Any ideas on how to paint a suitcase? I have a vintage round ( hat) in

Julia
by Julia
It is a vintage , very clean round suitcase, 1960,s, just don’t like the color, I believe it is leathe, and wanted to paint or make it different!???? Thank you
  17 answers
  • Lina Splichal Lina Splichal on Jun 01, 2018

    Make sure the suitcase is clean, then apply leather paint in the color(s) you wish. Tape off parts that you do not want covered with the paint. When dry, apply a finish coat to maintain the color.

  • Lori Lori on Jun 01, 2018

    I would clean it up real good with some leather cleaner, see if you still want to paint it. You could also use Hodgepodg and some tissue paper to cover it. Good luck.

  • Wanda Altmayer Wanda Altmayer on Jun 02, 2018

    I believe that "decorating" old pieces takes away from the visual and removes the history of it as well. It should look a bit beat up. I found several and mounted on on the wall, a stunning visual of 3D decorating. My bedroom is a warm brown and have put some brown texture pieces on the wall, an illusion, is it there or is it not.

  • Reggie Reggie on Jun 02, 2018

    You can use leather dye to change the color. You may need to degloss the leather first. Use a leather conditioner afterwards to restore the sheen to the leather.

    • See 1 previous
    • Reggie Reggie on Jun 02, 2018

      I ordered online. If you have a shop that sells leather supplies near by they should have leather due. Tandy leather stores usually have a nice variety. Amazon also has several sources.

  • Ann Ann on Jun 02, 2018

    How about painting all over then decoupage with lovely pictures of whatever your keeping in it.

  • Barbara Picco Barbara Picco on Jun 02, 2018

    My 2 cents. You have a vintage piece. Leave it alone. Use good quality leather cleaner to brighten it up.

  • Emily Emily on Jun 02, 2018

    You will ruin whatever the historic value is of this leather hat box. Why not glue on some fabric or some tissue or other kind of paper you like? That won't really hurt the leather as Elmers glue can be washed right off. And it would satisfy your esthetic taste as you will choose the color(s).

    • Julia Julia on Jun 02, 2018

      Thank you do so use Elmer’s glue under and over the papers I chose???

  • M. M.. M. M.. on Jun 02, 2018

    If it is leather or vinyl, there are leather dyes, available at shoe repair shops, but they must be carefully applied to avoid streaks and drips.Why not try temporary wallpaper? It comes in sheets, not rolls and can be removed later if you want to update the color/pattern.

  • 33499099 33499099 on Jun 02, 2018

    You can buy leather paint...do a search online.

  • PATSY PATSY on Jun 02, 2018

    Don't paint it. Wallpaper it. I did one that matches the bedroom walls and glued a string of pearls to the bottom of the lid. Very retro.

  • Lina Splichal Lina Splichal on Jun 02, 2018

    Angelus and Plaid both make leather paint. Your local Wal-Mart may carry the Plaid leather paint. Otherwise check with craft shops, leather goods stores and leather repair shops.

  • Dee Dee on Jun 02, 2018

    Lot of good advise. I also have one of these suitcases and when I find time I am going to use a idea I once saw on Hometalk and that is clean up the bottom part and apply a pretty patterned material ( with padding) on top then place on a chair ( probably glued down and then actually use it storage. Email me your email and I will try and find the Hometalk article that will make more sense. i can’t think of exact instructions right now. grandeee@sbcglobal.net if interested.

  • Emily Emily on Jun 02, 2018

    Well you could use it over, but when I do decoupage I am either doing it on glass or wood, tin, etc. so I poly the wood, tin etc. and the glass is the finish for decoupage since it is put on the back. It would not hurt to use Elmer's over the paper, since it dries clear.

  • Jacqueline DYan Barrett Jacqueline DYan Barrett on Jun 11, 2018

    I'm an artist so I have many ideas but thinking if something simple and artistic I have an idea. There are books now days like coloring books for adults, like in Michael's Craft Store. I would tap off everything but the area you want to decorate. Pick out a picture you like, then put some old fashioned copy paper under the picture. Trace over the picture with a pencil, so it makes a copy under the copy paper. If your not too much of an artist there's a great way to paint it, Michael's has small bottles of paint, not expensive, with the tiny tips in the bottles. Start useing the paint bottles to out line each section, one at a time , then fill in the remaining Color in the one section and then start on the Next one. When it is all dry and finished,spray some clear sealer to make sure you painting is protected. If all this seems to much, decoupage is a very good idea of someone else posted about?

  • Gabi Ralea Gabi Ralea on Jun 11, 2018

    I would use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, because it sticks to any kind of surface, with no previous treatment beside cleaning. I used it for painting shoes, furniture, paper, and even plastic. You find this paint only at stockists, but I'm sure you can find one near you. Use your postal code here to find the closest supplier: https://www.anniesloan.com/stockists/#/