Happy Hour : Paint Your Upholstery ?

Every been in a restaurant when it turns "Happy Hour?" You notice the mood instantly changes as everyone is ready for fun. Whenever I'm having a Bad Hair Day, my cure is always a personal Happy Hour. Of course, I'm hopeless addicted to interiors; so for me, this hour is all about decorating. In this series, we'll look at some quick and happy mood changers for our very own Happy Hour. Each should take about an hour - a mere 60 minutes - to perk up our minds and our rooms. Let's get the party started.

For this Happy Hour, I tried painting upholstery. I know, that sounds so weird. But there are products that apparently work and while it will take more than 60 minutes (as each coat needs time to dry), it's completely satisfying. Just wondering. Do you have a piece of furniture that could use a refresh? Our Ballard Designs ottoman started out in a faded cheetah pattern fabric which eventually wore out. Then P&I recovered in a linen which also wore out. At least ten years ago, I moved it from our living room (pictured above with our old furniture) to my study.

Over the years, I thought of slipcovering with an old white Matalasse bedspread. I thought of reupholstering with this cowhide rug but it has a blue underlining which looks a bit odd. When I discovered the FF Frosch paint supplement, I thought, "Why not paint it?" As P said, the worst that could happen was that I can reupholster later.

Here's the before photo. Yikes.

The first coat soaked right in.

2nd coat looked only a bit better.

The third (and final) coat has a pretty shine and all the stains are gone.

After it dried thoroughly, I applied a coat of clear wax. It really looks no different but it will protect the fabric from spills.

For this project, I treated myself to some brushes and bought BB Frosch paint transformer and clear wax. I used a salad jar to mix paint. The ottoman took about 24 oz of paint. I just used semi-enamel off-white house paint, leftover from painting the primary bathroom trim, and added the paint transformer.

All done in maybe a Happy Hour & a half. I'm not sure I would paint an upholstered chair that gets used everyday, but for an occasional chair or this ottoman, I'm all for it. If you do paint something, please let me know how it turns out - just add to the comment field below. In the meantime, enjoy your day!

supplies

Amazon : five-piece brush set, $25, item # B07Q84Q5PJ

BB Frosch.com : paint transformer ($34 for gallon)

BB Frosch.com : wax (clear) : ($17 for 220 ml)