Rainbow Adirondack Ski Chair

Adirondack chairs made from skis are a fun and functional project, particularly for outdoor and winter enthusiasts. I've make several of them, but decided to do a painted, rainbow version for the first time this year, in celebration of Pride Month.

Painting the alpine skis adds a signifiant amount of time to the project, but the results are pretty spectacular. I used pressure treated lumber for the base and high-quality exterior paint on the skis to ensure the chair can stay solid and looking great for many seasons.

Materials:

• 4 pairs of old alpine skis
• exterior decking screws, 1 5/8"; 2"; 2 1/2" (and accompanying screwdriver or screw bits for your drill)
• high-quality primer paint
• high-quality exterior paint or deck paint. I used Behr Ultra Exterior Semi-Gloss Enamel in the following colors from Home Depot:
• Red: Flirt Alert
• Orange: Joyful Orange
• Yellow: UnMellow Yellow
• Green: Hills of Ireland
• Purple: Beacon Blue
• Blue: King's Court
• Three 8' 1"x 6" (5 1/2") decking boards (I used pressure-treated although you can use other wood, particularly if you are willing to stain/seal the wood to weather-proof it)

Tools:

• tape measure
• carbide drill bits (for drilling through metal & wood)
• counter sink drill bit (capable of drilling through metal)
• power drill
• metal-cutting blade & reciprocating saw (or another method of cutting through metal)
• #3 Philips head bit or screwdriver (for removing bindings from old skis)
• paint brushes & cleaning supplies
• orbital sander (or do it the old fashioned way) & sanding disks, ideally 150 grit
• bar clamps or c-clamps (you can never have enough of these when fastening wood together)
• jigsaw or bandsaw for curves and angled cuts on the decking
• Table saw, chop saw, or circular saw for cutting & ripping decking
• level
• safety glasses
• respirator/dust mask for sanding
• hand rasp (for cleaning up sharp edges on skis)

The most challenging part of the project may be getting skis for cheap. I'm lucky, as we live in a town with a lot of skiers and old skis get left at the 'swap shop' of our local waste transfer facility. I grab some anytime I am there and have gathered quite a collection. I've also gotten free and cheap skis on Craigslist, and I assume Facebook Marketplace could also be a good source.

Remove the bindings from the skis, which can also be a challenge, since there are many varied binding designs and ways that they are attached. Trial, error, and patience are your friends. However, a #3 Phillips head screw bit is essential, as almost all bindings are secured with #3 screws. If you use a traditional (#2 or #1) Phillips head screwdriver, you'll strip the screws and have a real challenge ahead of you.

Three sets of skis are used for the back slats and seat slats. 1 set is used for the arms.

I used a metal-cutting blade on my reciprocating saw. I firmly clamped each ski to my work surface and took my time cutting through each ski. I generally go through 2 blades when cutting all of the skis for one chair.

The back slats, using the front section of each ski, can be cut to length according to your preference. I like an arched back, so the lengths I used, measured from the front of the ski, are:

• 2 @ 32"
• 2 @ 35"
• 2 @ 38"

The remaining 'tail' pieces of the skis can then be cut for the seat:

• 5 @ 22"

Note, that you will only need 5 seat slats, so the remaining piece can be used for the cup holder base, if you choose to add that.

The other pair of skis is cut for the armrests

• 2 @ 30"

Note: since Adirondack chairs should have wide arms, I recommend using your widest pair of skis for the armrests. You also have the design decision of whether to use the back of the skis (as I did in the project) or the front of the skis for the armrests. I love using the front of the skis since the flared up tips at the end of the armrests gives a distinctive look. However, for this chair, the back of the skis provided a more traditional, flat armrest look.

Use a hand rasp to remove any sharp metal points or burs on the cut ends of the skis.

Cut out the following base pieces. The attached Template 1 is one way to cut the base pieces if you are using three 8' lengths of 1"x6" decking. (Note, I am assuming decking board that is actually 1" thick by 5 1/2" wide.)

• Front Legs - 2 @ 24"x 5 1/2"
• Front Plate - 1 @ 22" x 5 1/2"
• Top Back Brace: 1 @ 25 1/2" x 4 (to be trimmed with a curve - see Template 2)
• Lower Back Brace: 1 @ 22" x 4" (to be trimmed with a curve - see Template 2)
• Base Legs: 2 @ 33" x 5 1/2" (to be trimmed for seat - see Template 2)
• Side Braces: 2 @ 20 1/2 x 2 5/8" (you can cut one 20 1/2" section from the decking and then rip it down the middle to make the 2 braces. Then trim off one end of each at 23° (see Template 1)

Reference Template 2 for suggested dimensions of the Top and Lower Back Braces and the Base Legs.

Don't get too caught up on the curves of the back braces and the base legs. These are somewhat your preference and however you cut them will be fine.

