Painting Upholstery With Chalk Paint

On a recent project, I discovered how easy it was to paint the fabric on furniture.

I had seen this done before, but I was hesitant to try it...
but it worked!  And it looked amazing!

With such great results, I thought I would share with you this easy method.

Here is the stool before:

It was dingy and a bit discolored.  The fabric itself however, was in good shape.

If you are planning on painting some fabric yourself here is what you will need:

*Spray bottle with water

*Foam brush

*Chalk Paint

Some of the other tutorials on this type of refinish call for fabric medium.  It's supposed to make your fabric softer.  I opted out of that because I didn't have any on hand and would have had to wait for it to come in the mail.  I was too impatient for that...

First start by spraying the fabric down with a spray bottle until the surface is covered nicely.  You do not want your fabric soaking wet, just wet enough to kind of loosen the fibers, and help spread the paint nicely.

Work in small sections.  I was able to do this entire stool at once because it was small.  If you are attempting a large chair, start with one section at a time.

Using your foam brush, paint the fabric just as you would normally paint.  It helps if you spray your foam brush down with water bottle every so often as you go back in for more paint.

I did 2 coats on this stool.  In between coats I used a 220 grit sheet of sandpaper to help make the next layer go smooth, and remove any debris.

The next day, I did my second layer, and it turned out wonderful.

The paint doesn't feel crackly, or crunchy.  It feels like a soft leather.  It does not come off onto your clothes. :) 

 

You truly cannot tell that it was painted this color.  It looks like the original color.

I'm sure that would vary on the type of fabric.

If you haven't tried this, I highly suggest it.  It will change the way you look at furniture.