Today’s post brings me great pleasure to share!  It’s a secret project I’ve been working on since I was 7 weeks pregnant. It is my first DIY project for baby Crowder.  (First person to come up with a solid nickname for the IBK Fetus gets a prize!)  I’ve always been in love with wingback rockers.  You might as well trade your first born child for one, and then, what’s the point?!  The rocker on the left came from Nurseryworks, and the rocker on the right is from Pottery Barn Kids. And then, it hit me hard like my pregnant emotions during country music.  I could EASILY make my own wingback rocker.  All I would need to do is find a wingback chair, and some rocking chair runners.  It was so simple.  I thought “surely, this has been done a million times.”  But I googled it hard, and didn’t find anything on the matter.  (But in the Internet’s defense, my googling skillz are weak like a teenage girl at a One Direction concert.) We picked up the Strandmon Wingback chair from IKEA, for $279.

I looked online and found a place that sells unfinished wood rocking chair runners.  I order a pair of adult large in maple.wheelchair for sale in canada We measured where we would need to drill holes for the legs to attach to the runners.metal cafe chair amazon The holes need to be 1&1/8″ in diameter.  used cafe tables and chairs for sale craigslistThe center of that hole needs to be 7 1/2″ in from each end.  porch rocking chairs brownThe hole needs to be 3/4″ deep.buy swivel recliner chair uk

**DISCLAIMER** Double check those measurements by holding up your runners to the legs of the chair to make sure it ‘dry fits.’  bean bag chair canadaIt has been brought to my attention that there is variation in the legs of the Strandmon, and my measurements might not be a perfect fit for your chair.cheap tub chairs cape town We used the drill press at my parents’ house.  grey rocking chair ukBut if you have a cordless drill, you can use a forstner bit to drill the same kind of hole.office chairs sale adelaide My two favorite men!  I spent countless hours in this shop, learning the ways of woodworking and DIY from a great teacher. We brought the runners home and fitted them to the chair.  

Fit like a glove. Now we had to match the runners to the legs of the chair.  Instead of painting the runners, I thought it would look better if we stained them black. I will admit, I did help with staining.  BUT I was very careful to not get it on me (and when I did, I scrubbed it right off), and we had all the windows open, with a fan going.  Aaron did most of the staining. The wood was so blond, it took several coats.  This is how thin it still looked after the first coat. Several coats later, it was looking like a dead match to the legs of the Strandmon.  We used a matte poly finish.  I love this poly.  And it has a soft touch.  I don’t know how to explain it, but it is magical.  Buy it and try it. After they were dry, it was just a matter of attaching the runners to the chair. We put the runners in place, and drilled a skinny little pilot hole to make sure the wood didn’t crack when we put the screws in. Let’s take a minute to talk about how much Buster loves the chair being upside down.  

Here’s a montage of Buster in his fort, on several different days.   Now that your heart is sufficiently melted, we can get back to the real work. Then we switched out for a bigger drill bit to make a hole (not all the way down! Just slightly below the surface) the same size of the screw head to counter sink the screw. Then we sanded the bottoms of the feet, and coated the holes in the runners with wood glue. After we put the runners in place, with the wood glue, we use spax screws and secured the runners. We filled the holes with black wood putty. And now, it’s ready to rock.  And let me tell you, it rocks like you wouldn’t believe.  It’s probably as good as Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon.  Or when Adele came out of the womb singing her feelings.  You sit in this chair, and you just have a good feeling about life. There is no real “skill level” required for this project.  It’s just about taking the time to measure.  No major tools are required.  

The simplicity of this project blows me away.  This is a DIY project the average person can easily take on.  The result is incredible and classy. And for a little designing on a dime and high/low comparing: And if you really love this project, please think about pinning it.   For your pinning sake, here are a few more images to choose from 🙂 You have no items in your shopping cart. Do you have a promotional code? Bikes & Ride Ons Make finding a gift easy, try our Stuck looking for the go wrong with Mocka'sAll Living Room Furniture Living Room Collections (99) Sofas & Loveseats (464) Chairs & Recliners (1257) Ottomans & Benches (674) Accent & End Tables (1356) TV Stands & Entertainment Centers (364) Fireplaces & Accessories (123) Futons & Sleeper Sofas (49) Bean Bag Chairs & Lounge Seating (109) Accent Table Collections (265) Bars & Bar Carts (90) Wine Racks & Cabinets (150) As Seen on TV