The Stunning 70s WoodUbend Bar Stool Upcycle Using Only 5 Items

This dazzling, beginner friendly WoodUbend bar stool is one of a kind. Its 70’s vibe and vivid colours demand attention. This WoodUbend project used only 5 items, making it a quick and easy upcycle for everyone!

A drab and boring bar stool arrived in our studio on a rainy day. Talk about pathetic fallacy! The WoodUbend team stood around it, listening to the rain drops outside. The dust covered seats, scratched surfaces, and dark stain looked dreary and tired.

Solly Jo uttered the famous words “this needs some colour!”.

Browsing the towering selection of WoodUbend and Posh Chalk products, Solly selected the brightest and most lustrous items that we offer. 

Products used:

Posh Chalk Intersecting Circles Decoupage

The NEWLY RELEASED WoodUbend Trim TR717

Posh Chalk Metallic Paste Red Medium Cadmium

Posh Chalk Lemon Gold Pigment

Posh Chalk Pigment Infusor (to apply the decoupage and metallic pigments).

Applying the Posh Chalk Intersecting Circles Decoupage

This A1 decoupage is a stunning addition to any project. It has geometric shapes paired with contrasting colours in reds, blues, and greens. Black lines slash across the design, giving the piece its final touch.

The nature of this pattern means that it makes a fantastic standalone piece without needing to be blended with paint. This is a great choice for beginners who are new to using decoupage. You can browse our range of limited-edition Posh Chalk decoupage here.

When applying Posh Chalk decoupage, you need to paint the desired surface white. This is to keep the brilliance of the colours after application.

After cleaning the bar stool of surface dirt and sanding smooth any scratches, we paint the seat, as well as the back rest, in white.

We measure up the decoupage on the chair. We want to apply it to the seat and back rest of the chair. This means we need to cut the decoupage to fit both places

To cut it, we brush a line of water onto the Posh Chalk decoupage. While the Posh Chalk decoupage appears thin and flimsy, it is made from rice paper. This means it is incredibly strong and durable. Adding water softens the paper, allowing you to easily tear it along a desired line.

We apply our Posh Chalk decoupage using the Posh Chalk Pigment Infusor. We applied a layer onto the surface using the Posh Chalk Smooth and Blend Brush. You can use any brush for this step; however, the Smooth and Blend brush is a wide, flat brush allowing for a more even coverage.

We place it into the centre of the seat, and slowly smooth it into place, still using the Posh Chalk Smooth and Blend Brush. We repeat this to the chair’s back rest as well.

To remove the excess, you can cut your decoupage using a craft knife, or you can use sandpaper to gently tear it away. Because we are applying the Posh Chalk decoupage to a straight edged surface, we sanded it using sandpaper. This allows the decoupage to tear following the contours of the edge, thus creating a more seamless finish. While the cut would be cleaner if we had used a craft knife, it would not appear as neat against the surface’s edge.

To finish applying the Posh Chalk decoupage, we apply another layer of Posh Chalk Pigment Infusor over the top. The Posh Chalk Pigment Infusor is self-sealing. This means that it acts as a protective topcoat. Decoupage that is applied using this product becomes more resistant to wear and tear and can even be placed outdoors!

Applying the WoodUbend Trim

The TR717 is part of our NEW Summer 2022 Releases.

This is a wide trim featuring a raised interlocking chain effect. The chunky chain design makes it a perfect choice for this 70’s themed project.

This trim is part of the WoodUbend 3^rd Generation. The 3^rd Generation WoodUbend is our strongest and most flexible generation yet. The revolutionary designs are crisper and more detailed, and the footprint of the mouldings has been designed for better adhesion to surfaces with less glue expulsion in hard-to-reach areas. Also, due to its competitive density, it holds its heat for longer. This gives the user more opportunity to position it before it cools.

The WoodUbend Trim TR717 is a pack of two. Taking one from the protective packaging, we begin the 5 steps of application.

First, we heat the WoodUbend on its packaging board using a heat gun. You can use a hair dryer or a griddle if you don’t have this tool! Once heated, it becomes bendy and can be unravelled from its coil.

Serendipitously the back rest of the chair where we wish to apply the WoodUbend is the perfect width for two trims without adjustments, and the length perfectly allows us to use just one trim when cut in half.

Solly Jo’s Tip: If you have any trim leftover during your projects, you can reheat it and roll it back into a coil. This means it can be reused in future projects and it is easy to store!

To apply the WoodUbend, we take a good quality wood glue and apply it the footprint of the moulding. Taking a paintbrush- or you can use your finger- we spread the glue evenly across the surface. For the best adhesion, you must cover every part of the surface in glue.

Then, we press the moulding onto the desired surface.

We heat the moulding once more. This allows us to make any final changes to the placement. Finally, we press firmly again. You want to see glue being expelled from under the WoodUbend as this means you have true adhesion. We wipe away any excess glue using water. You can also use a baby wipe, or soaked Q Tip.

Applying the Posh Chalk Metallic Paste

Red Medium Cadmium is our brightest Posh Chalk Smooth Metallic Pigment Paste. The reddish dark pink colour matched the Intersecting Circles decoupage perfectly.

We use our Posh Chalk Stencil Brush to stipple the paste onto the surface. This is a rounded brush. Stippling is the technique in which you bounce your brush onto the surface. We cover the remaining sad, black bar stool in the beautifully pigmented paste. For trickier areas, we take the Posh Chalk Mouldings Brush. This brush is specifically designed for painting WoodUbend, as it can reach into all the intricate nooks and crannies.

This stunning colour was achieved using only two coats. When you remember that the surface was black, it really emphasises the pigmented power of the Posh Chalk Metallic Pastes! You can browse other colours available in the Posh Chalk Metallic Pastes range here.

 Applying the Posh Chalk Metallic Pigment

As a continuation of the Intersecting Circles decoupage, we want to extend the geometric patterns down the chair legs. We take some masking tape and map out some lines and shapes.

We take the Posh Chalk Metallic Pigment in Lemon Gold- our brightest gold pigment! – and mix it with the Posh Chalk Pigment Infusor.

The powdered pigment is what sets this fantastic product apart from other, premixed ones on the market. Mixing it with the Posh Chalk Pigment Infusor allows the user complete control over the consistency of the product in its liquid state. For example, you can create a highly pigmented paste for full coverage applications, or you can create a pigmented liquid wash to add gentle sparkle to any surface. Again, the Posh Chalk Pigment Infusor seals the pigment and protects it from damage and dullness.

We create a thick paste using the pigment so that it applies with full coverage. This only needed one coat! We remove the tape to reveal crisp lines of gold. The contrast between the gold and the red is radiant.

For the finishing touches, we gently dry brush the WoodUbend trim with the Metallic Pigment. This technique allows the pigment to catch the raised details of the WoodUbend.

The End Result

The finished result is simply beautiful. Crisp, clean, bright, and funky. This whole project was recorded in a 40-minute Facebook live on our WoodUbend Facebook page. It was so quick and easy to create!

Buy the Intersecting Circle Bar Stool here

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