Painted Upholstered Sofa

I painted my upholstered sofa! I had originally intended to reupholster my sofa. But when I realized that this sofa wasn't exactly what I wanted long term for my living room (and I don't yet have the money to replace it with a new sofa), I decided to take a much easier and MUCH cheaper route and paint it.
It took me two days, and cost just over $60. The painted sofa feels very much like thick outdoor canvas or duck cloth. Although it's no longer soft like upholstery fabric, It's not uncomfortable to sit on. And because I used lots of fabric medium added to the paint, it won't crack or peel. It's a great solution for an ugly sofa that you're not quite ready to replace.
Sofa painted with latex paint with fabric medium added.
The sofa in its original fabric. I purchased it from a consignment store for $100 several months ago when I needed a sofa in a hurry for our new house. The busy floral clashed badly with my living room.
The sofa after the first coat of paint. It was a big mess, but I didn't panic. Having done my research, I knew what to expect. It took a total of four coats of paint.
Kristi @ Addicted 2 Decorating
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Liz Liz on Nov 17, 2016
    I think this would be a GREAT idea for my two canvas chairs on my deck. Of course sun and rain have severely faded the pattern. They are technically indoor accent chairs. I found them very cheap so they are on the patio. Do you think this process will stand up to the weather? We rarely use them SO weather would be more detrimental than excessive use. Thanks for the great idea!!! -Liz in North Dakota
  • Scout Scout on Dec 12, 2018

    How durable is painting a sofa?

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  • Patty Brooks Patty Brooks on Jun 04, 2022

    The sofa looks amazing!

  • Tracy Tracy on Aug 26, 2022

    I have a black sectional leather couch and some of the leather has peeled off how could I paint this couch to make it look good

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