How to Paint Upholstery – Antique Chair Makeover
Hey there!
We have lots to catch up on! After my last newsletter the blog needed to undergo some maintenance and it took a bit longer than expected. But I’m excited to share what I’ve been up to! For starters have your ever wondered how to paint upholstery? If you’re like me you might have come across some cool old furniture that’s fabric has seen better days. Reupholstery isn’t always in the cards but I may have found an easy solution! In this article I’ll share How to Paint Upholstery – Antique Chair Makeover!
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Antique Chair Makeover
I found 2 of these chairs on the Facebook Marketplace awhile back. The fabric on them had seen better days but otherwise they were in good shape and the perfect size I had in mind for our bedroom. The upholstery had lot of pulls and stains. It also had pink and purple flowers that were’t my favorite. I knew I wanted to change it and decided to start with paint because how handy would it be to find a paint solution that worked on fabric?
Check one antique chair I reupholstered myself HERE!
And click here for a different one I did!
Painting Upholstery
I found FabriCoat paint on Amazon and ordered it in the color Champagne. This paint is thin and it took 1 1/2 bottles to give the chair 2 coats. Once the second coat was dry it was clear that it had a much more yellow tone than I was hoping for. It was also quite crunchy. I didn’t try sanding it which may have helped. But because I didn’t like the color I decided to throw together my own paint recipe instead.
DIY Upholstery Paint
To make the upholstery paint I ended up mixing 2 parts of the Gain Fabric Softener to 1 part Behr latex paint in the color Vintage Pewter. I had the paint sample pot on hand because its the color I ended up painting our living room. For the fabric softener I chose one that was white instead of blue. I used a small mason jar and used the lines on it to measure. It took 3 of the mason jar mixtures to cover the chair and cushion.
The fabric softener and paint will separate so you’ll have to mix them. I just used a butter knife. When you do it will look weird at first but keep mixing. It will eventually start to smooth out and thicken.
Check out Vintage Pewter Paint in our Living Room HERE!
How to Paint Upholstery
I used a paint brush. This allowed me to spread the paint out while also stippling or pressing it into areas where it needed it to make sure everything was completely covered. I didn’t want it to be thick but instead an even light layer. It took about an hour and a half to paint the entire thing. Just like with the previous paint I let it dry overnight.
I also didn’t tape off the wood on the chais but instead removed any that had gotten on it easily with a warm damp washcloth afterwards.
Before
After
Sanding the Upholstery Painted Antique Chairs
The next day the chair was crunchy but smelled fantastic lol! I used 120 grit sandpaper and lightly sanded it. This completely brought back the original softness of the fabric! Cue the happy dance! After I knew I’d found a recipe and process that worked I painted the second chair and you can see how they turned out below!
How to Paint Upholstery – Antique Chair Makeover
The chairs have been given a new life! They’re so fresh and clean compared to before. I love the color and that the floral pattern is still visible but muted. Finding an upholstery paint recipe and method that works is a DIY game changer and I can’t wait to use it again soon! Let me know if you try it!
Sending love your way!
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