How to Paint Upholstery
When it comes to updating the interior of your home (especially on a budget), paint is your best friend. A few coats can transform a room or hallway and make worn furniture look brand new.
But don’t limit yourself to painting wooden bookshelves and metal tables: you can also paint upholstered furniture like fabric chairs and sofas. Here’s what you need to know.
What upholstered furniture can be painted?
While most upholstery can be dyed, a tighter weave will give the best results when working with fabric. Velvet , suede and microfiber can also be dyed.
But before you get down to business and spend time, money and effort on painting upholstered furniture, carefully inspect it. Paint may hide stains and previous color, but issues such as holes, flat pads, and broken springs will remain. Therefore, if furniture has such problems and you decide that it is worth moving forward, fix the problems before painting.
What paint works best?
There are several different types of paint that can be used for upholstery, so a lot depends on the material and personal preference. Highly pigmented chalk paints, latex paints, and mixtures of latex paints and fabrics are popular choices.
Charlie Leanna Murphy , interior designer and owner of The Pink Penthouse — a studio space in Kyle, Texas — regularly paints upholstered furniture to match the rest of her pink interior, and after some trial and error, found that one coat of latex interior paint works. best for her. “I use latex paint because when it dries, it acts like faux leather,” she tells Lifehacker. “I can wipe it clean.”
Murphy has used chalk paint for upholstery in the past, but found it to crack. Similarly, in her experience, fabric spray paint tended to rub off.
How to prepare furniture
Before you begin, remove all removable cushions and cushions and vacuum everything thoroughly. Then cover with tape those parts of the furniture that will not be painted. Then wet the cloth ( a spray bottle filled with water works well).
“This helps the dye soak into the fabric so you don’t have to apply as many coats,” Murphy explains. It also primes upholstery fabric, although some people skip this step and apply two or three coats of paint instead.
How to paint furniture
Once the item is prepped, mix the paint (if needed) and do a little test on the hidden part of the upholstery to make sure your paint and technique achieve the desired results. If they do, it’s time to start painting.
Apply the dye in small areas , taking your time to rub it into the fabric. Don’t forget to paint over the seams, around the buttons, in the corners and in other crevices.
Here’s Murphy in action:
If you skip the primer and apply multiple coats of paint, use a sanding pad or sandpaper (about 220 grit) to paint the upholstery between coats.
Then leave the piece of furniture alone until it is completely dry. After that, some people like to apply a top coat of wax or liquid patina to seal the newly painted upholstery, but again, this is down to personal preference.