Leg-o-Matic Chair Refresh
Have you ever heard of a Leg-o-Matic folding chair? Because I’d never come across one of these amazingly engineered, compact chairs until recently at a church sale, where I was ironically on the hunt for grad party seating! (Read more about church sales in “For the Love and Comfort of Church Sales” and “Church Sales 101”) And join me in my first ever Thrifty Chicks Junkover Party with 6 other talented DIYer friends! The links to their projects are at the end of this post!
When I saw a bunch of chairs en masse, I scooped them up, making sure they had all their parts. Not until I got home did I notice the label on the bottom of their seats:
With a little search, I found out they were made by the Leg-o-matic Company from the 1940’s -1970’s and were heavily used in Airstream Trailers because of their compact size when folded. My version seemed to be made out of maple, and although looked well used, were in fairly good condition.
Although I liked the retro colors of the original vinyl seats, there were paint splatters that could not be remedied, so I decided some new fabric was definitely in order. The wood frames were dinged and dented, and the clear coat finish was chipping off. I decided some light sanding and a fresh coat of poly would bring back the beauty of the pretty wood. I just couldn’t bear to paint these cuties.
As Mr. Fix-it added a few screws to strengthen some spots, he marveled over the well-engineered folding mechanism on these chairs. Despite being a little rusty, the hinges worked well and functioned smoothly.
After a light sanding with 120 grit paper in my palm sander, the character of the wood was beginning to show. The chairs had definitely been touched by plenty of sticky fingers, so a good scrubbing followed.
Whenever I am applying paint or poly to chairs, I always start on the underside (like I showed in “How to Refresh and Enjoy Vintage Metal Lawn Chairs”). If you make any mistakes, you can remedy them when you flip them right side up.
Always begin your paint or poly job on the underside of your chairs.
And in between sprayed coats of poly, applied with a Wagner sprayer, I cover the nozzle with a wet paper towel and a ziplock bag so it won’t dry out while I’m waiting (and usually working on another project). One of my favorite applications for sprayed on poly is on old rusty metal. You can see the big pile of great junk I polyed in my post, “Wagner Sprayer”.
A couple of light coats of poly sprayed on really brought out the beautiful warm tones of the vintage maple. These chairs were happy to be getting a makeover!
As I chose a fun fabric for the chair seat pads, I was mystified by the hand written note on the bottom of the seats…
Who or what was Belle Good, and why would someone write that they stole chairs from them, for all to see? Don’t think I’ll ever know the answer to that mystery, but it makes the vintage chairs all the more interesting, don’t you agree? I decided the vintage Leg-o-matic label with the sharp-dressed lady demonstrating the folding technique, definitely could not be covered up with fabric (like I usually do), and the “Stolen from Belle Good” needed to be seen also, for conversation’s sake;) I decoupaged the label securely on and brushed on a liberal coat of poly to seal it all in.
Then I stapled on some cute new fabric, carefully folding over the edges so everything looked neat from the back. (Because you know they’ll all want to check out the story on the bottom!)
We reunited the newly covered chair seats with their refreshed frames, and voila’…I have 7 more seats for our upcoming grad party! (See the details in my post, “Grad Party Planning Tips, The Decor”)
And I’m joining in with 6 talented and creative ladies every second Wednesday of the month to share our themed projects! This month we’re featuring projects with chairs and I can’t wait for you to see them all!
Click on the the names of their projects to check them all out! Here are their “Before” pics to whet your appetite:
1. Debra at Shoppe No. 5, “What Can You Make With An Old Chair?”
2. Diana at Adirondack Girl at Heart, “How to Turn an Abandoned Chair Seat into a Farmhouse Sign”
3. Kandice at Just the Woods, “Painting Outdoor Adirondack Chairs with Home Right Finish Max Extra”
4. Me;)
5. Marie at The Interior Frugalista, “Playful Scandanavian Half-Painted Chairs”
6. Tania at Little Vintage Cottage, “Repurposed Dining Chair”
7. Tuula at Thrifty Rebel Vintage, “Repurposed Chair Birdfeeder”
And a big shout out to these ladies for including me in the fun! It’s a whole new adventure to be included, and I’ve so appreciated their encouragement!
And don’t forget to…
Linking up with these lovely parties:
Sundays at Home
I was the Plant Manager for Airpot Corp in the 1970’s. The original manufacturing was done in Bridgeport CT, where your antiques were made much earlier judging by the label. I was part of the relocation to an 80,000 sq.ft. refurbished building in Palmer MA that had once been a wire mill.
The Smolian family were the original owners and the Bridgeport location also housed their other manufacturing division known as The Carnival Toy Co. They sold both companies to Presidential Realty located in White Plains NY prior to my hiring as Plant Manager. Presidential Realty purchased the entire abandoned wire mill site in Palmer MA and refurbished the 80,000 sq ft building that was among other buildings on the site. They leased that building to their Leg-O-Matic subsidiary, while modernizing much of the equipment. I recognize both “models” of the chairs in your photos as they were still made in the 1970’s. They sold Leg-O-Matic in 1977.
Thanks for all the great information, Rod! I’m sure the readers will appreciate hearing all this:) Always fun to learn more history.
I once saw a golf range ball that was imprinted with “Stolen From Muni G.C.” on every ball. So, when I saw it hand written on the bottom of your chairs I understood. After it (Chair) got “stolen” …that’s where it came from. I found a “Leg-o-matic” chair 20 years ago that someone discarded, I put it in storage and will now be using it in my RV (space saver). I read that they were popular in Airstream trailers.
