Paul Mccobb Captains Chair  

Your second photo suggests...
Your second photo suggests that the chairs were black when the label was attached, which means they were made like this in the factory or someone took the time to carefully remove, paint the chair and the reattach the label.

you're right
I was just surprised because I haven't been able to find any that came in black online. My question is if anyone knows the best way to do this than? should I use a black paint or stain? If I stain it should I strip it than restain? Just not sure what to do as I'm new to refinishing furniture and haven't had to deal with this yet.

That definitely does not...
That definitely does not look like stain.
They look like they were simply painted with a spray gun.
No need to completely strip the old black paint.
Simply prep the surface for painting by cleaning, filling in any repairs and then sand and smooth the surface for painting.
You wont need a primer as most modern spray paints do not require one, especially if youre painting black over black.

any..
any high grade paint suggestions? I don't want to use just spray paint.

well...
...there's spray paint and then there's spray paint. Some is cheap junk that is probably meant for graffiti "artists" and weekend DYIers trying to save a buck. Other spray paint yields great results. You just have to apply it with a very careful, practiced hand to avoid drips and sags. That will be hard with so many spokes and joints.
As foxxxxxy pointed out, it was sprayed to begin with.

thanks Spanky
Thanks Spanky. I'll probably go ahead and do the prep work myself but hire someone to spray them or see if I know anyone that can. I'd rather pay someone to do it if possible as I know I won't be able to do it, don't have a steady enough hand

Funny....
Funny that you speak of paint made for graffiti artists as cheap. Fact is professional muralists like myself and graffiti artists use the most expensive spray paint made. It lasts longer than any cheap Krylon or Rustoleum you'll pick up at the local hardware store has better coverage more spray control options as well as a huge color palette to choose from. If you want professional spray paint without actually buying a gun and a compressor check out http://www.mtncolors.com/ I've used it in my DIY projects as well as in my work http://www.higherlevelart.com The cans are under lower pressure to give you more control and less drips, they offer a variety of tips and honestly anyone can use this stuff. Practice on a cheap plastic chair for a few minutes then after you're confident enough to DIY just do it and save yourself a few hundred dollars.
http://www.mtncolors.com/

I meant common taggers.
Hope that clears it up.

Chris
What line of spray paint on that site would you recommend? looks like the Nitro 2G has the fastest dry times..

I find the Nitro 2G to be...
I find the Nitro 2G to be the best. I would reccomend getting each cap x5 because they do clog. Also, the universal cap will work well for most areas. make sure to spray a light dusting keeping the can about 8" to 10" away from the surface. Do this several times making sure not to stay in one area too long. Use sweeping motions. Give the chairs about 5 min. between coats. Use your micro dot caps for the detailed areas. I would highly reccomend finding a cheap chair to practice on. You should only need about 1 and 1/2 cans for each chair, maybe less. Hope this helps.

spanky Sorry I get a bit...
spanky Sorry I get a bit defensive when it comes to the term "graffiti" which holds a different definition to me than most.

Hi there photocody - I know this is a long shot but I'm looking to buy two of the Captain's style to finish a set my grandmother gave me. Happy to have them refinished, was wondering if you'd ever be interested in selling them? Thank you!