Aug 20, 2012

Painted Upholstery



Last spring my husband brought home this chair that once belonged to his late grandfather. I posted it on my facebook the day I started painting it and thought I'd be sharing it soon after. It ended up taking far longer than I anticipated, and a whole month later, I finally have it finished. 



The colors of the upholstery were outdated and didn't match any of our decor. We couldn't afford to have it recovered, so I decided to sew a slipcover for it. Before I had a chance to pick out the fabric I saw an upholstery painting technique online, and I thought, "Why not?" I figured if painting didn't turn out well, I could still sew a slipcover to hide it.  

I started by brightening up the wood with some white paint using my new paint sprayer and the new painting tent I rigged up on the unused side of my house. I thought this would be a one hour job, but tweaking my homemade chalk paint recipe for my sprayer at the same time I was learning how to use one for the first time was a real challenge. Also, the chair had so much wax on it that even the chalk paint that usually sticks to anything, wouldn't adhere. I had to rub the first coat off with wet towels, sand, and repaint. I spent many days and learned many hard lessons on this innocent looking little chair!

 
 After spray painting the frame, I applied two coats of clear finishing paste wax and taped off the wood before painting the upholstery.  I followed Kristy Swain's great tutorial for painting upholstery at Hyphen Interiors found here

These are my results:

Click on photo to enlarge.

  The third coat of latex paint mixed with the fabric medium covered the original colors and pattern completely. The only thing I did differently than the tutorial was to use flat paint (by mistake) instead of satin, so there is no sheen to my chair's finish. The fabric now feels like canvas, and the chair is still comfortable.

Click on photo to enlarge.

My daughter picked the color for the chair and is using it in her study/sitting room with darker grey walls and bright orange, yellow, and green accents.  




 When she moves out on her own next year, I'll use the chair in this pale turquoise and white guest room.




This chair is now versatile enough to use in many different rooms, and I like the sleek contemporary look of the painted upholstery. I'm glad I tried out this new technique, and I'm really glad I'm finally able to share it with you!


Thanks so much for dropping by to see my chair. 

Have a fantastic day! 



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51 comments:

  1. Welcome back! This chair is amazing. I love how it turned out!

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  2. That turned out great! I love it and that chair itself is awesome! Love the lines of it. Thank you for sharing.

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  3. That turned out just fantastic - I am dying to try this on a chair I have - you've given me the incentive I needed!
    Your newest follower - would love to have you come by and follow back when you can!

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  4. I added your chair and a link to this article on my chairs page. www.hypheninteriors.com/chairs

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  5. Wow - it really came out great!!!
    Hugs,
    Zuzu

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  6. That turned out great. I have been thinking about trying this technique...may have to do it now!

    ~Trisha

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  7. Great job Laurel! I've never considered do this before but now that the results are that good, I may consider doing this the next time an opportunity arrises.

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  8. I really like the way the chair turned out, Mom! I think my pillows look pretty good on it too ;)

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  9. Wow Laurel, your chair turned out awesome!! I love, love it in the turquoise room! Your paint tent is genius too! That long month was worth it!:)

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  10. Laurel, the chair turned out beautifully! Well done! :)

    Erin
    Carolina Country Living

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  11. Well, that is just amazing! The chair is gorgeous and I love that you shared your paint tent!

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  12. Laurel, So impressive! I would have never thought you could make a chair look that good with paint. I really love the color and the style of the chair. Great job as always! You're my hero(but you already knew that)! ~ Jamie

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  13. It sounds like it was a lot of work, but what a beautiful result! I'd love to try it someday. Great job!

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  14. Laurel, it is so good to have you back! I love, love the chair! What a beautiful color! I know it was a lot of work, but all of it worth it!

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  15. Visiting you from White Wednesday! Love the way your chair turned out! Hugs, Penny

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  16. Your chair looks awesome! What a transformation. I'm visiting from White Wednesday. Enjoy the rest of your week.

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  17. fabulous job! It looks so much nicer!

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  18. oh my word - you are like a professional - it looks so fabulous! love love love

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  19. The chair looks totally updated and amazing that you used paint. Sounds like you had lots of trial and error but the good part is that you will know exactly how to do it next time.

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  20. Laurel,
    Hi! I'm visiting from StoneGable! This is amazing!!! I've heard of those who paint the upholstery , but none ever described the feel of the fabric after the completed process. My concern was it would crack and eventually tear. Thanks for following through until completion and for sharing your trials with us!
    Fondly,
    Pat

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  21. I adore your chair!
    Would love if you came by to link it up to my party happening now!
    Stacey of Embracing Change
    http://staceyembracingchange.blogspot.com

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  22. This beautiful chair came from such humble beginnings!!! I would not have believed this was the same chair if you did not show us the before! Fabulous and so upscale!!!!Thank you so much for joining TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS with your great chair makeover!

