Patio Cushion Rehab With Paint
by Angela
5 Materials
$65
3 Days
Easy
My patio furniture was still in great shape but the cushions had faded terribly. 20 new cushions would be waaay more than what I spent on the entire set! And other than being faded, the cushions were still in great shape as well. I also couldn’t stand the thought of 20 cushions ending up in a landfill just because they were no longer attractive. I read that they could be painted with latex or acrylic paint mixed with water and fabric medium. So, I decided to give it a try. I figured, “What have I got to lose?” I took the risk and couldn’t be happier with the results!
I pressure washed all 20 cushions and let them dry in the sun. Since my cushion covers are removable, I beefed up the bottom cushions with an extra inch of foam sandwiched in between the existing foam. Because I was keeping them the same color, I took one cushion to Lowe’s with me that still had a spot of the original color and had them color match a quart of exterior latex paint. I chose exterior in hopes that it will be less prone to future fading. I mixed one part each of paint, water and fabric medium.
Before painting, I lightly misted each cushion with water in order for the paint to spread more evenly.
I used a one inch brush around the piping and a two inch brush on the main body of the cushion. I really worked the paint into the fabric, doing the sides first, then the top or front and left them to dry. Once dry, I flipped them and did the bottoms and back sides. Most cushions only required one coat. The really faded ones got two coats.
Before and after of back cushions.
Painted back cushion, unpainted bottom cushio
After photo of completed cushions.
Conversation area with newly painted cushions
Dining area with newly painted cushions
All 20 cushions brought back to their original color! It only cost me $65.00 and took three days! I’m truly blown away by the results. They look exactly as they did when I first bought them. I’ve been sitting on them for days now and there’s no cracking in the fabric. It is very soft and flexible.
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4 of 13 comments
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Well here it is three years later and they’re still holding up great. Fading a tiny bit but they do get full sun most of the day. Here is a current picture. I do store them in my shed in the winter time. I may just lightly freshen them up next year. But there’s no cracking or peeling whatsoever. I know I can get many more years out of them. And if I have to retouch them up every three or four years I will be happy to do that to keep them out of the landfill.
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Thank you so much for the update! Will definitely be doing this!
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Love this - can you please tell me the paint colour you used
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It was a color match. I took one of the cushions into Lowe’s and had them match an area on the edge of the cushion that hadn’t faded.
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You ladies have certainly inspired me. I too have a great outdoor set which I had all "blasted" to remove original coating, after having personally spent approx 65 hours trying to do it myself. Went thru allot of wire wheels (fit on drill for removing paint), band aids, time & energy. Finally paid to have it done professionally and power coated. Back to Cushions, there are 9. big, thick, and nice Sunbrella fabric. Perfect condition, Very faded. New furniture, rugs, new dining chair cushions & re-covered bar stools do Not take away from "The Moss Colored Cushions. They are textured, almost like a very small corduroy, do you feel that latex paint w/ fabric medium will work or be stiff? Opinions or experience do's & dont's certainly appreciated.