Alternate post title: “In A Minute, I Have To Hairdry The Chair”
Okay, I did something a little wild. We want our $25 hotel-style dining chairs to be a crisp, solid apple green (the curtains I plan to sew will be patterned, so I wanted the chairs to be a bold color without any competing print), so I decided to paint them.
I know it sounds extreme, but I figured the worst-case scenario is that we reupholster or slipcover them later — both of which would still be possible if painting didn’t work out. I approached it as an experiment: not guaranteed to succeed, but worth trying. I was definitely nervous. Who paints fabric-covered chairs? Plenty of talented bloggers have, and their results encouraged me to try. I kept a step-by-step tutorial open on my phone for reference and inspiration while I worked.
Here’s how it went. I mostly followed that tutorial’s method but adjusted a few steps to match the instructions on my specific supplies. For materials, I picked up three tubes of fabric painting medium and three tubes of apple-green acrylic paint from JoAnn Fabrics, and a quart of satin interior latex by Glidden in a Granny Smith Apple shade — all for under $10 for the small items. I mixed one part latex paint with one part textile medium in a bowl, measuring both to keep the ratio accurate. I even used a measuring cup to ensure the proportions were precise: about a third of a cup of each. That way I didn’t have to guess and risk a mix that was too heavy on paint.
After mixing the paint and medium with a brush, the color looked oddly yellow at first — paint often shifts as it dries — so I added roughly a quarter cup of water to slightly thin the mixture, following the tutorial’s suggestion. I also spritzed the chair with water from a reused cleaning bottle so the fabric would accept paint more smoothly and avoid clumping.
Once I started painting, the process took longer than I expected. I applied several even coats to get decent coverage, which meant the first chair took over an hour and a half. At that pace, completing all eight chairs would have taken roughly 12 hours. I photographed the in-progress stage while I worked, too nervous to stop and pose for a clear shot.
After the initial coats, my husband John asked if I wanted to watch a TV show. My response was the moment that became the post title: “Wait a minute, I have to hairdry the chair.” The textile medium requires heat to set, and when you can’t put a chair in a dryer, you use a hairdryer instead. That said, I re-read the instructions on the medium and realized it recommended waiting a day before heat-setting, so I let the chair air-dry overnight and planned to finish the heat step later.
Here are my first impressions after the initial coats:
- The color ended up more neon than the apple green I had imagined. That’s probably my fault for choosing the shade, and it could be corrected by selecting a different paint color.
- The process took a long time. Achieving even coverage required patience and several passes with the brush.
- The fabric’s texture still showed through, leaving subtle swirls and an uneven look in places.
After letting it sit overnight and sleeping on the result, we concluded that slipcovering or reupholstering would be a better solution for our chairs. The painted fabric felt a bit rough and slightly crunchy compared with the original upholstery, and painted seams and folds looked noticeably painted — gunky in the corners and unconvincing up close. The flat surfaces looked fine, but the seams revealed the method’s limitations.
This approach clearly depends on the chair and the look you want. Some painted-chair transformations are stunning and perfectly suited to the piece — and I’m still inspired by those examples — but our chairs didn’t achieve that same polished result. Still, I’m glad we tried it. We didn’t finish the final acrylic coat because we ultimately decided to pause the experiment, but I did use a hairdryer later to heat-set the paint that had been applied. Once set, it’s permanent and doesn’t rub off on clothing, much like painted canvas can be washed repeatedly without smearing. The fabric medium is intended to soften the paint and reduce stiffness, but the finish still felt different from reupholstery.
Right now, the painted green chair is temporarily in the playroom while the remaining seven chairs are waiting in the dining room for reupholstering or brightly colored slipcovers. We’ll update you as the project progresses — I expect slipcovers are likely, but we’ll see where this adventure leads.
P.S. We’re also sharing a lighthearted roundup about kids and how they always reach for the one non-toy item nearby — remotes, phones, keys, sunglasses — and we reveal Clara’s favorite oddly non-toy “toys” on BabyCenter.