How To Paint Upholstered Furniture

How to avoid sewing piping... PAINT your upholstered furniture

Posted by Charlotte S.

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Believe it or not, basic latex paint can be used to transform old and dirty upholstery. Simply add some fabric medium and water and voila... a new and improved piece of furniture is moments away.

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You Will Need (6 things)

  • Painters Tape
  • Fine grit Sandpaper
  • Water
  • Squirt Bottle
  • Fabric medium
  • Latex Paint

Steps (7 steps, 120 minutes)

  1. 1

    Choose an old, drab or outdate piece of furniture for updating. This chair was a dirty peach velvet.

  2. 2

    Tape off any wood that's around the upholstery to protect it from the paint.

  3. 3

    Mix 1/3 paint to 1/3 fabric medium (found at the craft store) to 1/3 water. First, spray your chair with water. Quite a bit. You want your fabric to be damp, not spritzed. Then go over with your paint mixture. Use your fingers and/ or a smaller brush to get into all the nooks and crannies of the upholstery.

  4. 4

    This is how it looked after only 1 coat.

  5. 5

    Don't be afraid to use your fingers and really work the paint into the fabric. Sand lightly between coats... I know it seems weird, but you don't want your paint to be rough. Repeat with as many coats as needed... my chair took 3.

  6. 6

    Doesn't it look better? So rich. The fabric feels like a soft canvas... so not stiff or scratchy, but not a bit like the velvet that it was before painting.

  7. 7

    And much easier than sewing all the piping to reupholster!