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What Not To Do When Painting Upholstery
Avoid these common mistakes and ensure a successful upholstery painting project that will transform your furniture into a stunning focal point in your home
Stepping into this week like, new chair who dis.
This months Love Your Home Challenge is a paint update project, so I knew I had a perfect excuse to try out painting a chair!
If you are new to this little blog you should know I will try anything & be happy to share all of my failures with you.
Painting upholstery can be a great way to give new life to old furniture or add a pop of color to your space.
However, it’s important to approach this DIY project with caution and avoid certain pitfalls that can lead to unsatisfactory results.
This project definitly had a few fails but in the end I am happy-ish with my brand “new” chair.
Update: See how to paint furniture the right way here!
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Upholstery Painting Supplies:
- Textile Medium
- Latex Paint
- Brush
- Roller
Upholstery painting mistakes
Here is the chair we started with.
I bought it years ago and it has definitely seen better days.
The bones of this chair are still good though so I thought updating it with a little paint would bring it back to life.
1. Proper Preparation for Upholstery Painting
Cue the first upholstery painting mistake I made, not properly cleaning and prepping the chair.
Do not skimp out on the vacuuming, I did, and I didn’t realize the mistake until it was too late…
Some of our dogs hair is now permanently embedded in the chair, luckily for me it was only a small section on the back, but this could have been easily avoided.
I recommend vacuuming, then using a spot cleaning machine like this one to remove any stains and embedded dirt.
Not removing any dirt, stains, or oils could interfere with the paint’s adhesion.
2. Choosing the right fabric paint
One of the key things to avoid is using the wrong type of paint.
Upholstery requires a specific type of paint that is designed to adhere to fabric and withstand regular use.
Using regular wall paint or acrylic paint can result in a stiff and uncomfortable texture, and the paint may crack or peel over time.
It’s crucial to invest in high-quality fabric paint that is specifically formulated for upholstery.
Looking back I would have used this paint instead, but I did at least mix in a textile medium so my results weren’t terrible.
3. Rushing the Drying Process
Allow ample time for each layer of paint to dry completely before applying the next one.
This will help prevent smudging, streaking, or uneven color distribution.
Not waiting caused me to have a blotchy looking finish even after two coats.
Patience is key when it comes to achieving a professional-looking finish.
Tips for successful upholstery painting
This chair is definitely not my favorite DIY but it looks better than it did!
The next time I decide to tackle an upholstery painting project I will be more prepared now that I know what not to do.
That’s the beauty of DIY though, you learn something new with each project and get better with the next one.
Heres what I learned about upholstery painting:
- Vacuuming and cleaning need to be thorough
- Drying in-between coats cannot be rushed
- Using the right paint will avoid “crunchy-ness”
- You wont always love your DIY projects (but you can learn from them)
Hopefully these mistakes will help you avoid a fabric painting disaster and help you achieve an upholstery makeover you love.
Update: I painted a rocking chair and it turned out amazing!
Check out the complete faux leather upholstery painting technique here
You Might Also Like These Furniture Makeover Projects:
9 Easy Ways to Update Furniture
How To Create a Woodgrain Finish with Paint: Table & Chairs Makeover
Farmhouse Kitchen Island Makeover: How To Sand Indoors
How To Refinish a Cabinet With a Natural Wood Look
The chair does look pretty now! I enjoyed watching you tackle this project on your IG stories.
Thanks so much Sherry! It was a fun project!
I’ve always wanted to try my hand at painting an upholstered piece. Waiting for the perfect thrift store find! Thanks for sharing what not to do!!! Pinning for later 🙂
I cant wait to see how your turns out Martina! Its a great way to update on a budget!
It looks great! I know what you mean by husbands won’t always like your DIY’s! I have seen a lot of people paint furniture, but I have never attempted it, because I’m pretty sure my husband would think I had gone too far with my crafting!!
I am afraid I can’t convince him to love it Cherryl lol
I think the chair looks great ! I was wondering if you need to scotch guard or use some sort of protective coating to keep paint from rubbing off or cracking.
I didn’t use any & so far no cracking & I even cleaned the chair with a wet rag & the color did not come off. So far so good!
Amazing! I’ve never had the nerve to paint upholstery but yours looks great! Perfect way to makeover an old chair. Great job!
Thanks so much Marty! Definitely try it, it was such a fun project!
The chair looks lovely.
I have a faux leather recliner and loveseat that I was thing about painting.
Since it’s more smooth than regular material do you think I would use the same paint and mixture?
Hi Cathy! Thanks so much, I would use the same amount of mixture because you want the texture to be as smooth as possible!
I have a chair I want to paint but it is red and gold and I am afraid the color will affect the finished color. I want it to be blue but worked it will end up green or muddy. Any advise?
Hi Jan! I might try priming it white first, then going back over it with your final color! I hope that helps, let me know how it goes!
You mention mixing a medium with the paint and water. I’m new at this. What is a medium?
Hi Caren! The medium is the product I have linked at the top of the post. It is what helps make the furniture still feel softer & helps the paint not bleed or run! I will leave a link to it here for you too, let me know if that helps!
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The key to a smooth finish is definitely sanding!
Yes!! I don’t know why it takes me so long to learn that lesson!
The tutorial I saw said to wad up a newspaper and sand the fabrics with the paper to lose the stiffness…
I will have to try that next time!
I painted a couch with straight acrylic wall paint. It felt stiff and scratchy so I rubbed Dubbin leather polish in well. It came out soft and shiny, very much like leather.
That is a great idea Melanie! I used to use that on our horse tack!
I was reading on another website that u actually use fabric paint, but in between coats of paint, u use 350 or 400 grit sandpaper and just sand the surface after each coat, and it is suppose to make the fabric really soft when all said and done.
Yes sanding can help make it extra soft!
Hello Lia,
I have the same chair. I’m thinking about painting it a jewel tone to go with my orange couch.
I have a difficult time getting the legs off, any advise.