Underground Journal

How to Create an Eclectic Barrel Chair

Looking for some chair ideas and don’t have two thousand dollars to blow on a nice antique chair? Consider making your own chair. Here’s an idea on making your own barrel chair for the cost of a can of paint, clear-coat protection and cheap cushions. Now this idea is geared more towards a single guy with a funky bachelor pad, it wouldn’t fit in all that well in a classic family setting.

Here’s the thinking on this eclectic, one of a kind chair. Find a good source for used steel barrels, you know, oil drums. They are easier to find than you would think, just look through your yellow pages or take a stroll near a few garages or restaurants. Most small business owners will be happy to let you take them away as they are a pain to dispose of. I mention finding a good source because if you like doing this you may be able to make a bunch and sell them in a used bookstore or a flea market.

OK you have your barrel, you’ll need to have it sliced straight across about a foot and a half from the bottom then diagonally down from the top to about two inches from the bottom.  Just search Google images for some cutting ideas. You simply make the cut and sand down the edge a bit. Clean up the barrel or give it a new paint job if it is too far gone. Apply multi-coats of a nice clear-coat finish. You want that think plasticky look of an old bar top. By some cheap metal legs and apply. Glue on your rubber borders to cover the edges and add a cheap cushion. There you go. An investment of $15.00 or so on some rubber and paint, plus another $15.00 for cushion and legs and you have yourself a cool chair that can easily sell for a couple hundred. Don’t skimp on the price that you’re asking for. Some ideas on where it might sell: used bookstores that carry oddball objects, an antique store or any small local business that might be persuaded to show off your handy-work (offer 20% on the sale, you’ll still be far ahead. If somebody decides he likes it, he’s not likely to ever see another one like it. Good Luck.

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