Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Home decoration
Original poster

Painting upholstery- has anyone does this and does it work?

36 replies

thenewaveragebear1983 · 14/01/2023 13:22

I have a 1980’s Ercol with excellent condition but very dated cushions. I have purchased upholstery fabric to cover it, I’m not an amateur sewer but I am not especially skilled, corners are tricky etc. I recently covered a cintique chair in the same fabric and it was very tough, the fire retardant coating means that a normal needle won’t go through and it was really hard to finish it by hand (I’d go as far as to say impossible. I ended up pushing the needles through with a piece of wood). So this one that was supposed to be in the same fabric is just not going to be easy. I’m now considering making slip covers, but they are a pita without a pattern and frankly, I’m losing motivation.

I’ve seen this article about painting fabric with dilute chalk paint, something I’d seen on various Pinterest, other videos, crafting blogs etc in the past. But does it work? Does it look shit? Will it withstand actually being used?

there is no scope to pay someone to do the covers for me, certainly not at the moment. The cushions are in excellent condition and the foam is also excellent. If it looks horrific I could always revert back to my original plan of covering them.

www.thisoldhouse.com/platform/amp/painting/22923973/how-to-paint-fabric-furniture

OP posts:
Original poster
thenewaveragebear1983 · 14/01/2023 13:23

This is the chair

OP posts:
WednesdaysPlaits · 14/01/2023 13:24

It works but it changes the texture of the fabric. You need to water it down.

Original poster
thenewaveragebear1983 · 14/01/2023 13:24

thenewaveragebear1983 · 14/01/2023 13:23

This is the chair

.

Painting upholstery- has anyone does this and does it work?
OP posts:
Original poster
thenewaveragebear1983 · 14/01/2023 13:50

@WednesdaysPlaits yes I saw that it needs to be watered down high pigment chalk paint so it acts like a fabric dye. I’m worried that it ends up cracked and weird looking.

OP posts:
Rach247 · 14/01/2023 13:53

I did two chairs with fabric spray paint/dye for very similar reasons to you and they came up brilliantly! Very pleased with them and they’ve lasted ages without needing redoing yet.

Original poster
thenewaveragebear1983 · 14/01/2023 15:59

@Rach247 could you link to the dye that you used please? Did you use any sort of wax or finishing spray over the top?

OP posts:
Rach247 · 14/01/2023 19:36

I’m sorry, I can’t remember. But it wasn’t anything special, just something I got on Amazon or eBay. I didn’t do any top coat or wax. Just a couple (possibly three) coats of the dye, which took a few cans from memory, and that was it. Nine years and they’re still looking good.

Dotcheck · 14/01/2023 19:38

Maybe have a look at the Frenchic fb pages

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 14/01/2023 19:40

I suspect you'd end up with a chair for looks not use as the paint would crack and wear off with time.

Do you have any adult education classes near you for upholstery classes, usually you take your own furniture along and repair it in the classes with all the right tools and an expert on hand.

Original poster
thenewaveragebear1983 · 14/01/2023 20:01

@Dotcheck yes it was frenchic I saw it done with.
I’m sure I’ve seen it done on a tv show once and then waxed and it looked like leather.

realistically, if I cover it, the covers will be taken off so I might sacrifice one and have a test run. I did cover one of the small cushions today, but the foam is curved and it’s very hard to get the curvature right, I’m not a good enough machinist. I can’t really afford any classes or anything at the moment.

OP posts:
Original poster
thenewaveragebear1983 · 14/01/2023 20:02

@Rach247 can you sit in them or are they ornamental only?

OP posts:
CorvusPurpureus · 14/01/2023 20:10

I think it depends how much you paid for the chair!

My apologies if it's quite expensive, but when I lived in the UK the Heart Foundation stores were full of similar.

If it's a charity shop find, I'd absolutely set about it with chalk paint. As you say, you can always cover it later if it goes wrong.

If it's an expensive item...well, I'd ebay it, replace with something from BHF, & enjoy the cash, honestly, but then I cannot sew!

Rach247 · 14/01/2023 20:15

Yes sit in them all the time! Everyday use armchairs. It’s more like a dye than a paint, but it has never rubbed off on clothes.

Original poster
thenewaveragebear1983 · 14/01/2023 21:56

@CorvusPurpureus it wasn’t hugely expensive, a charity shop find , but I also don’t want to wreck it as I like it

@Rach247 has convinced me, I’m going to do it! I have found a specific paint made for the purpose so I’m going to use that,

thanks everyone!

OP posts:
Rach247 · 14/01/2023 22:38

Good luck! Let us know how you get on.

Coffeetableposhbooks · 14/01/2023 22:42

Use a fabric dye op. Don’t be painting your furniture and sanding rhe fabric, common sense tells you that’s not going to work, you will ruin the fabric

look at furniture clinic or something and use a proper fabric dye.

Original poster
thenewaveragebear1983 · 15/01/2023 07:48

Thanks @Coffeetableposhbooks , yes the sanding did confuse me a bit. Thank you for the link!

OP posts:
Handsnotwands · 15/01/2023 13:30

I’m part way through an attempt to paint an ottoman. I watched Baliol house on Instagram who did one a while ago and it’s holding up

i just need to do a final coat. I have lightly sanded in between and it does make the fabric soft again.

Original poster
thenewaveragebear1983 · 15/01/2023 21:53

@Handsnotwands are you using specific fabric dye paint, or another type? An article I read today said any high pigment acrylic latex paint is suitable. This gives scope for more options for colours. When they say sanding, they mean such fine sandpaper almost like glass paper, I can see how that would soften without scratching. I’d love to know how yours turns out!

OP posts:
Handsnotwands · 17/01/2023 08:34

I’m using Annie Sloane chalk paint. It looks good so far but haven’t finished yet.

i just kind of stroked gently over with a fine sanding paper and it does really soften it.

im going to finish with a coat of polyvine decorators varnish

will post a pic when done

Original poster
thenewaveragebear1983 · 04/02/2023 13:54

So to update my own thread… I got a Color match of Valspar emulsion paint to match my new sofa. I’ve sprayed the seat cushions with water, then used a 50/50 mix of paint and water to do the first coat. The pinky pattern is still showing through underneath but I have left them to dry, then will sand, then will do a second coat. I can get an idea of how it will look but it’s hard to tell until it’s finished whether it will look good or not really.

OP posts:
LibertyLily · 04/02/2023 16:00

Following this thread with interest @thenewaveragebear1983 and @Handsnotwands as I'm contemplating doing this with a cream sofa. It was fairly expensive (although bought ex-display on ebay so not as much as it should have been) so I'm conscious of not wanting to ruin it! Look forward to seeing pics of both your results 🙂

Original poster
thenewaveragebear1983 · 04/02/2023 16:06

@LibertyLily i won’t post my mid stage pics as it currently looks awful! I’m optimistic though. Plus my fabric is patterned so that is making it look worse at this staff as it’s not uniform coverage

OP posts:
Handsnotwands · 04/02/2023 16:12

Mine has worked mostly. I’ll send a photo when I’m home. It has changed the feel of the fabric. But I think it’s softening up a bit. I’d be cautious about doing a well used chair or sofa but for a footstool it’s fine.