Is your garage full of old chairs? Upcycle them into something striking

We all have old chairs sitting around in our basement or garages, but besides selling them in a yard sale or tossing them in the trash, giving them a new life can be a bit of a struggle. Instead of doing away with them, we turned to Steven Sabados for some upscale inspo. Always up for a challenge, Steven pulled together three ways to repurpose various types of chairs into unique statement seating.

Skateboard chair

This chair is the perfect addition to a kid's room. A DIY like this works best with a chair that has a curved back and a metal frame. Steven thought it would be really cool to use something long and durable such a skateboard to make up the seating component.

Here's what you'll need:

• About six old skateboards (more or less depending on the size of your starting chair)
• White paint
• Paint brushes
• Spray paint and/or paint
• Coloured paint and stickers
• Gloss or semi-gloss sealant or lacquer
• An old chair with a metal frame
• Plumbing strap or conduit strap
• Screws and screwdriver

Here's how to do it:

1. Remove any fabric or padding from your chair.

2. Remove all wheels and other hardware from the skateboards until you're just left with the deck.

3. Paint the skateboards white, letting them dry between layers as needed.

4. Now decorate to your heart's desire with paint and stickers. Let dry.

5. Using a plumbing strap or conduit strap, attach the boards one at a time to the chair frame, and adjust as needed until you're left with this really cool and comfy skateboard chair!

Eclectic bench

Steven made this bench from three damaged dining chairs, upcycling it into something beautiful. It's an elegant addition to any entryway.

Here's what you'll need:

• 3 old chairs all of the same height, and seating height
• Pieces of 1x3" wood for the brace
• A large piece of top board
• Saw
• Hammer and nails
• Screwdriver and screws
• Measuring tape
• Paint
• Strong glue

Here's how to do it:

1. Remove the front legs and seat from the middle chair with the saw, leaving the back rest and back two legs.

2. Attach the 3 chairs together with a brace. Cut your 1x3"s to fit the width of the back, centre and front of the chair. Attach these 1x3"s to the insides of the two structural chairs.

3. Attach the brace to the rest of the structure with screws.

4. Remove the chair cushions and their old upholstery and set aside.

5. Measure out a piece of top board to fit the seating area of the three chairs, and cut.

6. Attach the wood with screws to the chairs to create the bench seat.

7. Now you can paint the frame! You will want to do several coats to achieve the best finish on your bench.

8. For the middle chair, cut a piece of wood to match the size of the chair pads on either of the outside chairs. These three chair pads should all fit together nicely on the bench.

9. Add padding to your new seats. You can replace the old cushions with new padding if necessary. Reupholster the cushions with a new fabric, using a staple gun on the bottom of the chair pad to affix the fabric.

10. Attach padded seating to the chair using a strong glue such as epoxy, or wood glue.  

Stuffed animal chair

Steven had some fun with this old rattan chair that seemed unsalvageable. Instead of reupholstering a new cushion for it, he rounded up a bunch of old stuffed animals and made this really fun and comfy spot to chill that's perfect for any kid's room.

Here's what you'll need:

• Lots and lots of old stuffed animals — the more the merrier, but you'll need at least enough to cover the surface of your chair
• An old rattan chair
• Zip ties

Here's how to do it:

1. Remove any cushions or padding from the chair.

2. Starting in the middle, attach the stuffed animals with zip ties and work outwards until the chair is full.

3. Cut off any loose zip tie ends and relax!