HOW I PAINT UPHOLSTERY (INTERIOR PAINT AND FABRIC MEDIUM)

Hello friends!

Well I have gone flippin’ crazy.  I am sure you are thinking.

The above chair is pretty special to me and holds a pretty chunk of my heart.  This was my great grandmother’s chair when she passed, it was given to my grandfather.  He has passed away now too 🙁 so my mother and her siblings was moving my grandmother into a smaller home no one wanted the chair and they were going to trash it.  I told my grandmother I wanted it so she kept it until I came and got it.  I since had it refurbished.  New upholstery and stained the wood.  At one point my home decor was more of a Tuscany style far from what my style is today.

I am  going to share how I changed the look of my chair without having spend money on having it uphostered.  I can’t uphoster this chair due to the shell effect back.  The next best thing is to PAINT it.  I know WHAT?!!!!  I have to admit I was a little nervous doing this to my chair!  Just between you and me……if it didn’t work out I will go get it upholstered! 🙂

I did some research on painting upholstery, got my supplies and I am ready to go!

Let’s get started!

The supplies I am using:
Interior paint – satin finish
Fabric Medium
Water
Spray bottle
Measuring Cup(s)
stiff bristled brush
mixing container
Sand paper (I used 220 grit)

I took the sand paper and gave the whole fabric a light sanding.

I vacuumed the chair to remove all the loose dust.

Taping off all the wood part of my chair to protect from getting paint on it.

Mixing up the paint.  I used this mixture.

  • 1 part paint
  • 1 part fabric medium
  • 2 parts water.

I kept my area damp by misting it with the spray bottle.

Took my small brush and started at the tight area where the wood and fabric meets.  I try to get as much area as I can painted.

I painted horizontally and then vertically just to make sure I got every fiber.

After each coat of paint I sanded between coats.  My chair took 5 coats of paint.

After the 5th coat dried I sanded the fabric one last time.  Wiped it down and added the wax.  I applied the wax with a clean white cloth.

Removed the plastic on the wood.

Friends!  I want to be honest with you….this was a hard and long process.  Would I do this again?  I really can not say no, but I will tell you not in the near future!  It does look great, although I probably should have given it a couple more coats of paint.  I am happy with how it looks, when up really close you can tell some of the color of the fabric bleeding through, but honestly…I kind of like how it looks all white with a muted color pattern.

Before sanding the fabric it was very stiff and scratchy  to the touch.  After sanding it, it was more like a canvas texture feel.  After I added the wax it softened it up a little more.

I would rate this project – difficult and lengthy.  I am glad it is over and my chair turned out the way it did.  Now onto another project! 🙂

Here is my chair back in it’s place with her new look.

The pillow I purchased at Kirkland’s.  It was a green tag sale.  HERE is the pillow online at Kirkland’s if you are interested.

With the pillow I placed my DIY bulky throw on the arm of the chair.  If you missed that DIY tutorial you can go HERE to see how you can make your own!

One last look!

 

What do you think?  Have you painted fabric before?  If you have what technique did you use?

If you like how my chair turned out please click the LIKE button and SHARE it with your social media friends!  You can pin this to your PINTEREST page to save it to refresh your memory when you would like to use some of my inspiration.  The buttons you need to click are at the bottom of my page.  I would love for you to be part of my family so follow me on all my social media.  Facebook HERE – Instagram HERE and Pinterest HERE.  Come by and say Hey!

Thank you again for coming by and spending some time with me!

Stay strong and stay blessed!

XO  Terrie