Measuring Tape Chair - part two

Amat still isn't very amused, but we love the end result!

Some time ago when I was at the Ikea buying fabric for some project I don't even remember, I also bought one of their measuring tapes. They were more rubbery than the ones my mum uses, and they got me thinking... They would make a great chair seat!! So, since then we've been on the look out for a chair to try it out. A couple of months ago we found one, and started sanding it down (see the post here).

After the sand down this chair got ages ago (it has been standing in our living room ever since), we painted it thrice (with a small sanding after two coats). The chair itself was looking great, now we had to start cracking on the seat.

We measured and cut the measuring tape and decided for an order to put them in (above). Next I pulled and Tom stapled them to the back of the seat (below).

Once we had done the horizontals (or the verticals) and Tom had nailed them down a little harder. We were on to the verticals (or horizontals). To be honest I was planning for a checker pattern, but because we were not thinking properly when we started stapling everything down we ended up with something else. So, if you want a checker pattern make all the horizontals one color, and all the verticals a different color. Lesson learned for next time.

When you are doing the horizontals make sure that you push them tightly to the next strip. The tighter the stronger your seat will be.

The inch-bottom.

Make sure that when you staple anything down it is (a) in place, (b) tight, (c) really stapled down! In the end trim off the edges and give those sticking out staples another whack with the hammer and you're more or less finished. 

Just to sum it all up, we used:

- 1 chair

- Sanding paper

- White primer (1 coat)

- White paint (2 coats)

- A tiny paint roller

- 8 meters of measuring tape (4 grey, 4 yellow - from Ikea)

- our sturdy little staplegun

- and the best and most enabling boyfriend ever!

Before     &       After

Q: How large is your butt? Measure it with a measuring-chair!