How to paint an upholstered sofa.

Can I paint fabric?? Yes, yes you can!!!

I had an itch to paint an upholstered sofa last week and I couldn’t sleep until I tried it out!  I have painted upholstery before, but that first attempt was done on a very simple bench. This time I wanted to test if the technique would also work on a more intricate piece, and I am glad to report that IT DID!

As I mentioned on my blog on how to paint upholstery, the beauty of painting on fabric is that you do not have to prep, you just start painting your piece as it is.

*This post contains affiliate links. You don’t pay any more from ordering from these links but I earn a small commission so I can continue to bring you more fun projects! They also allow me to show you exactly what I use so you know what I’m referring to! * 

Material List:

• Dixie Belle Chalk Paint Evergreen
• Dixie Belle Chalk Paint Palmetto
• Dixie  Belle Chalk paint Cobalt Blue
• Easy Peasy Spray Wax
• Dixie Belle BOSS clear primer

The painting details 

I mixed Dixie Belle Paint colors Evergreen, Palmetto, and Cobalt Blue to get this rich emerald color. It took about 50 ounces of paint but it turned out fabulous!

The secret to painting fabric is to mist it. This will open the pores and will let the fabric absorb the paint. Then you paint the fabric just like you would paint anything else. Let the paint dry and then sand it.

Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral paint is highly pigmented so it works like a dye! You are probably wondering, does it really work? Well, have you ever got paint on your clothes?? Does it come out in the wash? No, it does not!! I can guarantee you that it will not come out of your furniture either.

This sofa took 2 coats of paint, using the same process. However, after the 2nd coat, I only sanded the seating area off to soften it. I left the backrest un-sanded to keep a better color saturation. Then to seal it, I sprayed the entire sofa with Easy Peasy Spray wax.

For the sofa frame, I primed it with clear BOSS. Then I applied Eternal gilding wax from Re·Design with Prima to it. After I shaded it with silver (Dixie Belle, one of their brand new products coming out this Fall 2020. Stay tuned!) and Rose Gold (Finnibar collection from Prima) to calm it down a bit!

I l♥️ how this sofa turned out! To be honest I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it. I plan to keep it in my shop until I need the space. If you are local to NWI / Chicagoland area and are interested please let me know. It would be a perfect piece for a boutique or a photographer prop!

Do not be afraid to paint fabric guys. I find it so much easier and cheaper than trying to re-upholster all those forgotten old chairs and sofas.

Give it a try and then share with me those crazy unique creations of yours on Instagram or Facebook. Tag me! I would love to see how you pushed your creative limits.

Leah