Dining Table and Chairs Refinishing: Before & After

In our Chicago apartment, Eric and I had one tiny little dining table and two chairs (you really can't fit anything larger than that in a 650 sq ft apartment). When we bought our house, my parents were nice enough to gift us their old dining set. The chairs and table are very nice and sturdy, they just weren't my style initially. I decided to paint the chairs black and put new fabric on the seats. To coordinate, I wanted to paint the table legs black while leaving the tabletop with a wood finish. Here's the before shot:

The first step was removing the padding and sanding down the wooden parts so that paint would stick to them.

Next came the spray painting, which was WAY easier than using a paint brush. The trick is to spray in a smooth even motion without getting so thick that you get drips. (Thanks Mom and Dad for helping with the spray painting!!)

We sprayed on 2-3 coats of black followed by a clear sealant layer so that the black paint wouldn't flake off on an occupant. Here's what they looked like after painting:

Then came the hardest part - choosing a fabric for the seat. I either wanted to do something fun and bright or do something neutral and paint the walls in the dining room a bright color. I brought home a couple of samples from Jo-Ann, and totally fell in love with the green one!

Unfortunately, by the time I got back to Jo-Ann, they no longer carried the fabric. Luckily I was able to fine the same stuff for cheaper through fabric.com. It finally came in the mail just this week - oh happy day!!

This part of the project was actually easier than I anticipated. All I needed was a scissors, staple gun with staples (I used 3/8"), and a hammer. I didn't take off the old material since I didn't want to disrupt the cushion. I made sure the fabric was lined up so that the pattern was centered on the front. Then I just pulled the fabric taut and began stapling.

The corners were a bit tricky. I had to maniuplate the fabric around a bit until I got a fairly pucker-free edge.

Voila!

Now I just have 6 more chairs to do...
(You can see the table in the background here with the black legs and wooden tabletop).

And since everyone likes a good before and after comparison:

Before

After

Now the question is what color to paint the walls in the dining room. Any ideas?