Hey Everyone!

For awhile now I've been in love with the Eames lounger. I think they are pretty neat and every batchelor pad should have one. However, they are pretty expensive and somewhat hard to find.

I found this Eames replica last month - it was very badly beaten up, and I snagged it right away for 80 bucks.

as you can see the vinyl is torn and the wood is beaten up pretty badly.

So, Lets start with the restoration!

Step 1: Deconstruction

Take all these little buttons out, try to do it gently without further damaging the wood. Some of these were glued in pretty tightly and were really tough to pop out. We ended up using a chisel for some.

Once you've taken them out, unscrew everything, and make sure you keep all the parts for reassembly.

Step 2: Remove Cushions

Up next we have to pop off the cushions, which were held in by the screws. This was really easy, just wedge in a screwdriver and pop!

Continue unscrewing everything and removing the cushions. Then take off the arm rests. These were a bit tricky but just make sure you unscrew the grey screws first, then take off the black ones - should go fine!

Step 3: Remove piping

Gently remove the piping from the edge of the wood. If its in good shape, and matches the color youre going to restore your chair to- then you can re-use it for the rebuild. It will save you a lot of trouble later!

Step 4: Sanding!

Now its time to sand! We abandoned  sanding by hand quickly after I dug up my Dads old Mouse sander. Its a pretty lightweight hand sander but it will save you a heap of time.

Here lies the sanded peices of the chair. It looks uneven because I had just wiped it down with a damp cloth to get rid of the dust - an important step before the staining.

Meanwhile My mom and my girlfriend went vinyl shopping and picked up some nice materials for the reupholstering! Thanks guys!

Step 5: Staining

I went down to the local hardware store and picked up some sample stains. They were 75 cents each and its a good idea to test the stain on the wood before you choose which color you'd like to go with. Just make sure you test it on the inside of the panel

Oh and ignore my allergy medicine, me and cats don't get along.

Step 6: Annoy your loved ones

Its really important to annoy those that are closest to you. It allows them to appreciate silence.

Step 7: Oh yeah I forgot to show you the Staining

Sorry everyone, I forgot to show you how I stained this beast. Its pretty easy, just dip a paintbrush into the stain and apply liberally. Start from the top and work your way down.

I didn't get any photos of the actual staining process, but here's an after shot.

Step 8: Varnish

Apply varnish, work from top to bottom. Make sure you use those foam brushes and not a hair brush, otherwise you will get streaks. (Thanks for the tip Matt!) This stuff settles pretty fast, so you have to work quickly.

I applied 3 coats.

And here are the rest of the pieces, all varnished up!

That's about as far as I am right now. Stay tuned for re-upholstery and re-construction!

Email me or leave comments if you'd like me to expand on anything.