Take That Old Chair From Drab to Fab! Chalk Painting Fabric Tutorial

Sarina Correa
by Sarina Correa
2 Materials
$30.00
2 Days
Easy
Do you have an old chair laying around or perhaps see them in thrift stores from time to time and think "If only I knew how to reupholster it"? No need for that, just a can of paint and a few supplies and your old yucky chair will have a new happy life!
Can you really use Chalk like paints to paint fabric?!?! YES YES YES!!!! Ohh the places your could go with paint!


So lets start this tutorial off with our victim. I purchased this chair for a whopping $20, some would say it was $19 too much and others would say that it was a great deal. I bought it from a friend so $20 was a great deal. While our paint subject might look good in great "golden hour" lighting, trust me great lighting can make anything (anyone) look amazing. (Tip: The golden hour is 1 hour before the sunsets, it creates a perfect hue of coloring on just about anything. Only problem is, I'm usually still at the office during this golden time..).
SUPPLIES USED


1 Bag of Pixie Dust Chalky Paint Powder $12



1 Quart of Olympic Icon "Secret Passage" (The most beautiful grey on the market) $10


1 Sample Jar of Olympic One "Black Magic" (Icon is not available in samples, not sure why I would assume it's because Olympic wouldn't be able to handle the DIY chalk painters demands for the stuff. If you have not tried ICON, don't just walk to your nearest lowes...RUN! It's VOC free, and makes for the most amazing velvet finish when mixed with Pixie Dust)! $3


Various mason jars for mixing each color and your water/paint mixtures-On hand


400 grit sand paper/sanding block (I call him "Buff") $3


1 bottle Plaid's Folk Art Enamel "Sterling Silver" $1


1 tin of Pixie Dust Finishing Hemp Paste Wax $16 (one tin will last for a year)


Paint brushes in various sizes! On hand
STEP ONE: PREP IT!


I always start by washing wood surfaces down. Sanding in this case was not necessary, so just some dish soap and water was all it needed.


I started with the wood trim of the chair 1st. So I mixed the sample jar of paint with Pixie Dust and then applied a VERY light coat.


To Mix our Chalky Paint Powder it's always best to add the powder to a mason jar, then the water, shake like crazy (with a lid on of course) and then add the paint. (I have a little insider news that a liquid chalk additive is on the way in a few weeks). Make sure before adding the paint that there are no clay clumps. Sometimes the clay likes to stick together, but it can be easily smashed with a spoon and shake some more!
STEP TWO: PAINT IT!


Ok so let me tell you the bad news first...if you think that you are going to be able to do this project in 1 day, not a chance (unless you sleep between coats). This chair required 5 coats of paint! YES FIVE!!!! Painting fabric requires different mixtures of paint and takes a lot of paint. Thankfully with a DIY option, we are not spending $80 for paint. I would mix a pint of paint at a time (1/2 qt) with the pixie dust and then use another jar for your water mixtures (you will see below).


Coat 1/2 water x 1/2 chalky paint


Coat #1 will look like crap. You will see every stain mark, booty mark, and oil mark, don't panic. It will get better. It will also take SEVERAL hours to dry. To start coat #1 spray your chair with water and then start applying the paint water mixture. Saturate your chair and let it sit. After it's dry take a sanding block (400-600 grit) to "soften" it up. Don't sand, use it more like you would a sponge when wiping down a table.


Coat Same as above! 1/2 water and 1/2 paint! Repeat as above!!!


Coats #3 to 100% Chalky paint! From this point forward the paint should go on with ease! Just like you were painting a dresser. Coats were your "primer", the foundation needed to keep painting. You will need to buff in between every coat, you can't skip that step! :)
STEP THREE: TRIM IT! (This step is optional and only for those who are totally crazy).


After the fabric was the texture I wanted (5 coats later) I went back to the trim of the chair and started working on that. Using wax paper in between the seat and scrap book paper as a barrier between the wood and the fabric. (Painters tape didn't work so well, it wouldn't stick and wasn't flexible enough). The trim took me 2 days. Me and my little tiny paint brushes, painting all the trim in a metallic craft paint. I don't advise anyone with OCD to think this is a good idea...it's time consuming and you will never win. I also don't suggest a trip to starbucks at 10:30pm and then painting tiny little piping trim, your hands will shake and it will look like crap the next day after you wake from your coffee coma. I'm just trying to give some lesson learned tips here!
STEP FOUR: WAX IT!


Yes you heard me!!! WAX IT!! If you think you are going to do all this work and not seal it off, you're nuts. Also don't even think about Poly or other top coats, sorry not going to work with this project! I used Pixie Dust Hemp Paste as it was made for a project like this! I applied 3 light coats and it's like butter! It doesn't take much to apply, just an old t-shirt, a super cute pug watching you and it will be done before you know it. There is not a lot of buffing that needs to be done with the Hemp Paste, just a few light pass overs and then onto the next.
Perfection!!!! Here is a before and after....In case you are wondering, when you see the chair in person the stripes are still there. Also keep in mind that if your before chair had wrinkles in, they will not be painted away. However I don't mind the wrinkles it gives it that aged look!!! You might be wondering what does a chalk painted chair feel like??? It's so amazing, soft, and feels like leather. I'm so impressed with it, I bought 2 wing back chairs and they are about to get a make over!!!


Hope you enjoyed!!!
Suggested materials:
  • Pixie Dust Chalk Paint Powder   (https://pixiedustpaintcompany.com/)
  • Pixie Dust Hemp Paste Finishing Wax   (https://pixiedustpaintcompany.com/)
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Cindy Cindy on Nov 10, 2015
    Where do you buy all the pixie dust and hemp wax?
Comments
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  • Sarina Correa Sarina Correa on Nov 07, 2015
    If it's sealed off with a wax, it will not crack. The key is the water and paint base coats to make the fabric stable. As for the padding below, worse case it will be stiff from the soaking of the water however I donot think it would be ruined. Give it a try, really can't mess it up.
  • Lisa House Lisa House on Nov 07, 2015
    Beautiful! Thx for the fabulous tutorial!
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