DecoArt Upcycled Neon Pop Bar Chair

Today I've got a fun project that pairs DecoArt Americana Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic paints, with a stenciled die-cut made with my Cricut Explore.  I found this vintage, Comfort Line bar stool chair in a thrift shop, and thought it would be a perfect test subject. 

I really wanted to try out the Decoart Neon colors from the multi-surface collection.  They're such fun colors and I couldn't choose just one, so I chose to use all of them - pink, green, orange, blue, and yellow!  Plus, they're great for indoor and outdoor use.  I'm going with a fun, summery Bubble Pop design.  Let's get started.....

First, we need to create the stencil.

I've designed this file in the Cricut Design Space and, if you're a user, you are welcome to use my free file.  It fits on a 12"x12" mat.  Simply copy and paste the link below, into your address bar, once you're logged into Design Space.   The photo to the left shows where I weeded the circles out of the stencil.  I'm using clear contact paper, for my stencil, that you can purchase at the Dollar Tree.

https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/27431137


Now, let's prep the chair.  Because the chair has a shine, I've lightly sanded it, front and back, so the paint will better adhere.  Be careful not to sand too hard, or you'll have sharp, pointy edges.

Next, I'm doing a test coat so I can gauge how much paint I might need.  I'm going with the DecoArt Multi-surface Cotton Ball for my base coat.  

I used 2 full coats of the Cotton Ball paint, now it's on to the stenciling.  The stickiness of the contact paper?  Not so great.... live and learn, right?  So I used some washi tape to hold it in place.  I tried paint brushes and foam brushes, to see which worked best on my chair's surface and the foam brushes seemed to work best, to avoid streaks on this surface.   I ended up applying 3 coats of the neon paint for full coverage.

Check it out!  Aren't the colors just brilliant?  There is no photo editing here, people.  This is the color my camera took, no tweaking required.  Due to the contact paper not sticking as well as I'd like, I had some leaked edges on my circles which required some touching up with the Cotton Ball paint.

You may want to use a sealer after you've let this cure for a bit.  The American Spray Sealer is perfect to finish this off and better preserve all your hard work.  It gives your finished project a nice gloss as well.

Here's the Before and After.

 I've had some friends take a peek and they thought this would look so good in a girls bedroom.  My initial thought was to use it outdoors as a fun summer chair at a backyard BBQ.  How about having one of these as a birthday chair for a daycare or classroom?

I also think the stencil would be great for using as a focal point to paint these neon colors in bubble shapes in a child's bedroom on a wall, say, near a bedroom lamp?  A great little pop of color.

I hope you enjoyed my little project.  Please share your thoughts and other ideas in the comment section.  I appreciate it!

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#decoart #americana #satin #acrylic #multisurface #neon #upcycle #recycle #diy #cricut #cricutexplore #cricuteverywhere #comfortline #bar

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