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  23. Hi! What a fabulous chair make-over! The painted fabric makes such a difference and has tobe more cost effective and time saving than recovering (which I do a lot of!) I'm going to give this a try! I found your blog through From My Front Porch To ours Treasure Hunt Thursday and am now a follower! Feel free to stop by and visitg me at pinkcherubmoon.blogspot.com. Thank you for the inspiration! Hugs, Leena

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  24. This is the PRETTIEST chair makeover I have ever found. My husband stopped and grabbed me some freebie chairs a few weeks ago that I'm in the process of refinishing and reupholstering (see the before photo on my blog's FB page: http://www.facebook.com/SpoolAndSpoonBlog). Considering how gorgeous the "bones" of your chair are, you did it such a favor by going light. I LOVE IT. Thanks so much for sharing AND because I would cry if I missed an equally awesome project of yours, I'm your newest follower!

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  25. Wow!! So much easier than reupholsering! And it looks fabulous!
    Great Job!
    Debbie :)

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  26. Brilliant!! I have heard you can "paint"upholstery now I know how. More than once I have spotted a chair that was perfect except for the upholstery and I didn't feel like recovering it. I am going to become an addict for this method. You did an amazing job Laurel Bravo. Virginia

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  27. Did you use chalk paint? I was just wondering. I can't believe the transformation in the chair. Unbelievable.

    Cynthia

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  28. Wow that is amazing. What a great idea. Thanks for sharing. So pretty.

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  29. I've never even HEARD of upholstry painting!!! WOW!!! It looks FABULOUS!

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  30. looks fantastic. I think I like it better with the flat paint than with satin. I am wanting to do some parsons chairs for my dining room this way and was wondering how flat paint would look because I did not want them to be shiny. My only question is, does the flat paint rub off on your clothes? I guess maybe the fabric medium helps with that. Can you tell me how much paint and fabric medium you used? Thanks for any tips you can give me.

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  31. Wow! I love the results. I've always wanted to try painting the upholstry. Recovering can be a huge pain! Might have to give this a whirl.

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  32. What an amazing transformation! I would never see a chair like that in its "before" state and think it could look as great as it does now!
    Kelly

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  33. This is quite a transformation, Laurel--I love the new subtle grey of the seat!

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  34. The fact that fabric can be painted never stops amazing me. You did a wonderful job, even if there was a bumpy start to the project.

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  35. SO beautiful! I can't wait to find a chair to spray paint now :)

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  36. looks beautiful! I gonna try this!!
    keya

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  37. You're Kidding?! Love it! What fantastic idea! Pinning it! I would love for you to come by and link this up to my linky party called Rustic Restorations Weekend.
    http://homespunhappenings-tammy.blogspot.com/2012/08/rustic-restorations-weekend-17.html

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  38. Wow! That looks fantastic! I can't believe the paint was able to cover up that busy pattern! Great job!

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  39. I just love this. What a labor of love for a family piece! Visiting from Cowgirl Up!
    Beautiful!!

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  40. Isn't it amazing how a bit of paint can transform something into a new fashion statement?!
    Loved your post, my friend!
    Blessings from Bend, Oregon,
    Carolynn

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  41. oh my! this turned out so pretty! I've been nervouse to try this but yours gives me hope! It is the best painted upholstery I've seen!! Love the texture and color choice!

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  42. Wow, this is so cool! I have painted fabric before, but it never looked this good. Love the paint tent you made too, great idea. Thanks for sharing such a great project!

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  43. It looks awesome. Where did you get the grey fabric for the pillow? If you get a chance come link up at my Pin Party. http://sarahdawndesigns.blogspot.com/2012/08/pintastic-monday-link-party-6.html

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  44. Laurel, What a fantastic job you did on this chair. All your hard work paid off and now you have a one of a kind treasure. Thank you so much for sharing this inspirational post on Simple & Sweet Fridays. Have a fun week!

    Jody

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  45. Very Cool! I've seen this done before, but not sure I'm brave enough to try.

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  46. Love it!! It turned out gorgeous!! thanks for coming to the party!

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  47. It sounds like your chair was quite a task Laurel, but it looks fabulous! I LOVE it! I have two I am suppose to be recovering...I keep dragging my feet. Maybe I'll get to them soon.
    I've been wanting to paint fabric for a long time...just haven't found the perfect victim yet.

    gail

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  48. I love that chair!!You did an owesome job!

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  49. Wow!! Laurel,
    What a fantastic idea! I love it, you did an amazing job.

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