How To Paint Your Couch With Chalk Paint
$110
3 Days
Easy
I dramatically changed the look of our living space by changing the color of our furniture!
I used chalk paint, which essentially is like dyeing the fabric, on our motorhome's couch, dinette cushions and window valences. Not only did it turn out beautifully, our space feels so much more like "us".
A disclaimer: not all fabric will react equally to being painted.
It is best to test paint in a small area that isn't visible so you know what to expect.
The painted fabric will be stiff, but you will be sanding it (between paint layers), which helps to soften it, and the final coat of wax also helps soften it.
I put two coats of paint on everything and sealed it with a coat of wax.
Here are the items I used:
2.5 cans (32 oz each) of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (I used the color: Provence)
1 can of Annie Sloan Clear Wax (16.9 oz)
1 wax brush
1 spray bottle with water
Paint brushes (I used a standard 4" size & a small edging brush)
Sanding Block with 220 grit sandpaper
Small container to hold the paint & water mixture (be sure to mix thoroughly! I used a painting stir stick)
Drop cloth/Plastic sheet to protect the floor and walls
Painters tape (to protect any wood on the furniture or other components you don't want to be painted)
Mircrofiber cloth (to clean off the dust from sanding)
(Tip: the paint brushes and wax can all be cleaned up with warm soapy water)
DIRECTIONS:
1. First you want to make sure the surface you are painting is clean and free of dust, debris, or pet hair -- this would all get sealed in otherwise.
2. Put down a drop cloth or sheet of plastic to protect the floor against paint drips. Since my motorhome's couch is bolted to the ground and nearly touching the walls, I also taped plastic against the wall to protect it as well.
3. In a small container, create a mixture of roughly 30% water, 70% chalk paint.
This will dilute the paint so that it absorbs more readily into the fabric, and also so that the fabric it's not as stiff as it would be if you were using 100% paint.
For my second coat, I actually went with a 50%, 50% mixture and that also worked just fine -- and helped the paint to go a little further.
4. Spritz a small section of the couch with water in a spray bottle. The damp fabric will absorb the paint more readily and evenly. You don't want the couch to be soaking wet --a light misting will be fine.
Working in small sections will help the painted edge to stay "wet" and give a more even look
5. Mix your paint and water mixture thoroughly before painting and then use a paint brush to apply this paint mixture to the section you have gotten damp with the spray bottle. Work the brush in different directions to help work it into the fabric (my fabric had slight variances in height, so this was all the more important for my couch)
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you've covered the couch in a single layer of paint
7. Let the paint on the couch dry completely. I waited 24 hours
8. Using a sanding block with 220 grit sandpaper, lightly sand the entire painted surfaces in preparation for the next coat of paint. This will lighten the paint but not to worry, when you apply the next coat, or the final coat of wax the richness of the color will return.
9. Clean the couch of all sanding dust. I used a mircrofiber cloth to wipe it all away
10. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to apply a second coat of paint.
For my second coat of paint, I diluted my paint and water mixture a little more, a 50/50 mixture, to make sure I had enough paint. This seemed to work just fine.
11. It is up to you how deep you want the color to be and hence, how many layers of paint you want to apply. I put two coats of paint on my couch.
If you are applying more layers of paint, you'll want to repeat steps 4-9 each time
12. When you have applied all the paint layers you want, sand the couch a final time and wipe off the sanding dust with a microfiber cloth.
13. Apply a coat of wax, using a wax brush with a light amount of wax on it, work in small sections until the couch has been covered
14. Let the wax dry completely (at least 24 hours but possibly longer depending on humidity/weather in your home)
15. Enjoy your beautiful new piece of furniture!
Finished couch: two coats of chalk paint and one coat of wax
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Comments
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2 of 4 comments
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Couch looks amazing!
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Yes I really want to do this because my beige couch is now black
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