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How to Make Personalized Map Chairs

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These gorgeous map chairs are really easy to make for very little cost. They are also extra special, as I made them with maps that have great sentimental meaning.
 
My husband’s family is from Norway and my kids love the country so I made one map chair with a Norwegian roadmap.
 
Hong Kong is a special place full of magical memories for me, as I was born and brought up there. Therefore I used a Hong Kong street map for another chair.

Finally, for the third chair, I used a London tube map, as I love London having lived, studied and worked in the city.

wooden chair before

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How to Make Personalized Map chairs

I’m fortunate in that I have a junk shop at the bottom of my road. Plus I live around the corner from an auction house. It’s easy for me to find old chairs.

The chairs I used here actually came from my local scout hut, where I’m a Beaver leader.

As the chairs are going to be covered in maps, they don’t need to be in the best of condition. That means hopefully you should be able to pick some up very cheaply from your local second-hand store.

Any map can be used to cover decoupage the chairs. However, you might want to personalize your chairs by using a map local to you, or a map of a favorite holiday destination.
 
The London underground chair was made using 2 sheets of Cavallini tube map wrapping paper. There is a very vintage London tube map you can download for free here.

What you need to make the map chairs

How to make map chairs

1.. Firstly, dismantle the wooden chairs, as much as you can. If possible remove the seat and back.

Don’t worry if your chair won’t dismantle. It will still be possible to decoupage it, but it may be a little more tricky.

dismantle chair
removed seats

2. Next, sand the wood to be decoupaged, to provide a key and smooth it. An electric sander will speed up this process.

Once they have been sanded wipe down the chairs to clean and remove any dust or dirt.

Buff the other wooden parts of the chair with a 50/50 mixture of olive oil and vinegar. This will give them a good clean and shine.

sanding the seat

2. Cut the maps to size for both the chair back and seat. Allow for a small overlap.

Cutting maps to size

3. Next, cover the surfaces of the chair to be decoupaged evenly with decoupage glue. Use a wide brush for this.

Carefully place the map on top of the glue. Squeeze out bubbles with a small wallpaper roller or by gently running an edge of a credit card over the surface. I covered the screw holes with the map.

decoupaging seat
seat back cover

4. When wrapping the map around the edge of the chair you will find it easier if you cut small slits into the maps, especially around curved edges.

An excess map can be trimmed with wallpaper scissors as you go along. As the underside of the chair was not going to be visible, I did not have to be too neat with the map trimming.

However, it was different with the map on the seatback. I had to make sure it neatly fitted to the edges. I didn’t want any of the map to be visible from the back.

Map chairs pillarboxblue

5. Next, when the decoupaged maps have dried, cover them with another layer of PVA glue. Don’t be alarmed by the fact that this will make the maps look milky. When the glue dries it will be come clear.

This coat of glue is to act as a protective varnish on the chairs. I repeated this process to give my chairs two coats of PVA varnish.

The chairs have now been in my dining room for five years and are used every day. They still look really good. The PVA varnish coats have done their job of protecting them.

6. Finally, when all dry, locate original screw holes now covered with paper. Pierce through the maps and screw chairs back together.

Hong kong map chair
Decoupaged map chairs

I love these chairs and may make some more for my dining room. The Hong Kong map chair has the most sentimental value for me. But aesthetically, I think the London Underground Map chair is my favorite.

London tube map chair
decoupage map chairs


 
I have uploaded some free printable vintage maps that you can also download and use to upcycle your own chairs or any other map craft you may want to try.
 
You might want to check out some of my other Map upcycles:
Brilliant Vintage Map suitcase
Upcycled Map Magnetic Board
IKEA Hack – Map Table
Easy Map Table Mats
 
 

How to upcycle some old wooden chairs with maps to make them into personalized map chairs
Yield: A decoupaged wooden chair with maps

How To Make A Map Chair

Decoupaged map chairs

Old school wooden chairs can be turned into cool and unique furniture by decoupaging them with maps. Make the upcycled furniture all that more special by using maps of your favorite places.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Active Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $5

Materials

  • Old wooden chairs- these old school chairs are very common so you should be able to find one in your local junk shop or on eBay
  • Old maps, use road maps, map gift wrap or even download them for free from the site.
  • PVA glue or Mod Podge glue basically a good white glue suitable for decoupage

Tools

  • Sander
  • Screwdriver
  • Brush
  • Scissors

Instructions

  1. First, dismantle the wooden chair as much as you can this will make it easier to decoupage.
  2. Sand the bits of the chair that are to be decoupaged to smooth them and to provide a key for the glue.
  3. Clean the rest of the chair with a 50/50 mixture of olive oil and vinegar.
  4. Cut the maps to size, allow for a small overlap.
  5. Brush the seat and back with glue. Then place the maps onto the glue.
  6. Push the maps down and push any air bubbles to the edge. Use a roller or a credit card for this.
  7. Fold the map around the edges. Make small nips on the map as you fold. Cut any excess map away. How to make map chairs part2 pillarboxblue.com
  8. Cover the decoupaged map with another layer of 2 layers of glue. Let the first layer dry before adding a second.
  9. Finally, screw the chair back together again.
© Pillarboxblue
Project Type: Upcycle / Category: DIY Upcycling

This chair upcycle featured under C in the A to Z of clever upcycling ideas.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tina Batori

    What about the backs of the chairs? Did you leave those plain with the just little bits coming over from the front? I’m thinking I may also put a map on the back.