Lucky you’ve got one of these awesome chairs! Yes, the “stolen from” thing must have been a trend back in the day:)
Great article! I have a set just like them that I would like to reupholster. I was wondering, how did you remove the seat from the chair to reupholster?
Thanks!
Thanks, Kate. Lucky you that you have a set! It’s been so long since I re-did these, I honestly don’t remember. There must have been some screws from the underside? I actually sold this set, so can’t take a look. Good luck!
I just ran across the Leg-O-Matic chairs. Very cool mechanism, patented in the 1930s by John Kovats. Many people worked at the Lorraine Manufacturing factory for many years, as per obits that I saw from Bridgeport Ct. Some for 30 and 40 yrs!. All gone now, and the building is a Detroit looking ruin. So sad, that all of that is how forgotten history.
Anyway, I bought two blonde color chairs from 1957. I might have over paid, at $146 including shipping, but they are very nice and have perfect labels. I saw a video of one, must be very rare, chair with folding armrests. Bad quality video, but I got the idea of sort of how the armrests worked, so I designed and made armrests for one of my two chairs. They turned out rather good. I may add upholstery to the armrests to raise their height and for comfort. Love these chairs and plan on taking them to some cruise nights with my antique cars, like my 1957 Ford Skyliner. They fold so small (small chairs to begin with), that I think I can fit two in the small luggage “tub” in the truck of my Skyliner even with the top down.
It would be cool to know more about John Kovats, and the Lorraine Co. aka Leg-O-Matic Co., or Lorraine Novelty Co. – several names. Some in Bridgeport Ct, and some on 5th, and 4th Ave in NY, NY. Not sure where the exact factory for the chairs was located. Bill Prince Sept. 25, 2021
Thanks for all the additional information, Bill! They are engineered so well, and they’re perfectly compact. Think they were initially used in vintage campers. After hearing what you got yours for, I should have probably sold mine for quite a bit more!
Hi! I love what you did with your chairs! I just got a set of Leg O Matic chairs and one of the chair’s back legs are a bit wobbly. I’m not sure what to do to fix it or if there’s a way to tighten it somehow and was hoping you might have some insight!
Thank you!
Nancy
Lucky you for finding a set, Nancy! I would say just tighten up all the screws that you can see and that will probably do the trick. Unless the wood legs are cracked or something? I think once you re-do the seats and get everything tightened up, you’ll be able to enjoy them for many years! They don’t make folding chairs like that anymore!
Hi Lora! Thanks for your reply! They sure don’t! I love all your projects! And they sure don’t make these amazing chairs anymore, so I’ll try to figure out what the issue is to salvage these treasures! Thanks again!
Lora, your party sure is going to have the best vintage seating around! These came up adorable and the fabric is just a perfect update, wish I could find a set of these to go with my wood folding card table! Thanks for sharing at #FridaysFurnitureFix!
Thanks, Brenda! And yes, we did have a lot of fun vintage seating at our party!
Great redo! I just bought a set of 4 for $10.00. Lucky me!
Thanks, Linda! Lucky you!
These are fabulous! New-to-me brand, also! I could putter in your garden for hours, Lora! Pinned! Thanks for sharing @Vintage Charm!
Thanks, Cecilia! I am enjoying the gardens quite a bit more now that I don’t have a store;)
I remember from years ago, people would write stollen from ( name) on their OWN items, to identify them. so it’s very likely that Belle wrote that herself. Love these chairs!
Thanks for clearing up that mystery & sharing a little history that I didn’t know about! Now if I ever find anything else that says stolen from, I’ll know!
I have a set of these. I knew we were “junk sisters” for a reason;)!
No way! Did you inherit them or buy them?
Thanks, Tania! I’d never come across them before, so I learned something new!
Those chairs are awesome Lora! Love the fabric you chose. It’s so fun and goes so well with the maple wood. I love the stolen inscription. Gives them an air of history and mystery.
Thanks, Tuula! That’s what I love about vintage…there’s always a story!
I didn’t see that end result coming. I love the way they came out
Oh good,Kandice…I love surprises:)
These chairs are amazing!! New-to-me, too 🙂 Great refresh and how-to tips, Lora, and that fabric! Love it. You’re going to have the world’s best seating at your graduation party–
Thanks, Diana! Thinking may I should pop some price tags on everything;)
You are the Queen of sniffing out amazing vintage chairs. These are awesome and especially that you found so many of them! So glad you kept the original maple and just love the vibrant print on the fabric!
Thanks, Marie! Was actually going to use that fabric for something else, but it looked so great with the maple wood!
I’m glad you didn’t paint them! Sometimes, it is nice to keep things in their original finish. Although I LOVE painting furniture, haha! I bet that “Stolen from Belle Good” was put there so that if anyone took them from Belle Good, everyone would know it was stolen!
Thanks, Cait! Hadn’t thought of that angle on the “stolen” note; could totally be that!
I second what Cait said. My first thought was that Belle Good must’ve been a funny or at least sarcastic lady who didn’t want her chairs to go missing. I bet she never thought pictures of her handwritten claiming would one day be posted where people across the world could see! Too funny!
I love how you ladies have totally filled in the mystery story for me! Kinda like a who-done-it, junker version;)
haha! It reminded me of the chairs we would borrow from churches or schools for events!
Thanks, Debra! I loved how the fabric coordinated with the croquet colors. Could just picture the whole scene for some vintage camping!
The chairs are such a great find. And I like the little bit of history. You did a wonderful update on them. The design of the chairs are classic and the upholstery brings them to today’s look.