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How to Make Personalised Map Chairs

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How to Make Personalised Map chairs

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.

 
Create some unique and personalised furniture by upcycling chairs with maps of your favourite places. Full step by step tutorial.
 
3 map chairs garden gl3
 
 
This post contains amazon affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to see my disclosure policy.
 
 

What you need to make the map chairs

 
I’m fortunate in that I have a junk shop at the bottom of my road and live around the corner from an auction house, so 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 you are covering the chairs in maps they don’t need to be in the best of condition so you should be able to pick them up very cheaply from your local second-hand store.
 
You can use any maps to cover your chairs. However, you might want to personalize your chairs by using a map local to you, or a map of a favourite holiday destination.
 
The London underground chair was made using 2 sheets of Cavallini tube map wrapping paper.
 
 

How to make map chairs

  1. Dismantle you chairs if possible, remove the seat and back. Don’t worry if your chair won’t dismantle, you can still decoupage it but it maybe a little more tricky.

    2.  

  2. Sand the wood lightly all over to provide a key.

    3.  

  3. Then carefully wipe clean to remove dust, dirt etc.
     
    How to make a map chair part1 pillarboxblue.com
     

    4.  

  4.  

  5. Cover the surfaces to be decoupaged evenly with PVA glue using a brush.

    6.  

  6. Carefully place the map on top of the PVA 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.

    7.  

  7. When wrapping the map round the edge of the chair you will find it easier if you cut small slits into the maps especially round curved edges.
     
    How to make map chairs part2 pillarboxblue.com
     
    Map chairs pillarboxblue
     
  8. When the stuck down map has dried, paint a layer of PVA glue over the top. Don’t worry that it looks milky, this will dry clear.

    9.  

  9. After the PVA glue has dried (preferably overnight), cover the chairs with a protective varnish. I use an acrylic varnish spray for this.

    10.  

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

 
 
Map Chairs Pillarboxblue.com
 
London tube Map Chair Pillarboxblue.com
 
How to upcycle some old wooden chairs with maps to make them into personalized 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 I think aesthetically the London Underground Map chair is my favourite.
 
I have uploaded some free printable vintage maps that you can also download and use for 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
 
 

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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