Hello beautiful friends! Today I’m back sharing how to paint fabric with chalk paint, and I have the perfect test piece! I get asked often about painting fabric with chalk paint, and so I thought I would use this pretty chair from my current spring haul to demonstrate:
I just couldn’t pass this one up for only $6.98 at the thrift store! Those deals are harder to find these days. Luckily, the store closest to our house has very limited space for furniture, so it is usually priced to sell!
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
Clean
To start this makeover, I gave the legs and back a good wipe down with White Lightning using a terrycloth applicator pad:
After swapping out the water for clean water, I wiped everything down again to remove any residue.
I probably should have removed the seat first, but I did that next. That made it easier to tackle the rest of the chair.
Prime
Whenever I paint rattan, I always start with a coat of spray primer first.
I went ahead and gave the whole chair a good spray just to get a quick first coat on.
Priming is not necessary when using chalk paint, other than the rattan parts. I did this part in my medium spray shelter to not only contain the spray, but also to keep it out of the rain that was threatening us at the time.
Paint
Next, I brushed on Dixie Belle’s Cotton white, using my Best Dang Brush for the rattan parts:
I love the large flat head for this purpose as well as painting baskets. You’ll want to clean the natural bristles as soon as you’re done just to make it easier to clean.
You can also use a small wire brush to clean any stubborn paint out of the bristles.
I do this with most of my brushes!
I gave everything two coats and then sanded lightly all over, except for the rattan parts, with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around an old sanding sponge.
To finish off the painted parts of this chair, I sealed with Clear Coat in satin, applying it with the blue sponge applicator which makes it so easy!
How to Paint Fabric with Chalk Paint
Time for the main event…how to paint fabric with chalk paint!
I usually opt to recover my chairs in new fabric rather than paint, but this fabric had a nice raised pattern to it that I thought might still be pretty if painted.
Mist
I started by misting the entire surface with water using my continuous fine mist spray bottle:
Paint
Then, once again using my Best Dang Brush, I painted the fabric:
This brush can hold a lot of paint and made quick work of painting this chair seat.
I chose Dixie Belle’s French Linen for this seat, and you can better see the detail that this fabric has once it’s painted.
Although it looked pretty good after just one coat it took three coats for solid coverage.
Is it hard to the touch?
Once the paint dries completely, it does feel just as you would expect painted fabric to feel.
Seal
To soften the fabric, I sealed it with Easy Peasy Spray Wax. I misted it over the enter surface and then used a cloth to spread it for solid coverage:
I let it dry and applied one more coat the same way. The end result is pretty awesome!
How does it feel?
It no longer feels like fabric, but the best way to describe it would be supple. It feels more like a soft leather.
I think this is a fantastic alternative if you like the look and feel of leather.
I also think that the fact that this particular fabric has a bit of a raised pattern really helps with the overall end result.
The After
Here is how this pretty chair looks altogether…
The painted fabric looks pretty darn good up close!
It was such a beautiful chair to begin with with all these pretty curves…
Everything in this picture was thrifted except for the pillow and the flowers!
You can see the stool redo HERE…it is a LONG way from where it began!
Y’all know I had to pretty up the photo with a throw and all, but here’s a peek of the chair seat uncovered…
Only time will tell how this chair will wear, but it is a great alternative to reupholstering!
If you’ve got a chair cushion in need of replacing, then this post is for you:
Visit this detailed makeover HERE!
And that is another Spring Haul piece complete!
It’s almost time to go shopping again!
See any you might have missed at the links below:
Painted Dresser with Transfer
Painting the Smalls #17 (lamp, small box, horse, napkin holder, and mirror)
Side Table Makeover
Metal Bread Box Makeover
Ballerina Decoupage Paper Box
Petite Side Table Makeover
French Provincial Night Table
Repurposed Cigar Box
Antique Oak Chair Makeover
Painting the Smalls #16 (candlesticks, small box, tray)
Stenciled Mirror Makeover
Hutch Makeover
Extra Post this week!
This week I will have THREE makeovers for you! I’ll be back tomorrow with my Seasonal Simplicity friends as we all share summer DIY projects.
Mine is the makeover of this poor stool I found buried in the corner of the garage of an estate sale, covered in cobwebs. It was only a dollar!
So I hope you can join me to tomorrow too! Then I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled Thursday post with something else from my spring haul!
UPDATE: See how cute this stool turned out HERE now!
See ya tomorrow!
XOXO,
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