When we first moved to St. John's, we had only our suitcases, and a few boxes of miscellaneous items; mostly books and our tea pot. When we found our cute apartment downtown St. John's in an older red house, we were determined to furnish it very cheaply, and Kijiji became my new best friend.
We found this couch on Kijiji, it was ugly. Very ugly. After paying $90, in a what Sean described as a very uncomfortable situation, where he was bullied into paying more than he thought he should, it was still ugly. But, the potential! My key phrase during our furniture search, "but, can you see the potential? I can!" I totally saw the potential.
Already knowing reupholstering was out of the question, and the few times I felt around the couch pretending that I could just DIY it no problem, I came across some other tutorials online of people painting their furniture. Seems normal, I had already painted several pieces. Hold up! We're talking fabric!
So this is the story of how the couch was painted:
Help! I'm so ugly!
Prepare the couch. Dust, vacuum, clean it. Tape off the wooden arms and legs, and put an old sheet on the floor. Explain to friends that you're not crazy, it's a totally normal thing to do. Explain the "potential" thing to them.
The Supplies
A quart of 100% Acrylic Enamel Interior paint for the fabric, I chose Benjamin Moore's Blue Danube.
Textile medium is essential to the process. You combine 1 part textile medium to 2 parts acrylic paint. It's what makes the paint "flexible", and prevents it from cracking and ensures the paint adheres to the fabric.
I started by applying the paint with a foam brush to all folds and piping. Used a foam roller to apply the paint to the larger sections. I didn't want the paint to build up and feel thick or scratchy, so I thought thin coats of paint would be the best. I ended up doing three coats, and with each coat, more and more of the pattern was covered.
"Linen Sand" for the arms and legs.
I knew I wouldn't need much paint for the arms and legs of the couch, so I just got a sample size paint can. After sanding down the finish, to ensure the paint would hold, and taping the edges so the new blue wouldn't turn white, we applied one coat of paint to all of the wood. After it had dried, I found the paint to be a bit bright, so I ran a 120 grit sandpaper over the finished white limbs, smoothing the paint and scuffing them up a bit.
I've had a lot of people ask me what the couch felt like after the paint was applied. It was definitely harder, and felt like something you wouldn't want to put your face on and snuggle. It felt like a newly printed silkscreen t-shirt, only you can't throw it in the wash to soften it, as the instructions indicate to do on the textile medium. No, it hasn't and I can't imagine it will "crack" and it does not stain my clothes. Much like a wall in your room doesn't transfer paint when you touch it.
I don't think I'd dare paint a puffy sofa, or a plush chair, I don't think the paint would work as well. Due to the shape, and tight upholstery of this piece, I think it worked well.
To soften up the fabric, we ran a 120 grit sandpaper over the painted fabric, and surprisingly, after a single pass, the fabric felt immensely softer. I'm sure you could do the same to the fabric between each coat of paint, but you'd have to ensure you were able to clean it properly before the next coat was applied.
You are still able to faintly see the pattern through the couch, as the threads run in many directions on this specific textile, but I feel that adds depth and I really enjoy it. You can not, however, see any of the original colours of the fabric.
Throw in a couple pillows from Whicker Emporium, and voila! A couch I'm happy to type this post on.
I love it!!
ReplyDelete