    Reply

  2. Arlene Cole

    Thank you for another wonderful idea. I have an old wooden chair I’ve been saving for a project, and a box of old maps I’ve been saving for decoupage projects I’ve never gotten around to. Now I have a goal. I will definitely submit photos after my project is done, which won’t be until after the Christmas holidays. I’m very excited now. Many thanks again!

    Reply

  3. Meg

    Do you think this would work on plastic chair?. I have at least a hundred maps and can not part with them. I would love to use this idea on a plastic chair I use in my tutoring business.
    Thanks for any input.

    Reply

  4. Clare

    I’ve just discovered your blog today Claire. All I can say is WOW! I adore maps, have done since I was a young child and the attraction has never left me. I’m always trying to think of ways to use maps in my home decorating but fail miserably. These chairs will be perfect. I grew up in Pembrokeshire, so the coastline there will have to be included. Just been looking through the instructions. Do you decoupage onto the reverse of the chair back also? My chairs will be in the kitchen so the back of the chairs would be visible. Would welcome your thoughts. Thanks again for the wonderful idea. ?

    Reply

    • Claire Armstrong

      Thank you! And thanks for visiting. It depends on what the back of your chairs are like, the back of my chairs were nice wood so I left them. Just do which way you think will look best. You can always leave the backs and see how it looks, and then decoupage them later if you are not happy with them.

      Reply

  5. Kathleen

    Looking for a US map featuring the iconic Route 66…retro from the 1960’s. Found a sweet old shcool chair with metal legs and wood seat for $2.50 at the local thrift shop. This is going to be a fun project!

    Reply

  8. Janice

    What a great inspiration for my computer room. I will definitely use an old nautical map of my hometown, Biscayne Bay, east coast of So. Florida to Key West.
    Your chairs are a piece of art.

    Reply

  13. Susan

    I am so in love with your map chairs, Claire. We’re a military family and these would be a fun way to remember the many places that we’ve lived. I could also make ones for my kids from maps of each of the places they were born. Pinning now. Thanks for sharing at the #ThisIsHowWeRoll Link Party on Organized 31.

    Reply

  14. Linn

    I almost fell off my chair looking at these chairs, because not only do I <3 upcycling, but I live in Norway, and London is my favourite destination to travel, and I almost know the tube map by heart, so these two chairs are herby my all time favourites!!!!!!! Love the upcycling you do, I'm definately going to "steal" some of the ideas!!

    Reply

    • Claire Armstrong

      Thank you ! It’s really nice to hear when I have inspired someone. Lucky you living in Norway the most beautiful country I have ever visited.

      Reply

    • Claire Armstrong

      Thank you ! Modge podge would work as well, PVA glueis just white glue that dries clear. I find it’s cheaper than Modge podge and I can buy it in big 5litre tubs from the DIY store.

      Reply

  16. Terry

    These are so neat! So fun and what a great tutorial too! Thank you for sharing at my Making Broken Beautiful Party. Hope you join in again this week!
    Smiles!
    Terry

    Reply

  22. Lorraine

    These are so great and I left this same question on Hometalk. I’m wondering how well they wear. Are these seats people will use frequently or just once in a while?

    Reply

    • Claire Armstrong

      Thank you. They are pretty robust I have them in my dining room and they are used daily. if you give them a good couple of varnish top coats they should last for years.

      Reply

      • Lorraine

        Thanks so much for getting back to me Claire! So glad to hear they will take some rear end traffic.
        While I think your map idea is awesome, I’ll probably have to go with a theme more art oriented as I’m
        doing an abstract on the table top. Should be interesting.
        Again, I appreciate being able to follow your genius idea with my own little twist!
        Thanks so much,
        Lorraine

        Reply

  26. patti@pandora'sbox

    I did this a year ago and stubbled with getting out all the wrinkles – I used mod podge and never gave thought to using a PVA glue (that prevents paper from wringing, right?) I will have to remember this!! Love how each of your chairs has a story to it!!

    Reply

  29. Karren Haller ♥ Oh My Heartsie Girl

    Hi Claire, what an amazing project, and using maps from the local would be good, I know that the chamber of commerce offers animated maps of areas that would be really colorful, say for a kids room, table-chairs.

    Thank you for stopping by to share on Friday Features and for the link back!! 🙂
    I also have a Wordless Wednesday each week as well.
    Hope you have a great weekend!!
    Karren xx

    Reply

  30. Funky Junk Interiors

    Oh my goodness… what a gorgeous project! And that they have meaning to you, even more so. Such a neat idea… may have to do a map with our summer vacation location this year! LOVE this, and featuring it in this weekend’s Party Junk! Thanks for linking up!

    Reply

  33. Claire Armstrong

    Thanks. Never been to Argentina but I bet you could get some great looking maps of the place. Cavillini do a lovely vintage Great Britain map wrapping paper you could probably pick up on ebay or Amazon.

    Reply

  34. Brittany

    Fabulous idea & I love how they turned out! I’d love to make chairs with maps of England and Argentina, as those are two special places in my heart (I studied abroad twice). Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty 🙂

    Reply

  35. Dimsumhoney

    They are great I really love them, I am loving the London Underground one particularly. I might have to do a series of underground/Metro themed ones, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Budapest…

    Reply

    • Claire Armstrong

      Thank you. I hope you manage to do one. They make me smile as they are a constant reminder of my favourite places.

      Reply

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