PAINTING UPHOLSTERY - grey and white french chair






I did it .... I painted a whole chair from the frame to the upholstery. Everybody else is doing it why not me.






In all seriousness, I have painted fabric before but just not to
 this scale. I also had not found the right chair and 
upholstery to work with. I purchased this chair at a second
 hand store and the upholstery was all intact, however the
 seat fabric had large water marks on it. So a painting I went ...



I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Colors, FRENCH LINEN on
 the frame and OLD WHITE on the fabric and trim. The 
fabric took 3 coats with a brush but it's super smooth now 
like leather. I did not put any additives in the paint.


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The fabric is a very heavy weight tapestry fabric and took
 the paint better than any I have worked with in the past. 
Velvet sucks the paint in like crazy and I don't advise painting
 it unless you like spending money. Drop cloth is rough when
 you paint it but you can sand it smooth. I used the paint
 straight from the can. Different fabrics would need different 
paint consistencies.



I learned this time around to paint the upholstery
first before the frame.  Do as I say not as I do! 



The wood frame has straighter edges than the fabric
 making it easier to paint the frame last.




And YES I waxed it all once dried! Same procedure, apply
 wax, remove excess, then buff. I am very excited about the 
possibilities in the future, however I don't think I would
want to paint a piece that you might want to lay on such as a 
sofa or love seat. I think this is best saved for occasional and
 dining chairs.


She is completely washable and if need be re-paintable
 in the future.

UPDATE: we used the chair for a month in our home, then
 the chair was used for a couple more months as a demo for
 painting fabric, then back to normal living room every day.

UPDATE AGAIN: the paint on the upholstery has not
 cracked since it was first done and it has now been over 18 
months. Because so many people asked about the chair
 it has taken back to use as a demo for painting fabric.

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shabby chic hardware

 

 



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