Painting Fabric Instead of Replacing It (really! it’s easy to do!)

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It’s fairly simple to replace the fabric on chair seats but then you have the cost of fabric, too. How about painting fabric instead? Simple enough and the design choices/colors are endless with stencils, paint….and tape!

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Want to learn all about painting fabric? Well you’re in the right place! ;)

You might remember I gave this dining room a makeover (another makeover ;) ) last year.
You can see it >>> here.

I had previously given these chairs a makeover with new paint and fabric.


You read about the first makeover >>> here.

With the new bright white paint and new curtains, it was time for new chairs.
But instead of buying new…..and instead of buying fabric to recover, I decided to paint the fabric already on there instead.
The curtains already had a design in them and I knew I didn’t want just plain white fabric, so this was a great choice!

I started by pulling out my handy HomeRight Spray Shelter and paint sprayer. <<< (love that thing!)
I removed the seats and got spraying.

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Do you have any idea how much quicker this is?
MUCH!! I really hate painting chairs. Reallyyyyy hate it.
These 2 items make the job a joy, not a chore.

I used the same white paint on the chairs that I did on my table and buffet in this post.

For the chair seats, I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

Since I didn’t want to add the expense of new fabric OR try to find fabric that would go with the new curtains, I painted some grain sack stripes instead.
I think they are the perfect accompaniment to the floral fabric in the curtains.

Just follow the same technique I use in this tutorial >>> here. (painted upholstered chair)
Another painted upholstered chair >>> here.
And the very first time I tried painting upholstery >>> here.

Painting Fabric Tutorial

Step 1

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2 coats of Pure White (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint) lightly sanding in between and after. (be sure to use a very fine sandpaper as you don’t really want to remove the paint, just soften it a bit)

Step 2

Painting Fabric Instead of Replacing It!! Easy to do!! artsychicksrule.com #paintingfabric #paintedfabric #chalkpainttutorials #chalkpaintedfabric #chalkpaint

Attach the tape (my fave tape >>> here) so that you can paint in the center stripe. (be sure to remove all dust from sanding first)
Measure as best you can to line things up correctly.

Step 3

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Paint inside the tape with Duck Egg Blue (or any other color you choose).
I liked the Duck Egg Blue because it looked similar to the color in the curtains.

I usually pull the tape off before it dries. I get better results that way.

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Look at those edges! That tape is the bomb.
Let this dry completely before moving on to the next step.

Step 4

Painting Fabric Instead of Replacing It!! Easy to do!! artsychicksrule.com #paintingfabric #paintedfabric #chalkpainttutorials #chalkpaintedfabric #chalkpaint

Add the tape for the tiny stripes on each side.
Be sure to measure again. If you look closely, you can see the little pencil marks I made from measuring.

Step 5

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Paint in the lines.

Step 6

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Now, just do that as many more times as you have chairs.
This really wasn’t that tedious at all. It went pretty quickly as I did all the seats at once.
The seat above is just after painting, no distressing.
You can leave it like this if you choose but I wanted mine to look like fabric, not like painted fabric
Sort of like a worn, washed fabric.

Step 7

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You can see a bit better the difference in this close up….

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See how it looks more like worn fabric? No one would ever know they are painted.

Step 8

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Wax and you are done! (I used Annie Sloan Clear wax)
They feel soft and pliable and have held up wonderfully as this project was done over a year ago.

TIP: A little trick to keep the fabric soft (which I mentioned above) is to sand lightly in between coats and on your final coat before you seal with wax.

Brand “new” chairs…again.

Painting Fabric Instead of Replacing It!! Easy to do!! artsychicksrule.com #paintingfabric #paintedfabric #chalkpainttutorials #chalkpaintedfabric #chalkpaint

I’m really thrilled with how they look now.
Paint….isn’t it just awesome? I love paint.
And the grain sack stripes are always classic and go with most everything.

Want to see even more ideas on simple updates with Chalk Paint (that aren’t furniture??) 
Check out this post, here!

Painting Fabric Instead of Replacing It!! Easy to do!! artsychicksrule.com #paintingfabric #paintedfabric #chalkpainttutorials #chalkpaintedfabric #chalkpaint

See you later this week with another fun makeover!

In the meantime, you might like this cute one here….

See it >>> here.

xo


16 Comments

  1. Oh, Nancy, your chairs look fantastic! I appreciate the tip about Frog Tape (which I’ve not used before). The worn look is perfect. Great outcome and they look so sharp.

  2. I love the chairs. I haven’t liked the painted fabric before but yours don’t look painted. And I am obsessed with grain sack stripes on anything.? Beautiful!!

    1. Thanks Laurie! I agree, you’d never know these were painted! And you and me both, love for the grain sack stripes everywhere!! ;) xo

  3. They turned out so gorgeous. You’ve encouraged me to try to paint some chair upholstery. Thanks for the inspiration!

  4. Lovely! I have avoided fabric chairs, but after seeing your post, I’m gonna keep my eye out for them! Love the grain sack stripe!

  5. These are so pretty, and the update looks great… Couple questions.. How long did you let the white paint dry before taping for the stripes? When you pull the tape off, is there a method… like pulling up and in toward the stripes, or straight up or…? (This is the “I-don’t-want-to-make-a-mistake-if-I-don’t-have-to mind that I have!) Thanks, Nancy!

    1. Thanks Julie! Hmm, I did these last year but most likely let them dry overnight. That is what I would recommend anyway. And nope, just pull it off being careful not to hit any of the edges with the loose tape. I like pulling it off before it’s completely dry. :)

  6. I have an ergonomically correct office chair with a faux leather finish that is starting to peel and looks ugly. Suggestions for remediation? Would paint help?

    1. Hmm, if it’s starting to peel, I would probably try to remove it and recover it with a pretty fabric. Or just cover right over it. I’m not sure what else you could do in that situation. (I don’t think paint would help if it’s peeling)

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