Painting fabric with Chalk Paint™decorative paint by Annie Sloan.

When I first discovered we could paint fabric with Chalk Paint™ my mind started doing cartwheels with all the possibilities. One would think painting fabric could look cheapish or even devalue a fine piece of furniture. Au contraire!!! If this procedure is done properly and with care it can look mighty fine!!! This is a great way to save mucho $$$$.

Our first test was on a couple of badly soiled chairs covered with a cotton fabric. We used Duck Egg Blue and just slapped it on quickly. It took about a day to dry. In our photo the fabric is still wet. Once it dried the results where fabulous. Most are blown away with how the fabric absorbed the Chalk Paint™ and is soft to the touch.

Chalk Paint™ being a porous paint allows us to paint fabric without it cracking. Chalk Paint™is also highly pigmented and even watered down gives a nice even coat on the fabric.

Our next project was on a large antique sofa. In its current state at the time of purchase we would have to say it was quite unsightly, but we saw the potential. The wood frame was painted with a high gloss oil paint, thin in some areas and thick with paint drippings in other areas.








The fabric, a soiled toile, was so badly upholstered you could see most of the staples. Upon removing the toile we were left with a faux beige suede, yikes. It really did not suit the style of the sofa but it was clean, in good condition and properly upholstered. The cost to have the piece reupholstered, was not an option for resale in our demographics so we decided to paint the faux suede with Chalk Paint™. Our choice of colours for this project, graphite for the wood frame with a mix of French Linen with soft wax and for the fabric we chose Provence.



Before starting your project it is very important to assess what type of fabric you will be painting. We found with thicker fabric, velvets or cut velvet you would have to water down the Chalk Paint™ to ensure it penetrates and saturates the thick fabric. A ratio of 30% water to 70% Chalk Paint™ allowed the paint to properly penetrate the fabric on our project. The ratios may vary depending on your project. Our very large sofa used 1 1/2 pints (946ml) of Chalk Paint™ and we applied 3 coats to get a nice even finish. This was a labor of love in our atelier. 4 of us actually worked on the project at different stages. Every time there was a moment to spare from serving our customers, one of us would pick up a brush and paint.


At times we get visitors who are addicted to Chalk Paint™ and can't keep their hands away from the stuff! A good friend of mine, Susan stopped by for a visit.


She also contributed to this project. This girl can paint a piece of furniture in record time. You cannot keep a brush out of her hands. She writes a beautiful blog here in Montreal, Simply Vintageous and she also has quite the following for her signature pieces painted with Pure white, old white and Paris Grey.

For the frame we used Graphite but we wanted the carved wood to stand out. To enhance the scroll work and medallions on the frame we used a blended mix of French Linen with Annie Sloan clear soft wax. We first applied a nice thin even coat of clear soft wax. Don't forget your wipe down. Applying 1 coat of clear wax before the coloured blended mix allows you to manipulate and spread the coloured wax. Mixing Chalk Paint™ into the soft wax will change the colour of your base coat once it is applied. You may want to test this out on a sample board before hand. There are many colour combinations you can create with this method. We have a few popular ones in our boutique customers love and keep requesting. The more Chalk Paint™ that is mixed into the wax the more opaque the colour wax will be. In this case we used a blend of 20% Chalk Paint™to 80% clear soft wax. We wanted it to be very subtle, enough to just enhance the scroll work without changing the colour of Graphite too much.



To finish your project you may use clear soft wax on the fabric to protect and coat it. This gives your painted fabric a slight look of leather. We are frequently asked if the wax will come off on your clothing, the answer is No. It will not come off on your clothing if the wax has time to properly cure. A very thin, thin layer of wax will cure in about 30 days. Another option is to spray scotch guard on the fabric to protect it from getting soiled.

Your completed project will not crack or chip and will last a very long time if treated with care just like any other piece of upholstered furniture.


We were unable to get a full shot of the completed sofa due to a lack of space in our boutique. The photos you see have been taken through our boutique window. This piece draws a lot of attention from the street. Customers are truly amazed that you can paint fabric and achieve this look. The fabric absorbs the paint and it looks fabulous.

Happy painting! There is so much more you can do with Chalk Paint™. Stop on by and pick up a copy of Annie Sloan's new book Colour Recipes. In her new book she talks about painting fabric, dyeing fabric with Chalk Paint™and so much more.

Caroline















Comments

  1. It turned out gorgeous Caroline - can't wait to see it in person later today!
    And thanks so much for the kind words :)
    XOXOX

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  2. That turned out beautifully, Caroline...and any friend of Suzan is crazy.....er....I mean any friend of Suzan's is a friend of mine. Hope you have a great weekend. LOVE that piece. xo Diana

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  3. It's always a blast when she is around! I've been following Suzan's blog since waayyyy back when she only had 3 followers. I was so intrigued that there was another blogger in Montreal. It was so rare back then. We Canadians are a little slow to pick up on things. Eh! Quebec even slower lol! Thank you Diana, have a great weekend as well.
    Caroline
    xxx

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  4. Coming over from Suzans blog. This is amazing...I had no idea you could paint fabric. It's beautiful!

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  5. It came out great! I have been wanting to try painting an upholstered piece. One question I have is what do you do when it gets soiled? Do you wash out the spot? I wonder how it holds up to that? Lovely store by the way! Suzan is so much fun!

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    1. Hi Deneen, you would have to scotch guard the fabric and it would stain like any other fabric but after the 30 day cure time, if you need to scrub a stain the paint will not rub off. Painting fabric with watered down Chalk Paint™ is similar to dyeing fabric so it could still get stained if not careful. Hope this helps
      Caroline
      Xo

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  6. Oh it's beautiful! I still need to try that paint! Came over from Suzan's blog; just love her! Following you now too, would love for you to pop over and visit me at the B Farm.
    :-)
    Cecilia
    Http://thebfarm.blogspot.com

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  7. Thanks for all the info. Very helpful. The sofa turned out beautifully.

