Today I’m sharing how to paint a fabric chair with chalk paint.
I’m not afraid to paint things. My motto is: it’s just paint – you can always repaint! However, I was a little skeptical of the recent popularity of painting upholstered furniture. But, I can now add it to my list because I painted a fabric chair!
The chair I painted was 10 years old, and I actually had it in my Goodwill pile. It looks much better in the photo, but it has seen some wear and tear.
Lena had drawn on it, there was a hole in the upholstery, and the seat was pretty grimy – despite my numerous attempts to clean the seat. Honestly, this picture does the chair way too much justice. Anyway, I had seen lots of Pinterest pins on people painting upholstered furniture, and I decided this was the perfect opportunity to test it out. So, I pulled out my Annie Sloan Chalk paint (Duck Egg, Old Ochre, and clear wax) and got to work!
I painted the fabric in Annie Sloan Duck Egg and the wooden legs and arms in Annie Sloan Old Ochre. For my first coat of paint on the fabric (I did two coats), I dipped the brush in water before I dipped it in the paint. It helps the fabric absorb the paint better. The first coat took a while, but it wasn’t hard. Just a little time-consuming.
It was a little boring at this point, so I decided to give it some stripes – inspired by the beach towel I was painting on…
Or inspired by Lena’s little striped socks sticking out in the top right of the photo? 😉 Anyway, I taped off the stripes. I didn’t measure, but I attempted to visually make them straight and even. 
I used frog tape, and it worked great! I really think frog tape is worth the extra money.
Next, I sanded down everything. I usually sand after I remove the wax, but I find that I go through so much sandpaper this way. The wax really gunks up the sandpaper fast. So, sanding before the wax worked well, but I did have to blow off all the dust before I added the wax.
I used a bigger wax brush for this project. It helps the waxing process go so much quicker! (By the way, I need some lotion on those hands!)
Then, I used a lint-free cloth (t-shirt) to buff the wax. I was seriously impressed at how easy it was to paint fabric. And, the fabric still can move. The paint doesn’t crack – at least not yet! I wouldn’t do this on a “tv watchin'” chair, but it will make the best office chair!
Would you paint a fabric chair with chalk paint?
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