I went to an estate sale and fell in love with a chair - except for the fabric. Here's How To Easily Paint a Fabric Chair With Mineral Paint
Ever find something that you know you're meant to have?
We went to an estate sale and I saw this beauty and fell in love.
First, the curves - then the engraved details - the nod to french country that I love.
But then....
You look at the fabric.
Peach with pinstriped baby blue that instantly transport me to an episode of the Golden Girls in their 80s heyday.
Then the Minnie Pearl price tag convinced me to take her home for just $35. And I did!
I didn't mind the texture of the fabric, but those peachy hues had to go.
Reupholstery is such a chore and I didn't want to accidentally knick that beautiful carved wood.
So what's the easiest thing to do?
Paint the fabric! Here's how to do it!
Painting Fabric with Mineral Paint
(Some affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.)
I have painted fabric chairs before and knew it would work. So, I thought - why not try it again!
I have been working with RomaBio's mineral paints recently. From their exterior limewash as well as their masonry paint - even their interior mineral paint.
While making over my sunroom, I had painted my walls with RomaBio's interior mineral paint tinted in Paper Doll from Benjamin Moore. I had some leftover and thought - why not give it a try!
First, I started by wetting the peach fabric to allow the paint to easily work into the fabric.
Starting in the back, I added the first touch of paint and instantly loved how bright it looked.
I continued to work around to the front and loving it more and more as the process went on.
This pic was taken after one coat. I loved how silky the fabric suddenly looked.
I let the first coat dry overnight.
For the second coat - I didn't rewet the fabric. I simply painted over the fabric with another coat.
And just look at it now!
This little $35 chair had new life!
I think I even heard it sigh! 😉
Now it's a creamy white with a smooth texture.
And I was able to keep all that beautiful carved wood intact.
I styled it with some pillows that had beautiful texture.
So, the next time you find a chair that's almost perfect, maybe give it a second look. Now you know how to easily paint a fabric chair with mineral paint.
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Jennifer Fancher
Hey Tasha - yup, that was a blogger fail in not taking the picks of the supplies. I can tell you I used a matte finish for this project. Hope that helps!
tasha henderson
Since there are so many Romabio mineral paints to choose from it would have been nice to see the container the paint used came in. There are many different lusters
Jennifer Fancher
Hey Lori - thanks so much for reaching out! I would be happy to help out!
Send me an email at [email protected]
Looking forward to chatting with you!
Lori Wojahn
Hello, Jen. I was trying to contact you using your form but could not find it. I will be using Romabio Paints in our new home and I would love to work with you on our color choices. It's a very small modern cabin/cottage so I don't have too many decisions to make. Also, I can't find a contractor in NE Michigan who has heard of, let alone used these types of paints. Ugh! Can we chat?
Jennifer Fancher
You can find mineral paint online at Amazon - ones to try are Romabio and Fusion. Really easy to work with!
Helen Heard
Where can you buy mineral paint?
Jennifer Fancher
Thank you Kristin! You always say the kindest things!
Jennifer Fancher
Thank you Cathy! You are so kind! Have an awesome week.
Jennifer Fancher
I LOVE THAT QUOTE!And it is so true!
To answer your question - the mineral paint does not rub off on clothes. I even took a rag to it and gave it a rough scrub to see if it would wear away and it didn't.
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave me a comment and make me smile!
Jennifer Fancher
Dori - your inserted cough made me giggle! This is such an easy fix! I love how it turned out. If you give this a try, send me a pic! I'd love to see how your chairs turn out!
Jennifer Fancher
Hi Terri!! I think it would work - but so you know, when you paint fabric, it does change the feel of the fabric. Mine feels like a soft vinyl now. It doesn't crack and isn't rough, but it also doesn't feel like the basic before. I would use a fabric medium to make sure it softens the fabric a bit. I did that on some other chairs and they turned out softer.
Jennifer Fancher
Thanks for reaching out! It's not rough to sit on at all. It's like a soft vinyl. And for my floors - they are original to the house. However, when we redid our master bedroom closet, we were able to find a nice match with flooring from Home Depot. I link to the exact product in the post if you want to check that out.
Jennifer Fancher
Thanks for asking Margo! It feels like a soft vinyl. Most painted fabric does have a change in the feel, but it's still very comfortable to sit on.
Jennifer Fancher
It's not stiff and hard - most painted fabric has the feel of soft vinyl.
Anonymous
This looks awesome. Great job as always.
Cathy Clark
She is a beauty now! Great tutorial!!!
jillian
This looks wonderful! So...the paint does not rub off on clothes? My favorite quote of the month I saw on another blog: "Throw pillows are grown women's stuffed animals." LOL...I have many many pillows. 🙂
Kristin
I can't wait to try this!! What a great way to repurpose a piece!!
Anonymous
This is absolutely fabulous,I would never have considered that this might be possible. I went back and looked at your other ones as well. What an amazing idea and so easy!! Thanks for sharing this.
Margo
I so want to do this..but curious if the fabric stays soft?...thank you for such a helpful hint
ROSELLEN SIEBENTHAL
Great idea... my question??? is it rough to sit on?
Totally unrelated question...what color are your floors and what is the product? Real wood, love them.
Pam
Just wondering what the fabric feels like after it’s painted? Is it still and hard?
Aunt Terri
Jen it looks beautiful. I have a Queen Anne chair that is like a corded fabric. Can that be painted. Right now I have just covered it. It’s floral green.
Dori Johns
Thanks for sharing this! That chair is now perfect! I purchased two nearly identical chairs in a lovely (***cough***) rose fabric at an estate sale and was trying to get up the nerve to attempt reupholstering them.. I think I need to get some mineral paint! 🙂