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  8. I've been reading your blog for quite a while, maybe even before Suzan's. I love the painted sofa, had no idea you could paint that type of fabric and have it be soft and useable. Very nice!

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    1. Hi Julia, I remember you...Just went over for a visit on your blog. Love your tables made from pallets. A fellow Canadian. I have been out of blog land for a bit. I miss it. Hopefully I can blog more often.
      Have a good weekend
      Caroline
      ox

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  9. Caroline,
    This is so beautiful and what a great idea. I saw this on Suzan's blog and had to visit to see this. Love it. So pretty.
    Kris

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  10. I saw this on Suzan's blog too, it's fabulous! I like the chair too. It's amazing what you can do with paint!

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  11. Two thumbs up on this! What a great job you did; it's beautiful. Am visiting from Suzan's blog (which I just began to follow yesterday). I'm so intrigued by this paint and I'm dying to try it now!

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  12. Wow, love love love it! A friend like Suzan is all all all a good woman needs!

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  13. I saw this on Suzan's blog also and had to come and take a look for myself. This fantastic and looks great!!

    Cynthia

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  14. Oh my, I didn`t think that it was possible. The sofa looks fantastic.

    I`m your new follower

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  15. I love what Nana Diana said! LOL! That Suzan is just THE BEST!! And this truly looks wonderful. I haven't been able to make myself paint the upholstered part of a piece of furniture yet but I have one sitting here I might try it on! I can always slipcover it if I don't love the paint.

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  16. Do you know how LONG I have waited for fabric paint that actually looked good on furniture?! Chalk Paint! Who knew?

    (Well, besides you, of course:)

    Thank you for sharing this!

    Would this be worth it on a regular sofa with cushions and such, or best suited for a thinner, firmer piece like what you worked on?

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    1. Hi Leah Rose, thanks for stopping by. I would try it on something small first. Live with it for awhile and see if it is something you like. Just make sure to water down the paint so it soaks well into the fabric otherwise it will be stiff and hard. It will soften the more it is used. Many many people have painted their sofas but I yet to try it on mine. My sofas are leather and worn, not pretty but I have heard painting leather with Chalk Paint is fabulous too. Let me know if you ever take the plunge and go for it.

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  17. Do I understand correctly, that I can use Scotchguard and not have to apply the wax? It will keep the paint from rubbing off on clothes? for what it's worth

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jeannie, yes you can use just the Scotchguard. The paint will not rub off on clothing on its own. We use the paint on outside surfaces without the wax. The paint is quite durable on its own. I've painted all my garden furniture with it. The Scotchguard will prevent stains from penetrating the painted fabric. Thanks for stopping by :)
      Caroline.

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  18. Hi Caroline!!!!!

    Even before you painted it, I loved the style of the sofa!!!

    Now it just looks gorgeous!!!! I've been wanting to paint a vintage little love seat and now that I can see that I can paint the fabric I might give it a try.

    The info you provided is great and I love that Suzan was involved in a little way as well. I was a fellow Montrealer, but, now live in Vancouver, BC.

    Have a great weekend!!!

    Pam

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  19. This is beautiful, crazy and amazing! Does it feel stiff at all? I NEED to try this for sure. Thanks for sharing and blessings to you, Patti

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    1. Hi Patty, the paint is stiff at first but the more you use it the softer it becomes. Just make sure to water down your paint.
      Have a good Monday :)
      Caroline

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  20. gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! Would this work with the homade variety, I'm in Australia and it's very hard (sometimes impossible to get ASCP also would it work on leather?

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    1. I am not sure if it would work. Chalk Paint™ is not an acrylic or latex based paint which allows it to be a porous paint. I think this is why it penetrates the fabric well. You can check Annie's website she has stockists in Australia now :). Thanks for stopping by. Hope this helps.
      Caroline. :)

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  21. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  22. I was so excited to find this article! I am fast becoming addicted to Annie Sloan chalk paints and this is a nice find on painting fabric with it! Thanks for posting!

    Kim

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  23. I am using this paint on an embossed fabric chair with T cushions. The embossed velvet is very stiff! I misted the chair with water and on the first coat did a 50/50 ratio of water and paint. 2nd coat 2/3rd paint to 1/3 water mix. I sanded between the first and second coat lightly to soften the embossed. It is stiff again after second coat..... and it needs a 3rd coat! I plan to do a light sanding after the last coat to soften the embossed - nevertheless I think embossed fabric is beautiful on a completed ascp chair, it's just a lot of work - thinking it will feel like a soft leather, pleather feel when all done!

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  24. Wow!! Amazing!! Can you paint area rugs? I have an Ethan Allan area rug that is 100% wool in a Chinese medallion pattern color rust. I love the quality and size of the rug...

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  25. Does the paint on the fabric dry and feel soft like fabric or does it have a rough feel to it?

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  26. Has anyone tried painting a chair or sofa with goose/duckdown squab cushions? The squabs have zips on the outer layers so you can remove them from the inners containing the feathers. I'm thinking the paint would penetrate the outer covers and I'm not sure about getting the inners wet with the paint. I thought of removing the outer covers and stuffing them with some old pieces of fabric or whatever while they're being painted and til they dry. Any ideas?

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  27. Thanks for sharing such information... https://artsynest.in/

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  28. It tourned gorgeus! And it is so easy! I didn't even know that a paint like that even exsist!
    Thank you for sharing

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  29. I admire this article for the well-researched content and excellent wording. I got so involved in this material that I couldn’t stop reading. I am impressed with your work and skill. Thank you so much. scandinavian furniture,

    ReplyDelete

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