Chipping paint on vintage stadium seats

[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by cwazzy

Probably a dumb thought but could you spray it with a low-gloss clear coating to keep the look of the peeling paint without having to worry about it flaking off? Seems like it might be the best of both worlds but might not work.

This occurred to me as well, but I'd think a thicker coat or multiple coats would work better to hold the current finish in place and that brushing on may help achieve that better than spraying, which I think would leave a thinner coat. First, I'd gently peel off the loose flakes because, let's face it, they're going to flake off anyway in time if you actually sit on the seat as you said. With the loose flakes off and the remaining paint protected by the clear coat (polyurethane, I'd think), you just might be able to keep it from flaking even more.

Overall, I'm a fan of leaving such things as is and, if it were mine, I'd probably display it without alteration and not sit in it.