Restoring Old Deckchairs with a Macramé Seat
Let's give old deckchairs a new life. Mine once belonged to my grandparents and I have also used them for several years. Now they are really old and in bad condition, but I don't think they should be thrown away. They just need a refresh and some creativity.
The chairs have lasted a very long time. I can safely say that they are older than me and yet they have always served me well. Instead of replacing them, I decided to restore the old deckchairs and create new seats using a simple macramé technique.
Watch this creative project in the video
What you’ll need
Deckchairs
Sandpaper / Sanding machine
Transparent wood stain for garden furniture
5 mm thick polyester cord (approximately 200 metres per chair) - I chose polyester cord for its weather resistance. Cotton cord can also be used, but the required length may vary.
Scissors
Instructions
Restoring the wooden frame
My grandfather was a painter. He painted these deckchairs, and he probably had in mind that the chairs should last forever. The colour would probably still hold the chairs together if there was no wood left. :)
It took a whole three days to roughly remove the old paint. After sanding, I coated the chairs with a transparent wood stain for garden furniture. It is very thin and easy to apply. Don't worry, the runny patches won't be visible later.
I left the chairs to dry for 24 hours.
Creating the macramé seat
For the new seats, I used 200 metres of 5 mm thick polyester cord per chair. As I wanted to create a simple pattern, I cut individual cords to 7.10 metres in length. I cut enough cords to cover the entire width.
For the seat, I used a combination of three different knots: the Lark's Head Knot, Horizontal Clove Hitch and Square Knot.The pattern creates a simple net-like structure that is both decorative and strong enough for everyday use.
The video above shows the complete knotting process, including how to create the pattern, finish the edges and secure the final knots.