The only technical challenge is cutting the beveled curve of the top back brace. Since the top brace sits level, but the ski back slats come up at about a 23° angle, the curve of the back brace needs to be cut at a 23° bevel. (Or close to that.)

I propose a general light sanding of all the base pieces brfore assembly. You don't really come in contact with the wood once the chair is assembled, but it improves the appearance and eliminates the chance for splinters to give everything a quick once-over sanding.

Assembly of the base is best done on a level surface so you can ensure the chair sits squarely and to make sure you position the arms to be parallel to the ground, as all Adirondack chair arms should be.

First attach the front plate to the front legs, with the top edge 15 1/2" from the ground. Use 2 1/2" screws (at least) on each side. I pre-drill and countersink the screw heads so they sit flush to the surface of the boards.

Then attach the base legs to the front legs, flush up to the front plate, with the top edge of the base leg also at 15 1/2" from the ground. Attached the base legs with 4 screws (1 5/8" or 2") each from the inside, so the screw heads won't be visible once the seat is attached.

Attach the lower back brace to the base legs, just behind where the cut-out for the seat begins. Use two 2 1/2" on each side for stability. Again, I pre-drill and countersink.

Clamp both side braces temporarily onto the base legs and lay the upper back brace across them. Move and adjust the side braces until the upper back brace sits level and the top of the back brace is level with the top of front legs (see photo). If you have a long level, you can place it from the front legs to the back brace or place a scrap board across the gap (where the arm of the chair will eventually rest) and put your level on top of it. Once both side braces are in position, screw them in from the inside of the base legs so the screws won't show once the seat is in place.

Screw the top back brace into the top of the side braces.

Since. I'm using pressure-treated wood, I do not put a seal coat or finish stain on the base. However, if you are not using treated wood or just want a more polished look, you should seal, stain, or paint the base at this stage, before attaching the skis.

Clamp the back skis in place at the bottom to get the spacing correct, and then mark where you will pre-drill one hole at the base of each ski and one in the middle, to attach the skis to the two back braces. I put a small strip of painters tape on the sole of each of the back slats and labeled them so I could easily know where each ski would be re-attached after painting.

Lay the arm skis and mark where holes will be drilled to attach the arms to the front legs and to the upper back brace.

Lay the seat skis across the seat and mark one hole on each end to attach the seat slats to the base legs.

Pre-drill holes into all of the skis where the screws will go, also drilling countersink holes so the screw heads will sit flush with the surface of the skis.

Skis are great as weather-resistant building materials, but not great as a surface for paint. The more you can remove the glossy finish on the top of the skis, the better paint adhesion you will get. I used 150 grit disks and an orbital sander on these skis.

Also note that I intentionally chose old, flat alpine skis for the project. Many newer skis have irregular surfaces, which makes prepping the skis for painting more challenging.

Prime the top and sides of the skis and allow to dry.

I recommend you careful note which skis are to be each color to avoid mistakes. I put butcher paper down on my painting surfaces and labeled the color each ski was to be painted on the paper in Sharpie marker. (If you look closely in the picture you can see those annotations for the yellow skis.)

I knew I wanted the back skis to be the six colors of the rainbow. I chose to make the arms yellow, since I thought the bright, light arms would look good, and the yellow back slat is in the middle. Since the seat only uses 5 skis, I skipped yellow there. I chose purple for the cup holder (see later step - optional) to balance the purple ski on the far right side.

I applied two coats of each color and allowed the skis to dry for about 48 hours after the final coat.

Clamp the back skis back in place to ensure they are spaced properly. You can have the top of the skis flair out as much as you like, but make sure the edge skis don't lean out so much you can't attach the arms. I set the arms in place (without screwing them in) as I was positioning the back skis to help get the spacing correct.

Screw the back skis into the lower and upper back braces with 1 5/8" deck screws.

Next, position and attach the seat skis with 1 5/8" deck screws.

Last, attach the arms.

I think it's a great touch to add a cup holder made from ski bindings, which you should have a collection of after removing them from the skis. Since bindings attach in many different ways, you'll need to figure out for yourself which set is easiest to attach and how to secure them. I know you are up to the task.

I used scrap decking to build a side bracket and mounted the bindings on a scrap piece of ski left over from the seat sections.

Most of the time when you see Adirondack chairs with binding cup holders, people use two toe bindings, facing each other, as the cup holder. That's functional and easier, but doesn't look right to me, so I also use the heel binding, although it may require a little more creative mounting.

I recommend letting the paint continue to cure for at least a week before putting the chair outside or using it.

If you are able to salvage old skis that are already rainbow colors, you can also do a much faster version of this project without the step of painting, which I also made and you can see here. (Green and orange skis seem particularly challenging to come by).

For this unpainted version of the pride chair, I used tamarack decking for the base that was on sale at my local lumber store. Since it would gray over time, I stained it with some extra deck stain I had on hand, before I attached the skis.

Please let me know what you think. I'd love suggestions for improvements or modifications to the design. And, have fun.