Chunky Paper Mache Chair

Do you have a junky piece of old furniture which could use a little love? In this guide I'll show you how to up-cycle a chair using paper mache to achieve a "blobby" look.

You will need:

• Chair/Furniture - The object you will be covering in paper mache. I am using a discarded chair I picked up thrift shopping.
• Paper Mache - You can make your own paper mache by ripping up or blending recycled paper, or you can buy fine paper mache. If want to achieve a smooth finish, I recommend purchasing a fine grade paper mache to use as the outer layer.
• Glue - Although you can activate paper mache with just water, to bind the paper mache to the furniture I recommend mixing in a bit of glue. I used Elmer's water-soluble glue.
• Paint - I purchased this half-gallon of yellow acrylic paint, and used about 60% of the bottle.
• UV Resin or Varnish/Sealant Spray Paint (Optional) - To achieve a glossy finish, I recommend sealing your creation by applying a layer of UV sensitive resin or by spraying sealant/varnish. If you use UV Resin, you will also need a UV lamp.
• Felt Furniture Pads (Optional) - Add some furniture pads to protect your floors.

Many designers have experimented with paper mache furniture!

Spend some time browsing their creations for inspiration. Different designers take different approaches: some choose to keep the paper texture while others smooth and paint, some add fun shapes and design elements, and some paint unique designs while others stick to a single color.

What design approach will you take? Try sketching your design on paper, making a small model, or using 3D software to plan our your design.

Inspirational Designers:

• Polina Miliou
• Thomas Barger
• Jonathan Bocca
• Humberto da Mata
• David Cap
• various Folk Artists (example from Museum of International Folk Art)

Begin the process of covering your chair in paper mache or with scraps of paper. I started by using torn up-scraps of recycled paper from discarded books.

Apply the paper to your chair by dipping the paper in a sufficiently sticky mixture of water and glue. Focus on building volume and curves, and allow each layer to completely dry before adding additional paper. This process will take time, so be patient.

It's okay for the base layers to be rough, because they will be covered with a layer of the fine paper mache.

Once you are happy with your base layer of paper, coat your chair with the fine paper mache. This helps to smooth imperfections and achieve an even coating.

You can apply paper mache with your hands directly or with a foam brush.

To achieve a smoother finish, I sanded the chair using an electric sander. To get into the crevices, I hand-sanded using sandpaper.

Sanding will create a lot of paper dust which can be harmful to your lungs, so wear a mask and work in a sanding-safe area (such as outside or in a workshop).

Now comes the fun part: painting!

I recommend liberally applying an acrylic paint to help smooth over any imperfections of the textured surface. I ended up painting quite a few layers to achieve a sufficiently "gloopy" look. If you applied thick paint layers, be sure to give the paint enough time to fully dry before sitting in the chair or sealing it.

You could stop here, but I recommend sealing the chair to add a glossy finish and prevent paint cracking.

I chose to seal the chair using UV sensitive resin. Working in small sections, brush the resin on the chair. Then, shine a UV light on the resin for 3-5 minutes to set the resin (refer to your resin instructions for exact details). In my experience, the resin often needed extra time under the UV light to fully set solid. Continue applying resin in small sections until the chair is covered.

As a last step, place felt pads on the legs of the chair to prevent scratching any floors.

Congratulations on creating a unique piece of furniture!