So I had this chair (I actually have two of them)...
It was old, dirty and the material was pilling. It has sat in our basement for the last several years and was headed to the dump.
I hated to do it though because I love the shape and style.
So I did some research and found several tutorials on how to paint upholstery.
Yes. Obviously you can paint upholstery.
My favorite tutorial was here because her material seemed closest to mine (sort of a silk-like material) so I knew the outcome would be at least similar.
Hopefully.
I just wish I had the patience to take better pictures like she did. I am a photographer for crying out loud!
I'm just apparently not patient enough to drag out the Canon for behind the scenes shots.
So you get iPhone quality people. Deal with it.
Pretty please?
Here's how it went down:
I bought paint in this pretty color purple for $9.
It's just a quart of interior satin and I had over half left (for another project).
I also bought 5 bottles of textile medium at Hancock Fabrics for $2 each (this is half of the amount that the other tutorials suggested but I'm a rebel and that's all the store had so I went with it).
I mixed 2 ounces of medium with 4 ounces of paint and one ounce of water.
Then I got to work...
And enlisted some slave labor...
This is after one coat.
I let it dry for about four hours between coats and I did four coats.
This is after the last coat.
It all went pretty well up until that point.
I then realized that I wanted to paint the trim and legs white which means I did everything completely backwards.
Par for the course.
I tried painting with a steady hand and it was a disaster.
So I got the bright idea to shove aluminum foil in around the trim (I was afraid painter's tape would rip off the paint since I have zero knowledge of painted upholstery).
This is why the chair looked like it was at the beauty salon.
In hindsight, I believe Saran Wrap would've worked better.
But in even better hindsight, painting the trim and legs first would've worked better.
You live.
You learn.
About an hour later, lots of grunting and some handy work with a utility knife I was able to remove all the foil and ended up with this:
I've only had it completed for about a week, but the conclusion, so far, is that it's a little bit like outdoor furniture material (sort of stiff but not uncomfortable) and it still feels a little tacky but it's not tacky (that sounds confusing).
A friend sat in it for about 20 minutes the other night while wearing light colored scrubs and she was nervous but no paint came off on her pants and she seemed pretty comfy in it.
One DIY blogger said she spritzed hers with water and sat in it and there was no transfer, so I'm hoping it's colorfast. I guess time will tell.
I'm pretty happy with the results but by the time it was all said and done I spent $20 in materials and maybe three hours work spread over two days.
So unless you just want a good story to tell about a painted chair or need a very specific color then save your time and buy a chair on Craigslist for $20.
I may have one to sell you.*
B
*Afterthought--It did save the chair from the dump so I guess that benefit that can't be calculated.
3 comments:
glad you saved it, love this chair, thanks for the diy
great bones, good save and attractive to. Win win to cute for landfil
SO four months later, how is it holding up?
Post a Comment