You Can Paint Your Upholstered Furniture, But...

by Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger

09 Jul 2009 06:31 AM

According to Darlene Michuad from Examiner.com, you can paint your upholstered furniture to make it brand new. Having see and article or two of Trading Spaces where painted upholstery ended in tears, I was wary of the advice. In addition, being an trained artist and understanding the property of paints, I was doubly wary, so I did some research.

It's not that she's wrong. You can paint upholstered furniture and it will give your furniture a new look, but it will hardly be good as new. Remember, upholstered furniture is for sitting on, and painting it with general house paint as the writer recommends can be severely limiting.

My research led me to Scarlet Zebra's Instructions fr Painting Upholstered Furniture. Everything I know about furniture and paints tells me that her instructions are the ones to follow. In her instructions, you are essentially dyeing furniture with paint through a series of step by step instructions.

Paint... fabric... a bit of a stretch. Dye.... fabric... makes a lot more sense.

Anyway, following her instructions, she warns that your results will be less than perfect, and not for a sofa that will get heavy use. You might want to keep a slip cover handy just in case you don't like the results.

Now there are some exceptions to my assertion that painting upholstery is problematic. I have seen old leather chairs painted artistically in beautiful patterns and with creative scenes. This can make a wonderful statement piece for your home, and when sealed properly will last for years without damage. Still this treatment is not meant for a heavily used chair. I have also seen this done for kitchen chairs with an upholstered back. It works out very well. Just remember if you are going to attempt to paint furniture, that you must be sure to seal it.

If you liked this you should also read my blogs at the home blog, the parents blog, and the frugal blog. You can read my recent posts here.

Also read: Perfect Time to Freshen Your Teen's Room Decor

If your walls could talk

Give Your Furniture A Lift

Learn more about Andrea Hermitt

Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children.

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