PAINTING AN UPHOLSTERED CHAIR FROM TOP TO BOTTOM - our bedroom chair

From the wood frame all the way to the fabric upholstery, tips on how I successfully painted this entire chair. 

EXPERIENCE

I have painted many upholstered chairs with 
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and this one is a favorite of mine

I knew it would look good painted, but it took years before I
could commit to doing it and even harder to put paint on it the first time.

Are you thinking about doing something similar?

Maybe some of the answers you need are in this post.
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BEFORE

ABOVE - The quilted rose fabric I had put on it years earlier.

Using ASCP in Pure White and a 1 inch brush to paint everything. 

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HOW LONG?

I used the paint straight from the can.

 I have read that others have used water to dilute the paint in

different ways but I have never done that on any of my painted chairs.

All my chairs are holding up great, and the first one was painted in 2013.

You can see that chair at this link:

https://bit.ly/2Mi6bvO

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 I prefer strong woven flat or smooth fabrics and

I work in thin coats when painting the fabric.

(No velvet or velour types)

Even though it has a texture, tapestry style fabric works well.

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Firstfinds Hardware Store 

has hundreds of switch plates to choose from

 

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LAYERS

I painted the fabric with 2 coats of Pure White

and the frame with 3.

I added a 3rd coat of a creamy white to the fabric

 after dark waxing the frame. More on that in a bit.

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DARK WAX

To get the dark aged look around the carved frame I used 

Annie Sloan dark wax mixed with some AS clear wax.

This softens the color to a more chocolate color

rather than it's original stronger coffee color.

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TECHNIQUES

The dark wax was applied to the Pure White Paint with

a 3/4 inch artist's brush, and the excess was removed with 

household paper towel.

As I went I was also buffing with the paper towel. A little

friction goes a long way to creating a shine on waxed surfaces.

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GROOVES

I made sure to get the dark wax into all the grooves and crevasses.

I worked in small sections so the wax didn't start to set.

If the dark wax did start to set I was able to use clear wax to lift some of it.

But I understood that putting dark wax straight onto the

 paint actual will stain it, and changing the color completely.

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FINISHING TOUCHES

Once the dark waxing was complete on the frame

I put a 3rd layer of paint on the fabric.

I mixed a little Annie Sloan Arles into Pure White to

create a creamy white to coordinate with the waxed frame.

It is ever so slight a difference on camera but it

made a huge difference in person.

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A LITTLE EXTRA:

One more touch of paint was added to highlight the frame.

I dry brushed Pure white over the carved bits, hitting

the high spots make them stand out just a little more

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FABRIC WAXING

The last 2 steps were to sand the painted upholstery with a 

220 grit paper

just to knock down any bumps and give the paint a smoother finish.

Then I clear waxed and buffed all the painted fabric.

It ended up feeling like soft leather.

Below is the original BEFORE photo of the chair

a short while after I first got it.

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BEFORE                         AFTER

 

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UPDATE:

This chair was painted three years ago and this

last photo was just taken March 2020.

It resides in our bedroom and it sometimes holds cloths or a

blanket, but it is there for us to sit in and we do without a concern.

I believe the success to painting fabric is  ... 

the kind of fabric you choose ...

heavy, tightly woven, smooth fabric works best

SNEAK PEAKS ON INSTAGRAM
 @4_the_love_of_wood

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