking for an inexpensive chalk paint, I’d recommend giving the Rustoleum “Chalked” series a try. I’ve only used the spray version, but I’m pleased with it, and it was certainly budget-friendly. Plus, being able to spray the chair instead of brush was a major time saver! Whew!

(Want to know a fun fact? That giant rabbit right there was mine – I got her for my first Easter. She’s been well loved over the years!)

The little rocking chair looks so sweet in the corner of the nursery, but you know who is getting the most enjoyment out of it? My little boy. 🙂 He has a rocking chair of his own in his room – just his size – but why not use sister’s chair, too? So the sibling sharing fun begins. Haha.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links. Click here to learn more.