How to Paint Fabric Furniture Bins and Drawers
We recently transformed a basic fabric drawer unit into a custom furniture piece, using a little paint, pattern and creativity. And this DIY project cost less than $25!
This 3-drawer unit is 20 inches high, 14.5 inches wide, and 15 inches deep, with a black particle board casing and three green fabric bins that act as as sliding drawers. The drawers are collapsible, but they hold their shape when open with inner cardboard supports. We wanted to change the original green color and add some pattern, but not go overboard with our time or money. So we decided to paint the drawers a pale yellow and lining them with some coordinating patterned fabric.
We used pale yellow latex paint mixed with fabric medium and a little water to paint over the green fabric. This method helps the paint adhere to the fabric fibers and not peel or crack off when dry. (For a detailed fabric painting tutorial, visit the Rather Square blog at the URL below!)
The last step of this fabric drawer transformation was to add a fun pattern to the bottom of each drawer. The drawers came with a square of green fabric-covered cardboard on the bottom, so we decided to cover these with this yellow-and-gray fabric. The pattern worked well with the new drawer color and the room’s overall palette.
Then we set the new fabric inserts into each drawer, put the drawers back into the black case, and moved it into the nursery.
We love the way it turned out! Functional, practical, and super cute. With our gray rocker-recliner, orange rug, yellow throw blanket, and blue print pillow, this 3-drawer unit fits in perfectly.
Not bad for a quick upgrade to a basic piece of furniture that we will use a lot every day. And it only took one weekend and about $22 to do this. The cost included the quart of paint ($12), and the fabric medium ($10). We already had the fabric for the inserts, the white base coat paint, the foam brushes, and the paint cup. But even those would probably add only an additional $15 to the budget.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 comments
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Love it! The insides are amazing. Also, love the Hobbs doll! :)
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