Painting fabric on a chair is easier than you think! So many times, I have passed up a great buy or even a freebie because I didn’t want to tackle the upholstery. Let’s face it, it’s a lot of work and can be rather pricey. Then, after all the work and money you put into the chair, it’s hard to sell it and make a profit. TESTIFY!
So, I thought I would show you a more cost-effective way to repurpose those regal beauties that everyone passes up. Let’s get started!
This post contains a few affiliate links to help you find the products I use. You are not charged extra to use any links, but any income will be used for more fun projects! To see my full disclaimer, click here.
Check out a LIVE VIDEO Tutorial below for all the deets!
Painting Fabric On a Chair 101
This chair was a perfect subject for painting. It was clean and still in excellent shape for its age: no structural damage and visible stains on the fabric.
Choosing the Right Color for Painting Fabric
The colors that I chose for my chair were on the darker side. Because the fabric was a light peachy color, I chose to go darker than the fabric. My past experiences with painting fabric are always better to go darker to prevent bleed-through of colors. Example: I would never use white paint over a darker-colored fabric. Trying to paint white over this could result in some of the colors bleeding through.
Dixie Belle Paint is highly pigmented, so it’s perfect for fabric. It’s almost like a dye. This mineral-based paint covers like a dream. Below are the products that I used for this project.
Preparing the Fabric for Paint
I started my project by misting the fabric with water. This is an important step that you don’t want to miss. This allows the fibers of the fabric to open and accept the paint. This step is essential. Painting the fabric dry will result in using more paint and cause the fabric to be stiff. Less is more.
Dixie Belle chalk mineral paint is highly pigmented and even when used with water it resembles fabric dye.
*Darker chalk mineral paint colors have more pigment and cover well over lighter fabrics.
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Applying Chalk Mineral Paint to Fabric
After painting the fabric and drying overnight, I used a sanding sponge the next day to soft up the fabric. The feel of the fabric after being painted should feel more like suede or soft leather.
Adding Gilding Wax
Gilding Wax was applied to the highlighted areas with my fingertips and I used Easy Peasy Spray Wax to seal the painted fabric as well as the wood. Buff with a soft cotton cloth after applying the spray-on wax.
Baby’s Got Her Bluejeans on!
This was a fun project, and what could be better than a comfy jean chair. Maybe a SOFA!
CLICK HERE to see how I painted it!
So, what do you think? Would you try painting the fabric on your chair or sofa? I would love to hear what you think about this fun DIY project. Let’s chat about it in the comment section below. Or say hi so I know you were here.
Until the next project… xo Do
